I've rigged my X2 for central lubrication. I put all the oil passages in the saddle and ran two oil lines, standard 1/8" automotive oil pressure tubing and 1/8" NPT 90 degree elbow fittings. I haven't acquired the oil cups yet, but they'll mount up on the column somewhere.
The original plan was to use four separate lines, one for each dovetail. Partway through I figured I could oil the X dovetails from the bottom, and after having changed plans three or four times during the process, I wound up with "a maze of twisty little passages", the ends closed off with 8-32 set screws.
This is the right hand side Y dovetail oiler. It intersects the gib, so the gib side of the dovetail gets oil too. The idea was to put an oil cup in the side hole and give it a few drops of oil every now and then. If I was doing it over, I'd use a #60 or so drill through the back of a blind hole to drop oil on the gibs.
I didn't realize I could have oiled the entire thing from one feeder line until I was almost done; it would need a long drill to reach across the saddle side-to-side in the back, where it's solid metal all the way across. |