[Shop] Lathe semi-broken, use carefully!

[Igor Yeremin]

Hi Hacklab!

TL;DR: The lathe cross slide is damaged, but functional. If you're going
to use the lathe, please be very careful with the cross slide until the
broken parts are replaced!

Last night while finishing up a project, I was using the cross power
feed to face a part. The cross slide reached the end of travel without
me realizing it and the lathe happily continued pushing it further.

This forced the Acme nut into the back wall of the cross slide, bending
the nut at the adjustment joint and compressing the M4 screws used to
tension it about 1mm. The lead screw bent a little just before the start
of the thread, and one of the mounting flanges broke on the end cap with
the thrust bearing.

With Will's help we managed to disassemble the cross slide, bend the nut
back into shape, and re-assemble everything. The handle now turns
unevenly because of the bend in the lead screw, but it seems to be
usable. We had some trouble engaging the cross slide power feed right
away, but after moving the cross slide back and forth, power feed
started engaging correctly again. Next time I'm at the lab I will take
the power feed gearbox apart to make sure nothing is broken in there.

For now, the lathe seems to be functional, but please use it carefully
and stop if you see or hear something wrong. Since the end cap is only
attached on one side, also avoid applying too much force with the cross
slide.

I'll contact Busy Bee Tools to order a replacement end cap, lead screw,
and nut.


Igor