Model Forum / General / Models / May 2008

Did you really use a file on the underside of the saddle?
Seems a tadge brutal.

Charles

Sounds a bit savage,but everyone to their own.
I would have stripped the saddle,including removing the rollers at the
back,wipers etc.Wash down bed and underside of saddle.Lay the saddle
back on the shears at the chuck end,blue the bed at the tailstock end
and slide the saddle carefully along to the tailstock end.Lift the
saddle of and all the high spots should be marked.
It`s strange that the saddle is sitting on the flat and not touching
the vee as,even with wear it should all go down together and it would
be impossible for the vee to wear if the flat didn`t.
I`m wondering if it`s the original saddle or if the bed has been
reground,badly.
However what you`re doing won`t cause you problems from the point of
view that the metal has to come off to get the saddle back on the
vee.It`s just that most people do it with a scraper. :-)
The thing to watch is not to lose the squareness of the cross slide to
the spindle,and that shouldn`t happen if you don`t touch the vees,a
drop in height is not going to cause problems.
The other thing to check after you`re happy with the fitting of the
saddle is the alignment of the half nuts on the leadscrew.
Mark.

I was watching it too, but rather wilted at the thought of trying to
explain yet another chunk of cast iron to SWMBO having only just last
week acquired an imacculate Smart & Brown 1024. I was a bit relieved
when it disappeared ;-}

Richard