Re cut my dovetails today!

[phantomcow2]

Well today i fixed the problem with my table binding up....
After careful measuring, i found that there was a taper on the gib strip side of my micro mill table, almost 15 thousands of an inch!
I was granted permission by the school to use their bridgeport, to cut out that taper. WEll it turned out all the school had was 60 degree dovetail cutters, and htis thing was a 45. I decided to go for it anyways, and if needed i can grind the gib strip to size. Well i went with that mighty machine, nervously i might add, probably using way to much cutting fluid, but i ground all that taper down!
The 5 degree difference in angle is not a problem, i cannot even tell. Of course, i was left with a huge ass bur on there but such is life.

It was either this, pay 50 dollars to LMS for a new table and have it in a week (only to get rid of it come november) or pay 21 to harbor freight and have it in 8 weeks

[Chris D]

Not having any idea what your machine looks like, but just in case, please read...

Some gibs are tapered. They way they work is like an adjustable parallel (sliding parallels). As you push the Gib in, it's mating tapered surface is pushed parallel away from the mating tapered surface, thus taking up the space. If you machined off the taper on a tapered Gib, you just destroyed it.

Chris

[ViperTX]

Good one Chris D....I wonder if when the table was replaced before if the gib was installed backwards and that's what was causing the problem.

[phantomcow2]

I actually did not machine the gib surface. I believed it would work without as the gibs are very much adjustable as you said.
So i brought along the saddle to test it all out, worked great with no modifications to the gibs.

[motomitch1]

If the micro mill had tapered gibbs,which it doesn't have the taper would be in the saddle and gibb and the table would still need to be parallel.