Re: RF-45 Retrofit

Ian,
It sounds like you have a good technique which would give accurate
results. I believe my method is actually very similar, except I use
the tailstock instead of putting the plate on the saddle.
I removed the ram and hand wheel from the tail stock and fitted an
oil impregated bronze bushing bored & reamed to fit the ball screw. I
coated the screw with grease where it passes through the bushing and
turn the lathe on it's slowest non backgear speed. So far it seems to
work well and the bronze bushing has not caused any visable wear on
the ball screw surface.

If you or anyone else are interested, I put some pictures in the
files area of egroup in a folder labeled ballscrew pics, I also
included a couple of pictures of the wedges I made to remove encoder
disks from goldmine servo's since that has re-surfaced on the list in
the last few days.
Terry May

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com, "Ian Wright" <Ian@i...> wrote:
> Hi Terry,
>
> << I started turning the ballscrews they way I told you about with
> > the tailstock as a steady rest, seems to be working OK, I'll
send you
> > some pictures.
> >
> > Terry >>
>
> I'm not too sure what you're talking about here but, if my guess is
right,
> you may be interested in the way I but the screws for my little
miller as
> the technique would be ideal for trimming down the ends of
ballscrews. I
> have a steel plate which I bolt vertically to the side of my
lathe's saddle
> and which has a largish hole through it in line with the headstock
spindle.
> When I want to turn or work on a long length of bar, I make and
harden fully
> a steel bush which fits both the work and the hole in this plate
closely and
> this is then fixed in the plate with a grub screw. The work goes in
the
> chuck and the saddle is brought right up to the chuck jaws to set
the bush
> exactly on line then, while I am turning, the tool works right up
against
> the bush so the work has no chance of flexing or chattering. The
technique
> is very similar to the way Swiss auto lathes work and it works a
treat.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Ian.
>
> ----
> Ian W. Wright
> Sheffield UK