How do I adjust the gibbs on my lathe and mill? Id their a special lube to use for lubricating or can I just use oil?

depends if they are tapered or straight. Tapered gibbs will have usually have a screw lying in the same axis as the gibb that advances it in or out. as it is tapered, advancing it in or out tightens or loosesns the gibb. lesser machines :) have screws/set scews along the dovetail at 90 degrees to the gibb. if that’s not clear I could snap some photo's. I don't know how to tell you how tight to make the gibb, except that running them tight increases wear but makes things more rigid. I just snug up the gibb screw and back off ½ a turn or so until it feels right - if you have a heavy duty job, tighten them down more.

use oil. Way oil (sticky) is what I use but some dislike this claiming the chips stick to it. if you use regular oil, 30 wt non detergent is good. If the machine doesn't have it, install some sort of oiler so you can get oil to the contact surfaces of the dovetail.

Mike

I use real wayoil on my machine and its significantly better than regular oil.
I am pretty sure the x and y gibs on your x3 are just the set screw type, I always just tighten mine down almost all the way and back them off just a hair untill the axis starts moving.
From the pictures I have seen, it appears the Z axis has a tapered gib which has a crew in the very top of the head which you turn in or out to tighten or loosen.

On the mini lathe, the gibs are little strips under the carrage that are screwed into it, to get access you typically have to remove the skirt and the chip tray on the back.

Jon

Rough rule of thumb is .001"/6" of gib.
Are they brass or steel? Most important is that both sides of the ways are the same.
Usually a heavy oil like a #200 is used on ways,you may get away with #68 but that's getting light. You can use grease, just don't use the kind that will get tacky when in contact with water soluble fluids, Greases that are marked"EP" (Extreme pressure) or marine grade,outdoor use ect... you should stay away from. Some lithium based grease will also become more tacky and resist washing away when in contact with water. So I would avoid them too.
"Superlube" is a great multipurpose grease if your local store carries it.

I have the way oil from page 1993 at mcmaster, iso grade 68, its awesome.

When I bought it, I wasnt sure whether to get the 220 or 68 so i just grabbed one. I am loving it so far.

I used white lithium grease for a while, it worked but the ways got dry after some time, I tried 30weight motor oil and had the same problem. My buddy dropped off his mill, he had used white lithium grease on his, but it got all nasty and tacky. it must have been different stuff. I cleaned that up and put some way oil on and it was all good:)

trubleshtr, how does that rule of thumb work? .001" of what?

Jon

On Really long spans like stamping presses, you would want to check every 6" approx. with feeler gauges, sometimes on long spans there are more than one adjustment screw to consider on the gibs.
If this is a small bench top mill I would aim for about .002" overall. Just need to make sure both sides are same, front and back. (assuming ways are lapped and true);)

So your saying that I should be able to put a feeler gage inbetween my gibs and table ways? I have mine a little tighter than that I think, tight enough so the table doesnt move at all when I push on it sideways.

Jon

Off topic, but I have always wondered...are they pronounced Gibbs, or Jibbs?

Im pretty sure its Gibbs, its spelled with a g;)
Thats what I hear at work and all.

Jon

Thanks Jon, I say Gibbs with a g, but don't know a lot of machinists to speak to!

Gibs and it's "G"

Hello to all, I suppose this is off topic but I have just bought a Chinese made 7x14 lathe and it is a lot better than I thought it would be.I have looked at the posts about adjusting the various slides and the post about adjusting the gib prompted me to write this post. I have not needed to adjust any component on the lathe. Has anyone needed to make any modifications to this model lathe? The lathe is a "MetalWorker made by Seig.Regards Wayne.

Hi all,
When I did my fitting and turning apprenticeship (1956 - 1961) in Portsmouth Royal Naval Dockyard (in England) they were pronounced JIBS.
Depends on what part of the world and what part of the country you come from I suppose, but we had old, grizzled, very experienced instructors who had been around for about a century or two and they all called 'em JIBS, so did all the fitters, turners and machinists I ever knew - and they were from all parts of the UK. :D

Thanks Jon, I say Gibbs with a g, but don't know a lot of machinists to speak to!

When woprking part time going to schools in a machine shop ,the owners were immigrant Europeans that pronounced the word as "jibbs".I became courious and asked one of the Senior professiors at my mechanical engineering school what the correct term was. He told us that as a young apprentice in Hungrary before the war, the english speaking staff said "jibbs".Since his credentials as an ME were not reconized in the US after immigration, started over at a ME college near Chicago where every one prounced it "gibbs". Quin sabe ?

Adobe (old as dirt)

"gib" it 'tis.
ref:
American Heritage Dictionary - 3rd Edition 1994
gib (g¹b) n. 1. A plain or notched, often wedge-shaped piece of wood or metal designed to hold parts of a machine or structure in place or provide a bearing surface, usually adjusted by a screw or key. --gib tr.v. gibbed, gib·bing, gibs. To fasten with a gib. [Origin unknown.]
---
jib (j¹b) n. 1. Nautical. A triangular sail stretching from the foretopmast head to the jib boom and in small craft to the bowsprit or the bow. 2.a. The arm of a mechanical crane. b. The boom of a derrick. [Origin unknown.]

"gib" it 'tis.
ref:
American Heritage Dictionary - 3rd Edition 1994.............
That would be right, The world stops at the border of "The Good Old USA" :) :)

Don't be offended we love our US friends:cheers:

That would be right, The world stops at the border of "The Good Old USA" :) :)
Sorry to have presented the definition in an offensive manner.
I have been using the term "gib" for a long time (50+yrs), but then I saw it referred to as "gibb", "gibbs", "jib", etc.
Was there another (i.e. accepted) spelling or definition instead of gib?

Whenever I need a word defined (which is frequent) my PC is setup with a hot-key (Ctrl+Alt+h, Windows98) that pops up my local American Heritage Dictionary. Then I can simply cut and paste into whatever I'm working on.
I thought it best to show the source of where that definition came from.
Certainly, it was not to emphasize a US centric definition.

However, further examination on the web did not produce any other appropriate definitions using "gibb" or "jib".

Other web resources (non-US?) seem corroborate the definition.
They are:
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
Gib -Machinery
a. a thin, wedgelike strip of metal for controlling the area in which a moving part, as the table of a milling machine, slides.
b. a keylike part having a head at each end, used with a matching cotter as a fastening. See diag. under exploded view.
---

http://uk.encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861707427/gib.html
gib noun (plural gibs)
Definition:metal wedge: something that is made of metal and holds another piece of metal or a machine part in place, e.g. a wedge, pin, bolt, or plate. [Late 18th century. Origin ?]
---

http://www.allwords.com/word-gib.html From The AND Dictionary:
gib noun
1. A small metal or wooden wedge used for keeping a machine part in place.
verb tr gibbed, gibbing 1. To secure with a gib. Etymology: 18c.
---

http://www.brainydictionary.com/words/gi/gib168979.html
Gib -A piece or slip of metal or wood, notched or otherwise, in a machine or structure, to hold other parts in place or bind them together, or to afford a bearing surface; -- usually held or adjusted by means of a wedge, key, or screw.
To secure or fasten with a gib, or gibs; to provide with a gib, or gibs.

Note:
I could not find any "gibb" related information.
All "jib" definitions seemed to focus on sail boats.

Thank you for taking the time to prompt me to reaffirm what the accepted spelling and definition is of that term.
Pres

:D Wow Pres you've certainly done some research there :D

My Dad is a little older than you and was a machinist all his working life and he always called them gibs.

But if them Pommies want to call them jibs :D let em I say :D

They're all a bit eccentric over in the old country you know :banana:

Ha Ha that should get em going :)

"irregardless" of the pronounciation... (nuts)

How do you adjust the j/gib?

[QUOTE=Greolt;206936

But if them Pommies want to call them jibs :D let em I say :D

They're all a bit eccentric over in the old country you know :banana:

Ha Ha that should get em going :)[/QUOTE]


Dear Greolt,

Mad as a box of frogs I may well be, but......my Concise Oxford Dictionary (1983), a tome never less than a few inches from my grasp, says that GIBS and JIBS have equal validity.

Everyone's a winner!

Best wishes


Martin

Hey, I see this post is old but, I will put the answer here for anyone who may need it in the future.

1) Center the table at the X-axis cold start position. Attach a magnetic base
and an indicator that reads in .0001 divisions just below the gib. Do not attach the indicator to the table! Place the indicator on the end of the table just above the gibb. Adjust and set
at a zero reading.
2) Place a pry bar between the front table gib/strap assembly and the saddle.
3) With the pry bar, move the table forward so the solid rear way of the table is
against the saddle.
4) Zero the indicator.
5) Place the pry bar between the rear table gib/strap assembly and the
saddle.
6) Gently pry the table the opposite way.
7) The indicator reading is the adjustment that needs to be made. A properly
adjusted set of gibs will have a front to back motion of .0003”.
8) If the gib needs adjusting, there is a gib adjuster screw located at the end
of the gib. Turning this screw clockwise will loosen the gib and turning it
counter clockwise will tighten the gib.
9) Repeat the above steps until a .0003” indicator motion is achieved. Then,
perform the procedure over again for the gib at the opposite end.
After both gibs have been completely adjusted, run the table to its extremes at
the plus and minus ends and then return the table back to center. Then, repeat
the above gib adjustment procedure for verification.