One Man's Colchester lever-locking top slide

Just got done reading One Man and His Lathe on the oldest Colchester Chippie.

Could the author be persuaded do a further detailed article on his shop-made special topslide? It sounds very interesting, with "Lever Locking Topslide... oval gib of my own design ... solidly locked to base for the full slide length ... screwcutting withdrawal lever... intermediate spindle runs on ball bearings ... and feedscrew nut is machined not moulded from acetal and can be adjusted for backlash."

Enquiring minds want to know.

Yes, and the Milling /Drilling attachment on the topslide.

Hi Hopper & Roger,

I have described a Lever Locking topslide in detail in previous MEW magazines numbers 119, 120 & 121 as well as describing the construction & drawings on the Stepperhead lathe, which used a toothed belt drive, in the MEW magazine. The Milling drilling attachment is also somewhat similar to the one I detailed in MEW 223 for the Stepperhead lathe. There are some differences in the Chipmaster lathe photos but in essence they are very similar. I machined the nut from acetal because I tried moulding the threads, but because the fit was so close the friction was too much and it seemed that it was going to take forever to get a nice feel to the operation. Acetal is cheap and very easy to screw thread and slits in the nut can be compressed with the fixing screws for very little backlash. This has been detailed in the mag.

Alan

Thanks much Alan. I believe I have those issues rat-holed away somewhere. Will begin an excavation at once. I really enjoyed your article on the old Chippie, a grand old machine. Your method of skimming the bed would have the purists baying at the gate with scythes and torches but it seems to have worked rather splendidly. Happy chip making!

Hi Hopper,

Yes I know it was provocative to even mention it and I thought I had got away with it, sort of scraped through so to speak. but anyway it worked for me.

Alan

This, of course, being the acid test.