RYAZAN MACHINE TOOL REBUILD PART 11

“Hey everyone, here’s an update on the cross slide for your large lathe. Yesterday, we flipped it upside down to work on the dummy blocks, ensuring proper alignment and bearing. Today, we’ve set it up with supports under the bottom to maintain stability. Since our blocks are perfectly flat and sized correctly, we’re focusing on aligning this axis to within 0.4 thousandths at all corners. Currently, it’s about 5 thousandths off with a gradual taper.

This large steel plate is heavy and extends past the support, which might cause it to sag, creating a 40-degree angle on the apron’s lower part to support the machine’s weight and prevent flexing. We’ll likely need a surface grinder—ideally 38 inches or larger—to finish it in the field.

For now, we’re scraping the surfaces flat and may remove more material to straighten it out. We’re also adding shims under the back half to check for flex. Our goal is to ensure it runs true for easier operation.

We’re currently focusing on the flats but still need to address the master way. I installed a gib to show the material we need to remove—about 2.5 inches at 18 thousandths per inch. We’ve scraped the back for good bearing, ensuring no warping or twisting. When we flip it, we’ll use a special fixture to grind the gib. The plates still have stainless steel screws instead of brass, but this shouldn’t be an issue depending on how much material we remove.

We’re aiming to work on this Thursday or Friday, focusing on precision without rushing. After this, we’ll fit the gibs and address lubrication. The lubrication system is challenging since the holes are mostly plugged, and we’re unsure of their exact locations, likely in this area. We’re essentially rebuilding without full knowledge of the original assembly.

Two guys are working on this to move it along quickly. I’ll post another update tomorrow. If you have questions, give me a call. Thanks!”