Originally Posted by philbur  I think the adjustment method is relatively insensitive and the head falling slowly under its own weight is not in itself a problem. |
Thanks for the datapoint, Phil. My head has never been "loose" but it would slide down under its own weight, at least part of the Z travel. Each time I've adjusted the gib, it has taken less than 1/4 turn of the top screw to firm up the head. I check it by placing an old bathroom scale upside down on the top of the head door and pulling down on it. I've been adjusting to the low side of the 40-80lb that the manual recommends.
I'm very happy with the machining and resultant surface finish, so maybe I'll just leave the gib alone for a while and see what happens. As long as the head doesn't slide down far enough to land on the vise, things can't be all too bad...
Randy