Since I last posted, I have removed everything from the bed ( gear box, apron, carriage, etc. ) cleaned and painted the bed, carriage, cross and compound. I am not going to put the gear box back yet, I don't need it right away and it really needs some TLC. As does the apron, but it is servicable with a good cleaning. It is really dirty and hasn't seen oil since the war as far as I can tell. Yuck. Soak in parts cleaner, pick out the swarf, a couple cans of brake cleaner and re-oil it. Reassembled. Good to go for now.
I found the main sources of error. Both cross and compound slides had worn brass nuts, and the cross screw was worn out ( again for lack of oil ). Replacements were ordered, and a repair section for the lead screw, plus all new felts for the whole machine.
A friend helped machine the screw for me, loctited together - good as new. With the new nuts and good cleaning, each slide only has a couple thousandths free play. Besides the bed wear, the other source of error was the flat head screws that hold the rack were loose. A couple were sticking up and hitting the carrriage as it went by lifting it. there are witness marks on the screws and on the bottom of the carriage. Now, even with the wear, the flatness over most of the travel is within about 0.004". Not bad.
Rewired the AC input with modern PVC wiring and a real power cord ( not an appliance extension cord ), remount the headstock after a quick cleaning and lube, lace the flat belt - bingo, she runs again!
Back to the mill to modify the base for the new tool post. The toolpost comes with a generic block to mount the thing, but it needs to be machined to fit the compound. The aluminum block below is for the old Enco tool holder that came with my lathe. The black steel block is the one for the QC post. It is shown after milling it to width, but I quit for the day before cutting the slots to fit the inverted T mount on the compound. Tomorrow maybe....
