Ok guys, i got the lathe, and am in the process of cleaning the gunk off of it. I am considering the cnc conversion, which should be quite straight forward, but need a little help on the x-axis leadscrew. One end is not supported, but I would like to add a bearing or two to stiffen it up. Now if the saddle were made of ali, I would dive straight in and bore a hole through, and whack a mounting plate on the outside for the bearings (obviously the leadscrew will be replaced with a longer one). But, since I have never even thought about cutting/drilling cast iron, your opinions/experience would be a great help. I have NO access to a mill, so it's pillar drill only I'm affraid. What to do?
The thickness of cast iron I would need to get through is about 1". Thanks