Subject: Engine lathe gib question.

From: [email-masked] (Bill Averyt)
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 02:36:15 GMT

I recently purchased at auction a 14" South Bend "Nordic" engine lathe.  The cross-slide gib is missing.  The
manufacturer shipped me a new gib ($530), but it was the wrong size.  They say that was the only one they have for that
machine.  This is a difficult piece for me to make in my shop.  Is there such a thing as a "generic, cut to fit" gib?  I
would appreciate any and all comments.

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From: [email-masked] (Scott Logan)
Date: 24 Sep 1996 12:36:17 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, From [email-masked] 
(Bill Averyt), the following was written:
> shipped me a new gib ($530),

Is that solid gold!?!  If you can mail or fax me a sketch, I might be
able to help.

Scott Logan
Logan Actuator Co.
4956 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL  60630-1782
312-736-6854 fax

--
 ----------------------------------------
 Scott Logan [email-masked]
 09/24/96 07:35
 http://www.loganact.com

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From: [email-masked](Dave Ficken)
Date: 24 Sep 1996 12:10:59 GMT

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Bill Averyt)
writes: 
>
>I recently purchased at auction a 14" South Bend "Nordic" engine
lathe.  The cross-slide gib is missing.  The
>manufacturer shipped me a new gib ($530), but it was the wrong size. 
They say that was the only one they have for that
>machine.  This is a difficult piece for me to make in my shop.  Is
there such a thing as a "generic, cut to fit" gib?  I
>would appreciate any and all comments. 

 Southbend's prices are quite high, but I cannot imagine over $500 for
a gib. Are you sure that you are using the right nomenclature for the
part you need? As for the gib being difficult to make, I would consider
it the easiest thing on the Lathe to make. That assumes you have access
to a surface grinder. I had a gib for a Sheldon cross slide made up at
a local machine shop (I didn't have any surface grinders in stock at
the time.) It cost me a case of Budweiser. Thats about $514.00 cheaper
than Southbend, and I even got to drink one on delivery.
 A note on Southbend 14" Lathes. They are kind of white elephants.
Parts are tough to come by used, so you may be at the mercy of
Southbend for certain parts. I strongly advise you to assess your
investment in this machine. If it is in poor shape, or missing lots of
stuff, I can assure you that it will become a money pit. I know of
someone that has this machine less the carriage, apron, cross slide,
and compound. I gave him the same advice. He may be a source of parts
for you in the future if he still has the machine.
 Regards,
Dave Ficken
Meridian Machinery " A different kind of Machinery Dealer"
http://hre.com/meridian

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From: "Randolph Lee" <[email-masked]>
Date: 24 Sep 96 16:47:10 -0500

Bill Averyt <[email-masked]>Typed
>machine.  This is a difficult piece for me to make in my shop.  Is there
>such a thing as a "generic, cut to fit" gib?  I

Not sure we talking about the same thing here as I can not think anyone in
their right minds would charge that kind of money for a gib strip... is the
'.' in the right place? 53.00 bucks I might think bandets like south bend
might getaway with ... but 530!

so for clarity are we talking about the thin strip of steel that rests in
the X-slide v ways cut sort of in the shape of a paralogram in section with
dimple spots that the gib screws go into?

if so they are very easy to make if they are like the ones on a 10 I
southbend (users of A.L.s MLA T-slot Xslide will have seen this method
before it is the one from his instructions and is the easyest way I think
for non mass production one off type work) and you can even make them out
of plastic (teflon springs to mind... ) 

Take a piece of steel the right size  say an 3/32 to 1/8 thick (look at a
real on of get the corect size from some one here who has one and can
measure it up for you ) and trim it to shape by taking the x-slide and
mounting it upside down on your milling machine. set the gib blank in the
v-way with adjustable parallels and or wedges and mill the angle down to
within say 20 thou of the bottom of the X-slide... then flip it over and
put about 30 thou of shim stock under it and reclamp and again mill it down
to 20 thou or so... you should now have about 10 thou of clearance when you
remove the shim stock... reclamp one more time and now clamp the xslide to
an angle plate and very carefuly centering in each gib hole (or you can
make a spin in drill bushing to fit the gib threads) and seting the depth
of drilling you spot in each gib screw hole for the point of the gib
screw...

remove debur and your done...

but given the price you mentioned I have to think we are talking about a
diferent part.... perhaps the whole Xslide or compound? 

~R
Windshadow Engineering
Nantucket Island MA

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From: [email-masked] (Russ Kepler)
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 23:25:27 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Randolph Lee <[email-masked]> wrote:
>                     ... reclamp one more time and now clamp the xslide to

It'd be a good idea to pin the gib in place with a dowel pin before
this last step.

-- 
Russ Kepler							[email-masked]

                    Please Don't Feed the Engineers

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From: "Fitch R. Williams" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 20:36:00 -0700

Dave Ficken wrote:
> http://hre.com/meridianWhen I machined the "T" slotted cross slide for my 9" South Bend I also 
had to machine a gib for it.  It didn't take very long and works 
perfectly.  To be sure we are talking abou tht same thing, the Gib I 
assume you are talking about is a piece of metal something like 1/8 to 
3/16 of an inch thick, about as wide as the angled face of the gib is 
tall (measured at an angle) and beveled to be horizontal on the edges.

Making it was no trick except for the few minutes it took to make a good 
clamping tool to support it along its length.  

Fitch

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From: Robert Bickers <[email-masked]>
Date: 26 Sep 1996 23:40:37 GMT

>would appreciate any and all comments. 
Bill. I made a gib for my 14" lathe from a piece of presision ground stock from Starret, cost 
$25 or so from MSC. Check out "the Machinist Bedside Reader", I forget which munber[hell buy 
them all, they are way less than $530] in there Guy has an artical on making gibs. Ccheers Bob