Gary,

A lot of older machines had cast iron gibs that were hand scraped.

I don't see any reason why they couldn't be made out of auminum bronze or
similar. Theyl still have to be "scraped in" or the table could wobble or
sieze. Cut them to the approximate thickness and angle. Then use prussian
blue to find the high spots. Scrape away said high spots until even contact
is achieved. Scraping tools are basically a flat piece of tool steel (or
carbide) with a radiused end. It'l take some practice

You should be able to find some references on the net

Mark


"Gary Owens" wrote in message
. ..
Well, I got the mill back together, and am now learning to make chips.
Yesterday I learned about "Climb milling".
As I never finished my apprentice program 40 years ago, I have never used
a
horizontal mill. I remember reading about it, but it was never a big deal
when I used Vertical mills, just chatter and bad finish. But using the
Nichols with a rack feed, It is a very big deal, the table took off, the
lever arm came up and whacked me in the elbow, and the machine made all
kinds of noises. That was a learning experience, not to be repeated.
I think my first project will be to make some "gibs" as 2 of the 4 gibs
are
broken. 1 had been braised but never ground flat, so that one took a lot
of
filing to make it work smooth. Any idea what they are made out of, its not
brass, more like cast.
Thank You to everyone who gave me suggestions during the rebuild.

gary
www.westcanalcrafts.com