"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

That is a non-issue. Machine tools have backlash----it's a fact of
life
(unless they have ball screws). You learn to use the machines,
regardless
of the amount. It's what separates a machinist from a wannabe.

You made my day, Harold. I'm not a wannabe
anymore.


Congrats!

Seriously, backlash is not a concern, not if the machine is otherwise sound.
I've run only one machine that lacks it, my Graziano, on the cross slide,
and only because it has a loaded nut. Regardless, I run it like it has
backlash, which is the habit one must acquire to run (manual) machine tools
successfully.

I just checked the backlash on the table of my Bridgeport, purchased new in
'77. .059", and I am not concerned in the least. I know the machine still
runs well, and I can rely on the screw for positioning. It's not the
machine, but how you apply it that counts. Some day the screw and nut
assembly may require replacement, but not right now.

Harold