lathe bed grinding

[John Anderson 3Participant @johnanderson3]

Hi

I have a 4.5" oxford model A lathe and I want to get the bed reground does anyone know where to get it done.

Thanks

[John Anderson 3Participant @johnanderson3]

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Not used them but I believe Slideway Services ? Nuneaton have been mentioned in the past.

[Kenneth DeightonParticipant @kennethdeighton43272]

Try a company that rebuilds car engines etc, they will have a surface grinder for cylinder heads , I'm sure that this will do your lathe bed.

Ken.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Kenneth Deighton on 24/01/2016 10:59:18:

Try a company that rebuilds car engines etc, they will have a surface grinder for cylinder heads , I'm sure that this will do your lathe bed.

Ken.

Not likely. Their machines will usually grind only the top surface of the job. Not suitable for the vertical shear surfaces or V ways etc.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Some of the cowboys mill cylinder heads. I told some one who had this done to sell the car. Took no notice and it went again 4 months later.

These people do this sort of thing as well

**LINK**

If you google slideway grinding plus a larger town near you a "local" one might pop up.

John

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[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Ajohnw on 24/01/2016 11:51:21:

Some of the cowboys mill cylinder heads. I told some one who had this done to sell the car. Took no notice and it went again 4 months later.

I'm sure they do but so do professional engine rebuilders. I've had heads surfaced by milling for raising compression for racing and never a failure.

Russell

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

Posted by Kenneth Deighton on 24/01/2016 10:59:18:

Try a company that rebuilds car engines etc, they will have a surface grinder for cylinder heads , I'm sure that this will do your lathe bed.

Ken.

.

Noooooooooooooo.

Different grinding machines and a totally different skill set.

Nick

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I guess that the saddle may need a re-grind also. After all that grinding, the relative position of the leadscrew will have changed, which could be adjusted by shimming the 'Norton Box" and the leadscrew bearing at the opposite end ?
BobH

[John CParticipant @johnc47954]

I had a S7 bed reground by Brian Caddy of Slideway Services, Nuneaton A search on the internet will give details. No connection, but I could not recommend Brain enough. Excellent work, fair price and a very pleasant experience throughout. He will regrind the saddle as well.

Hope that helps,

John

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Cylinder heads are milled in production – not simply because it's cheaper or faster but because you need a certain degree of roughness for the head gasket to key to. Too rough and you get leakage cos the gasket can't fill the gaps, too smooth and the gasket will move and fail. When validating a cylinder head line, there are lots of surface roughness measurements going on. Different requirement to a machine slide.

[JonParticipant @jon]

Confirm that Muzzer, more so with aluminium heads.
Even my race bikes were turned back in the 70's but used copper gaskets.

Theres grinders and theres grinders having been in the family precision grinding business, in short you get what you pay for. Check the roughness of finish smoother the better like DSG's rarely seen for regrind, rough quick job wont last.

To do it right will be more than lathes worth but how much would a new equivalent cost not made any more.

[Author]

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