Gib Supplier/Maker

[cmnewcomer]

The gib on my compound slide broke and it's no longer available from Grizzly. Does anyone know if there is a generic supplier/maker of such an item or how one would go about making such a part?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Best Regards.

Carl

[Mcgyver]

curious, how the heck did a gib break?

is it just a strip of metal or a full tapered gib - I don't know that machine so don't offhand know what its gib looks like?

like any part, start by defining the part, ie just make it to the dimension of the old one -if tapered its still doable, but a bigger project.

can you post a pic or sketch of it?

[cmnewcomer]

Mcgyver,

Thanks for the reply. I usually get an e-mail when someone responds to my posts so I didn't realize you had.

Took me awhile to theories how it broke too. The gib is held captive bewteen two adjusting screws one at each end of the gib unlike some designs. In any event, I believe over the last 15 years of using this the gib worked over top of one of the adjusting screws. At that point, when the compound slide would be moved to the far back it would flex. At some point about 0.25" broke off the end. Did't realize it was a captive gib at the time so didn't think much of it but the gib finally locked itself and I had to press the assembly apart. Took some doing to get things free.

The gib appears to be cast iron which surprised me and, as most gibs, has a rough or scrapped finish I believed to allow oil to remain on the acting faces.

I would not have the capability to machine this properly and was hoping it's possible to buy rough versions of the gib and fit to the unit. The attached jpg show the basic dimenions but they really aren't exact as the gib has beveled edges and it's hard to measure accurately.

Best Regards.

Carl

[LeeWay]

You didn't mention what machine you have, but here is one for the 7 X mini lathes.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...1108&category=

I did make my own at one point using brass. The gibb stip on my carriage had just snapped into three pieces. Looked like pot metal. Brass worked great though. more costly, but you won't break it again.

[Mcgyver]

so it is a CI tapered gib, good on grizzly for doing it right.....but you're in for more of an adventure.

you can buy the cast iron, places that sell durabar should stock longer thin 'gib' stock.

as most gibs, has a rough or scrapped finish I believed to allow oil to remain on the acting faces.

hmmm, if scraped, it should opticaly seem rougu but be as smooth as a babies bottom to the touch.

Connelly in machine tool recondition goes into making gibs, but here's how i'd do it.....

first of, its a lot of hand fitting, nothing hard about it, but its likely going to take you where you haven't been - read up on some of the posts on scraping. to bad you weren't local, it takes longer to describe than do

on the dovetailed main parts theres one straight piece and one tapered piece. Start by getting two of the faces of the new gib to mate with this two surfaces of the straight one. One of the advanatage of scraping here is that it is really hard to machine such a spindly piece without the clamping action distorting things - I'd bring these surfaces in by hand with blue, file and scraper

if you can't the angle between the two faces milled, do it with a file. basicaly, blue the two surfaces of the straight dovetail and whittle away at the work (which files for roughing, scapers for finishing) until the blue reveals it's in contact in many places per inch, maybe 10-12.

Now, roughly layout the other two faces of the gib and file/machine leaving some margin, put the tapered part of the dovetail together with the straight . Spread some blue on the unfinished surfaces and insert and remove - where the blues been remove is a high spot and is brought down with file (roughing) and then scraping. it'll be better than new

its not a big job, just sounds like it

[cmnewcomer]

Thanks for the reply gentlemen. This forum has saved me a number of times and it's greatly apprecaited that folks take the time to respond.

It's and older Grizzly 12" gap bed lathe mode G1003. Grizzly basically said even their new models wouldn't have the same gib design.

OK, I need to learn a new trick. I just ordered some gray cast iron class 40 that they claim is good for gibs. I'll start reviewing how to scrap and file this along with your recommendations Mcgyver.

Not sure if this is normal but the pictures below show how one side is rough, if you will, which seems to be to keep the oil on the acting face.

Best Regards.

Carl

[whitis]

You should be able to buy the part at littlemachineshop. That is the easy way.

In the mean time, you should still be able to use the compound, to some degree. You just need to wedge it in place. You still have a tapered gib. File off any burs on the edge where it broke, etc. Drill three dimples near where the set screws contacted it, err slightly towards the thiner end. The set screws should be able to hold it temporarily. Alternatively you can wedge a piece in so the original screws can hold it capitive (make sure no rough edges contact the ways). I actually used a piece of teflon tubing as a temporary gib on a sherline.

You also might also be able to machine a new part, even with makeshift gibs installed. It will be tedious and require some ingenuity, but should be possible. Your compound actually gives you an advantage for cutting tapers over a mill with limited accessories. If you clamp a piece of metal to the side of the compound (you can even drill three holes and use the gib set screw retaining nuts to help hold it), you have a makeshift 1 axis milling table. Glue the work to this piece using cyanoacrilite glue (crazy glue/super glue). When you need to separate them, throw it in boiling water or in the oven - heat will break the bond. Put an endmill in your chuck. Set the compound to the correct angle). Then use the crossslide motion to mill the piece. You don't have enough travel, so you will have to do it in segments and move the saddle to compensate. Reclamp the work or drill some extra holes in your "mill table" so you can offset it by one hole. It won't be perfect - you will get a few steps due to alignment but you can touch it up with a file or scraper and if the defects are on the side that doesn't contact the ways, they may not have much effect. Make it longer than the original piece and then you can cut it to appropriate length based on test fitting.

Don't have an endmill? You may be able to clamp lathe tool in a 4-jaw chuck (if you have one) and deliberately offset it off center to make a 1 tooth end mill.

The other two angles are less critical and can be rough filed or scraped. Or, you can make an endmill by turning the correct angle on a piece of steel, grind a cutting edge, and harden. You could use a single tooth cutter (like an engraving tool). Or turn or grind a broken drill bit to the right angle. Or a lathe blank offset in a 4-jaw chuck.
Then you flip the piece over and offset it by the right height and cut the other side.
If you have some long bar stock or tool blank, you can glue that to the back of your temporary mill table and insert it into the tool post. Since the cutting forces will be so close, glue should be sufficient and you won't need to screw the "table" to the bar stock, though take light cuts as you don't want it coming loose next to a spinning chuck. Stay clear of the throw zone, just in case. Then, when you need to slide the work along its length, you just loosen the tool post screws, slide, and reclamp.
Each time you slide the work, you need to readjust the saddle position - if you slide so there is some overlap, you can use the previously cut edge as a reference. Just slide the saddle till it just touches the work.

You can also possibly use your lathe as a "shaper". Glue the workpiece to something heavier, clamp one end in a 4 jaw chuck and put a dimple in the other end for the tailstock so it is mounted between centers. Then lock the spindle which may take some improvising. You would need to use a wide blade since you lack vertical control - unless, of course, you have a quick change toolpost which normally has a vertical adjustment.

To set the angle of the compound, you can use the old piece. First secure the compound. You can do that by putting a piece of scrap where the gib belongs and tighten the middle screw. Then with a dial indicator or a piece of rod or a faceplate, you can adjust the compound so the face of the taper is parallel to the spindle face.

[Mcgyver]

Originally Posted by whitis Drill three dimples near where the set screws contacted it, err slightly towards the thiner end. The set screws should be able to hold it temporarily.

you lost me on set screws and dimples, its a tapered gib ???

[cmnewcomer]

I finally got this thing finished. Thanks again for the suggestions. I bought some books (pamplets more than books) on scrapping but decided I would do that as a last resort.

So, I made a jig and machined the new gib. Pictures are easier to understand so I attached a few.

Best Regards.

Carl