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I started off by cutting the solid rod into 6 segments. |
Although I only need 3 leadnuts, I figured I should make as many as I can from the rod that I bought. |
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Made sure I had my digital vernier calipers and technical drawing close by at all times! |
I've only ever used a lathe once before so this was my second time, here goes nothing. |
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The cutter given to me was quite dull which was probably why melting began to occur, coolant solved that issue. |
Even with a dull cutter, this stuff machines really well! |
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Finished product and the stages it went through and it fits well inside the ballnut enclosure. |
The waste material from making just 3 of these leadnuts! |
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I then took an off-cut of the leadscrew and made a tap out of it. I used a grinding wheel to taper the front and make a square rear. |
The cuts were done with a circular saw however this can also be done with a Dremel grinding wheel or even a hacksaw. |
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After tapping the thread and test fitting, I decided that the leadnuts were too long causing additional friction so I cut some length off. |
Now to cut the edges to match the ballnut housing using a bandsaw. |
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Sanding the edges to give a nice smooth finish. |
Next was issue of marking the holes. The best way I found was to glue some paper on the housing and push holes through the paper. |
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Mark the hole positions through the paper stencil using a marker... |
Finally, drill the holes and fasten the leadnut onto the ballnut housing! |