Box-Ford travelling steady

This topic has 27 replies, 18 voices, and was last updated 31 March 2020 at 23:59 by Hopper.

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31 March 2020 at 07:51 #461193
Joe McKean
Participant
@joemckean81940
Can anyone help me with the size of thread to bolt the travelling steady onto the cross slide of a Boxford AUD, I assume it is Imperial but only have metric bolts in the workshop so cannot try them to find out.
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31 March 2020 at 07:51 #27243
Joe McKean
Participant
@joemckean81940
31 March 2020 at 09:19 #461216
Martin Connelly
Participant
@martinconnelly55370
The usual options are to use thread gauges if you have some. If not then get either a piece of dowel or coiled paper/card and screw it in and out then measure the marks on the surface. Diameter and thread pitch will give a few possibilities to try.

Martin C
31 March 2020 at 09:21 #461217
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Find the minor diameter (with a drill, or other rod, plus micrometer) and check charts for likely imperial candidates?
31 March 2020 at 09:25 #461220
Bo’sun
Participant
@bosun58570
Using a dowel and/or piece of paper as suggested is much easier than thread gauges on an internal thread.
31 March 2020 at 09:27 #461222
Hopper
Participant
@hopper
On a British lathe, most likely If it looks (or feels) coarse it will be BSW or if it looks fine it will be BSF. Diameter will be the next standard fractional size up from the hole down the middle as measured with digital calipers or a rule. Threads tapped into cast iron on old Brit machinery seem to most often be BSW but not always.

Edited By Hopper on 31/03/2020 09:28:08
31 March 2020 at 09:40 #461230
Micky T
Participant
@mickyt
Hi Joe I'll measure them later on my Boxford for you and let you know

Micky T

Edited By Micky T on 31/03/2020 09:40:30
31 March 2020 at 09:57 #461243
Clive Brown 1
Participant
@clivebrown1
They are 3/8" BSW x 2" skt. hd. cap screws. Supplied with my steady by Boxford for my ME10.
31 March 2020 at 12:07 #461276
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Someone asked me to correct the thread title.

To be pedantic, although the company was Boxford, the lathes were marketed as Box-Ford

Neil
31 March 2020 at 12:51 #461287
Oldiron
Participant
@oldiron
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 31/03/2020 12:07:48:

Someone asked me to correct the thread title.

To be pedantic, although the company was Boxford, the lathes were marketed as Box-Ford

Neil

All the paperwork & name plates on my Boxford have no hyphen in the word. I have several Boxford name plates, change gear plates & books I have collected over the years and none have a hyphen. I Googled Box-ford & got no results apart from Ford roof boxes. I can find no reference to Box-ford any where. I would be very interested to see any examples please Neil.

regards

regards
31 March 2020 at 13:04 #461291
Mike Poole
Participant
@mikepoole82104
A quick look at the lathes.co.uk website confirms the presence of the hyphen, a picture and mention in the text.

Mike
31 March 2020 at 13:10 #461294
Roderick Jenkins
Participant
@roderickjenkins93242
The lathes database **LINK** Shows that the hyphen disappeared sometime around 1960

Rod

Edit: Too slow yet again!

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 31/03/2020 13:11:27
31 March 2020 at 13:35 #461299
Ex contributor
Participant
@mgnbuk
although the company was Boxford, the lathes were marketed as Box-Ford

It was just Boxford when I started working there September(ish) 1980. The logo was the same bold blue font as the current version. Standard lathe colours at the time were the two tone beige/brown & I have a suspicion that the threads may have been all metric at that time, but can't find anything to back that up.

Nigel B.
31 March 2020 at 13:45 #461302
Peter G. Shaw
Participant
@peterg-shaw75338
Don't forget that Boxford was originally an off-shoot from Denford of Brighouse when lathe production moved, or was setup in Boxtree mills, Halifax, hence Box-Ford.

Peter G. Shaw
31 March 2020 at 14:06 #461310
Grindstone Cowboy
Participant
@grindstonecowboy
There ya go! (Must get a replacement for that when I get round to it…)
31 March 2020 at 15:18 #461323
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 31/03/2020 12:07:48:

Someone asked me to correct the thread title.

To be pedantic, although the company was Boxford, the lathes were marketed as Box-Ford

Neil

.

Clearly the real pedant would have checked the vintage of the lathe in question … and then [if appropriate] used ‘all caps’ in the hyphenated thread title.

Thanks anyway, Neil … The resulting discussion has evidently grabbed people’s attention, and we’ve probably all learned something along the way.

MichaelG.
31 March 2020 at 15:40 #461325
Clive Brown 1
Participant
@clivebrown1
My lathe has an each-way bet!
31 March 2020 at 16:09 #461329
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
The title being changed to ‘Boxford’ (while perhaps not wrong at the moment, means that anyone making a search for just that topic in the future will likely not find it.

Makes no odds to me, but it might be useful for many forumers.
31 March 2020 at 16:25 #461334
thaiguzzi
Participant
@thaiguzzi
1969 VSL here – 3/8 BSW.
31 March 2020 at 16:36 #461337
Michael Gilligan
Participant
@michaelgilligan61133
Posted by not done it yet on 31/03/2020 16:09:10:

The title being changed to ‘Boxford’ (while perhaps not wrong at the moment, means that anyone making a search for just that topic in the future will likely not find it.

Makes no odds to me, but it might be useful for many forumers.

.

But it’s much better than ’Oxford’ … Which it was before Neil kindly changed it.

MichaelG.
31 March 2020 at 18:24 #461352
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
But it’s much better than ’Oxford’ … Which it was before Neil kindly changed it.

yes, maybe. But a search for ‘Boxford’ brings up ten pages. A search for
Box-Ford brings up one thread.

KISS
31 March 2020 at 18:36 #461354
Neil Wyatt
Moderator
@neilwyatt
Posted by not done it yet on 31/03/2020 18:24:50:

But it’s much better than ’Oxford’ … Which it was before Neil kindly changed it.

yes, maybe. But a search for ‘Boxford’ brings up ten pages. A search for
Box-Ford brings up one thread.

KISS

Ah, but this thread is now mostly about Box-Ford so it would be wrong to change it…

Neil
31 March 2020 at 19:02 #461356
Martin 100
Participant
@martin100
Posted by Grindstone Cowboy on 31/03/2020 14:06:37:

There ya go! (Must get a replacement for that when I get round to it…)

Boxford stopped stocking that type of badge sometime in the 1980's, all they have is a smaller one like this

**LINK**
31 March 2020 at 20:21 #461378
Grindstone Cowboy
Participant
@grindstonecowboy
Oh well, never mind – I did find these people who seem be able to make one. As an aside, any ideas what the original colour of this circa late 50's Model C would have been? I think it may have been a dark blue, but bits of the countershaft assembly are greenish-grey (underneath the blue Hammerite that the previous owner must have had a large tin or two of).
31 March 2020 at 20:26 #461380
old mart
Participant
@oldmart
Traveling steadies do not mount to the cross slide, they fix to the saddle (carriage).
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