Originally Posted by
adamvs
The ones Tormach supplies, do the job, but they are really hard to work with. I was thinking of cutting some out of 1/4 7075 that fit the diameter of the nuts. It would help. What worked for me was to:
1) take the bearings out and clean them really well with Brakleen, compressed air, then oil them with a very light oil, like gun oil or sewing machine oil.
2) get the preload 'feel' just so on the first nut, and mark the position with a white felt tip pen.
3) take out the bearing, grease them and re-install them. Put the first jam nut back to the mark, then carefully tighten the second against it.
The tabbed washer is really important. I ended buying about 10 of them from tormach for future use. The washer tends to keep the forward nut from moving around when you tighten up against it.
It's a painstaking process any way you look at it, and you have to be in a very patient frame of mind.
Hope that helps.
All my tinkering didn't help my backlash either. I'm beginning to suspect the gib, once loosened doesn't quit seat right when you go to tighten it up. It would be nice if the screws that tighten against the ends of the gib also drew them to the fixed side of the dovetail. I'm toying with the idea of making some that took a hex key, not the annoying slot, and had a small ball bearing that would push the gib against the fixed side. Just some thoughts.