Hi, is setting backlash on the lathe something you would do, or will it cause more trouble?
Thanks for any reply.Jeff
Its kind of a balancing act between gib tightness and backlash setting. Everything has to be snug enough so you don’t get slop, then use an indicator to see how much to adjust. If you’re out more than half a thou, probably want to adjust.
Hi, thanks for your time. Please explain to me how adjusting the gibs can eliminate backlash on the ball screws. I have about 0.0008” on the X axis and 0.002” on the Z axis.
Again, thanks for the reply, Jeff
You don’t eliminate the backlash, just compensate for it. The tighter the gib, the more compensation you have to put in. Set backlash to zero, tighten gib until you get a small increase in lost motion, maybe a thou. Adjust backlash to 1 thou. You have to play with it. Don’t want much more than a thou. Reset tool offsets. It’s a bit of a pain.
If you had linear bearings, and everything is freely moving, the it would be strictly backlash in the screw and nut.