While you may not like the amount of lash the screw has, it isn't excessive, nor should it be of concern to you. Do not obsess on the matter. What you should concentrate on is learning to work properly with backlash, as it's a fact of life. It is neither good nor bad, it just is. Machinists who operate manual machines deal with backlash routinely.1911ly wrote:Part #210 is probably the issue. It is a sloppy fit on the lead screw.
Again, you must come to terms with the idea that it isn't "crappy". My Bridgeport mill, which I purchased new, had backlash---it was just a matter of how much. I now live with approximately .060" of lash in the table screw (the X axis) and think nothing of it. It has nothing to do with the capability of the machine to operate with precision, so long as the amount of lash is uniform over the entire screw. If it's greater in the center of travel than it is on the ends, then you have something about which to be concerned. Even then, if you use a DRO, it makes no difference.FWIW this thing has no mileage on it. It sat since my brother bought it new. I think it has been crappy from day one.
When discussing screws on a lathe, you'd be well advised to learn to address them properly, so there's no confusion. The X-Y terminology is fallout from CNC operations, and doesn't address all of the axes you address with a lathe. For example, what would you designate the compound to be?
The main screw on a lathe is the lead screw, from which you generate threads, and possibly feeds, depending on the machine in question. It propels the carriage. Some lathes do not use the lead screw for feeds, and some use it, but not the thread, using a full length slot in the screw to drive internal gearing which propels the carriage.
The second axis is the cross slide. The screw would be referenced as the cross slide screw.
The third axis is the compound rest, and is propelled by the compound rest screw. It is often designated simply as the compound.
Harold