Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter

If your machne has an instruction manual, it should show you where the
adjusting screw for the nut is located.

Lewis.

******

If your machne has an instruction manual, it should show you where the
adjusting screw for the nut is located.

Lewis.

******

wrote:
Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and
y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter

Wishful thinking. You may be able to get it to .005", but it won't last
long. You will wind up with a prematurely worn out nut. Better
solution(s): if you can not tolerate any backlash, convert to a ball
screw setup. http://www.industrialhobbies.com/ will give you some ideas
on how to do this.
Best solution (if you are not converting to CNC), go for a Shumatech
DRO. http://www.shumatech.com/products/dro-350/ plus calipers for a
total of less than $300 or Jenix scales for more$$. Then you don't have
to care about backlash.

All machine tools have backlash, get used to it. The amounts you say are not
that much to deal with.


wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter

I have a similar unit with backlash that does not have any adjustment,
however I did put a couple of stepper motors on it and the software
compensates for backlash so the problem is " for all intents " gone.

Peter K

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter

No machinist worth his salt worries about backlash. There are ways to
work with it and never make mistakes. One of them is to always come to
rest turning the dial in the same direction, normally clockwise. When
you have to back up on a dimension, back up too far, then approach it while
turning the handle clockwise. Once you get in the habit, you'll discover
it's no big deal.

Unless you have problems with the nut fitting the screw, as long as you deal
with backlash in the same fashion each time you move the dial, it doesn't
add problems. It's a whole different story if the major diameter of the
screw drags on the minor diameter of the nut, or vice-versa. It's
important that the faces of the screw and nut are in intimate contact with
one another.

Harold

Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...

Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter


No machinist worth his salt worries about backlash. There are ways to
work with it and never make mistakes. One of them is to always come to
rest turning the dial in the same direction, normally clockwise. When
you have to back up on a dimension, back up too far, then approach it while
turning the handle clockwise. Once you get in the habit, you'll discover
it's no big deal.

Unless you have problems with the nut fitting the screw, as long as you deal
with backlash in the same fashion each time you move the dial, it doesn't
add problems. It's a whole different story if the major diameter of the
screw drags on the minor diameter of the nut, or vice-versa. It's
important that the faces of the screw and nut are in intimate contact with
one another.

Harold



Does the majority of the wear usually take place in the nut because it
is a softer material and so much "shorter" than the screw?

Are there instances where the screw develops wear which is accentuated
in certain parts of it's length? It seems that could cause nonlinear
movement relative to what's indicated by the dial, even when one always
approaches from the same direction? (Another good reason for using a DRO
I suppose.)

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

wrote in message
ups.com...

Hi,

I have a mill/drill with about 0.030" and 0.045" of backlash in x and y
directions. It would be nice to get this down to 0.005" or less. Is
there a source of an anti-backlash nuts. Something not too expensive
and that I could easily add to my machine?

Thanks,
Peter


No machinist worth his salt worries about backlash. There are ways
to
work with it and never make mistakes. One of them is to always come
to
rest turning the dial in the same direction, normally clockwise.
When
you have to back up on a dimension, back up too far, then approach it
while
turning the handle clockwise. Once you get in the habit, you'll
discover
it's no big deal.

Unless you have problems with the nut fitting the screw, as long as you
deal
with backlash in the same fashion each time you move the dial, it
doesn't
add problems. It's a whole different story if the major diameter of the
screw drags on the minor diameter of the nut, or vice-versa. It's
important that the faces of the screw and nut are in intimate contact
with
one another.

Harold



Does the majority of the wear usually take place in the nut because it
is a softer material and so much "shorter" than the screw?

Good point. I'm not convinced that it does, although how well a machine
has been maintained can have a profound affect on where you might experience
wear. If you pack a bronze nut with abrasive (from dirty oil, never
cleaning and oiling), it is likely to be harder on the screw than the screw
is on the nut. My personal experience indicates the nut will go first,
however. In my one instance, the split and loaded nut started dragging on
the major diameter, creating error. A new nut solved the problem, with no
noticeable error in the screw.

Are there instances where the screw develops wear which is accentuated
in certain parts of it's length?

Yep! In a major way in some instances. I ran an old K&T mill that had
something like .020" error over a foot of travel, due to wear. That is
extreme, but not uncommon. I discovered the problem by trusting the screw.

It seems that could cause nonlinear
movement relative to what's indicated by the dial, even when one always
approaches from the same direction? (Another good reason for using a DRO
I suppose.)

Yeah, it can do exactly that, but it takes lots of years to create that much
wear, or a total disregard of oiling and wiping. A guy with a fairly new
machine working at home is highly unlikely to ever see it happen.

I think my point is that backlash in and of itself is not a problem.
New machines typically have backlash, it's a matter of how much. If you
have any at all, you must learn to work with it. How much isn't really an
issue, so spending money to reduce backlash from, say, .040" to .005" makes
no sense. Your money is gone, but the problem remains.

Extreme wear, particularly zonal wear, is a different issue, although
accompanied by backlash. The uneven wear does indeed introduce error.

Harold