X2 table/saddle/gib alignment

[sansbury]

Hi all,

On my X2 the dovetails on the X-table seem to be rather uneven and I suspect I am not the first!

If I adjust the gibs to give no noticeable slop with the table centered, then the last 1-2" at each end will bind badly. If I set it to allow travel to the ends, then it has at least .02-.03" of slop when centered.

I lapped the gib strip against a surface plate as it was very high in the center. This made it feel a little better but didn't help the problem. I wrapped fine paper around the gib and took some passes on the dovetail but it was mostly just a light polishing of the high spots. No difference.

Anyway I am wondering what my next options are.

It seems like the dovetails must be a bit high at the ends. Sanding with the gib strip would seem to be a bad idea unless I can measure the high spots and target them. Obviously I don't have a big dovetail straightedge to use for scraping but I do have a surface plate. Could I put the table on its side and measure the dovetail surface with a test indicator?

Any other ideas? Right now I have 5-6" of good travel in the center portion and can live with that most of the time.

[HackMax]

On my x3 i have a problem with the z axis at the top few inches - does the same thing. I noticed before I converted it - the handle would turn easy at one point and then get hard to turn the next time around. It would only do this the last few inches. Evidently the end of the shaft was not turned concentric to the threads of the screw so at the point where it lined up correctly the handle would turn easy and then when it got too far on the low side or high side of the screw it would tighten up. I still haven't got this fixed so I have to set the stepper to a slower speed than normal to get it to go all the way to the top. You may have a similar problem. I see ball screws in my near future yet.

Rick

[AirHog]

I had/have the same problem with my X2, since i bought it 4 years ago. It's worn in a bit, but i tried forever to adjust it when i first got it, lapped the ways, gib, etc., it would always end up binding somewhere.

Just keep working it, your on the right track. It is what it is after all.

[hab82]

Hello
I am trying to resolve tight areas on my X and Y axis as well as remove slop in other areas. I have thought of scraping the weight bearing surfaces to get them flat and then lapping the dove tail surfaces. Do I also need to do anything more than try to get the surfaces flat/straight.

Thanks
Hubert

[AirHog]

Get some layout dye if you dont hve some already, cover all the parts in question, and put it back together, then move the X/Y axis around a bit to scribe the dye with the high/low spots. Much easier than eyeballing things/guessing.


* Make sure it's not binding due to bad gib adjustments though, other wise you'll be in for an aggravating few hours/days lol. The dye should confirm it.