Move
the saddle to the
right at the end of the lead screw. Loosen the screws and detach the
apron from the saddle. Remove the apron from lead screw. | The
handwheel
gear
and the pinion gear are exposed, so chips and debris will get
into the apron gear housing, and stick on the greese. Sadly, it cannot
be
cleaned. To tackle this issue, I came up with my version of a chip
guard by using a piece of
aluminum sheet metal to protect the gears. Here are the steps to modify the chip guard: |
| Move
the saddle to the
right at the end of the lead screw. Loosen the screws and detach the
apron from the saddle. Remove the apron from lead screw. |
 Use a piece of AWG 19
gauge (0.036" thick) aluminum sheet (thinner material will be
easier to work with). First to make a hole slightly larger than the diameter of the pinion gear, then cut the aluminum sheet along the shape of the apron. Drill three 0.125" holes on the plate; the drill holes must be on the wall of the apron for mounting screws. |
 The
handwheel gear is
higher than the wall of the apron. When the chip guard is mounted on
the wall, it will interfere with the gear. Use a piece of 1.125" round
steel rod to make a 0.1" deep depression on the plate. |
 Use the
holes on the chip guard
plate as a
template to drill and tap three
#4-40 holes on the wall of the apron. |
 The finished chip guard is
mounted on the apron. |
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