Leadscrew Fixes

I ran into some problems with the lead screw/split nut.  In short, I stripped out my split nut.  The one that stripped out was the one that I machined out of aluminum.  I put the old one on that I had cast a long time ago and continued on.  That one stripped too.  I decided to make some changes.  The first thing that I did was replace the gibs with brass material instead of the steel that Gingery describes.  With using steel, the fit between the carriage and the ways was either loose (I could wiggle it) or tight (nothing would move).  There was no in between setting.  That is what stripped out my split nuts.  I had the gibs adjusted a little on the tight side so that I would not have any wiggle.  I guess it was too much for the threads to hold to.
For a new split nut, I dove into my stash of old CNC router parts.  I replaced the lead screw with a 1/2-10 ACME thread that is coupled to a Dumpster CNC anti-backlash nut.  The holes in the leadscrew supports is 1/2", so they did not need to be modified.  The mount for the anti-backlash screw is from an old CNC build.

The clamp is holding a small piece of Lexan that is keeping the metal chips out of the anti-backlash nut.  I  still need to mount that permanently.

It works great....other that I cannot disengage the lead screw to back up the carriage.  I also have to manually put he drive belt on and off if I want to do automatic feeding.