On 9/23/2010 10:22 AM, Bob La Londe wrote:

A gentle tightening and now its as good as it ever was. Its still an HF
dial, but now there is no mechanical slop in the case and it snaps back
to the same exact spot on the dial every time.

I'm sure more than a few here have been there. More than once.
I sure have... G

Years ago, working with my first CNC mill at a previous job, and hardly
being comfortable and familiar with it, I'd finished one job and set up
for the next, including moving the ram back to it's original location.

Now, I'm milling one side wall out of the center of some 3/4 x 3/4 x 1/8
aluminum with a 3/8 roughing end mill. Right off the bat, the damned
thing starts losing Y location, and I have to rezero. This happens
repeatedly. Phone call to Wells Index resolve nothing, everyone is
scratching their head. Boss flies tech out, when he arrives they are in
the office talking while I get the machine ready to demonstrate the
problem. And then it hits me... I forgot to tighten the ram clamp bolts.
I'm not sure I had ever moved a mill ram before, something or someone
distracted me in the middle of it, and I just forgot.

In feeble defense, I am a self taught machinist and this place was where
I learned a lot. Some of it the hard way...


Jon
Lifelong student
School of Hard Knocks