MetalworkingFun Forum

I am working on my mill/drill again, here and there. Its a Jet JMD 18, and I was curious if anyone has ever drilled the front of the base below the bearing support for the Y feed screw to allow adjusting the feed nut back lash? I was thinking of drilling a 1/2" hole just below the bearing support, and then making a long "allen wrench" (think its 4mm) out of a piece of 5/16" rod drilling the end and pressing in a piece of 4mm hex, then tack welding it, and welding a nut to the opposite end.
When I built my stand I thought the adjustment screw was lower than what it really is and planned on drilling it as mentioned. Upon looking at it closer, I see the adjustment screw isnt lower than the support. So the "wrench" would be at an angle with the plan Im proposing. Maybe use a ball hex head for this? I understand it will not be a pleasant task. I didnt want to leave the base open because I am going to use it for storage. There is a drawer under the base.
If I cant drill it I may have to cut a access door in the base and just screw a plate to it to keep the chips out of the drawer. This wont be great either because I will have to take stuff out of the drawer to get to the access plate. Does anyone have any ideas about this? I understand it wont need adjustment often, but want to make it as easy as possible. Thanks guys

Couldn't you just pull the drawer totally out instead of emptying it to gain access to the plate?

Ed

There's a backlash adjuster? Sheesh, mine (a Busy-Bee) doesn't even have zero-able dials on the handwheel feed collars. Real looxery there!!

Sunset, my Busy Bee has thumbscrew set-able dials, what vintage is yours? I bought mine in the early '80s.

Edk, I would have to cut an access hole in the top and put a plate over it to keep the crap outta the drawer, but that is one avenue I am looking at

Sunset, looxery, Ive never run one of these mill drills, only Bridgeport type machines, so it will be a learning curve.....;)

monkers, actually they're an "un"learning curve.

lmao....

Mine's from 1980-81. I was after a drill press and saw this big honkin' thing that does just dandy for drilling holes. The only "bridgeport" I've run was a profile mill, all hydraulic. A machinist friend stopped by a while back and was surprised to see a 3/4" endmill in the Busy Bee. I plopped a chunk of steel in the vice and made some chips, he said "Huh. That would of tasked a Bridgeport." Our weld shop has a Chinese turret mill with a 5Hp motor, it's a bobble head that shudders and shakes - no way it will deliver 5hp to the cutter. No way. Another friend and commercial shop owner has a bona-fide Bridgeport, and I've seen some pretty rough work come off of that thing, but he's usually in a hurry.

Dunno, the Busy Bee seems fine to me. I've a vertical head for the old horizontal but the mill-drill is already handy. No DRO, no adjustable collars, no vertical ways, it can be a pain at times.

I think Im just gonna take the lead screw out when I need to adjust the nut......I can make an extension to go in the leadscrew hole....