[gmd3006]

I have a Saeco Lubrisizer, which has interchangeable dies for different calibers. The dies are held in place with a knurled nut that's really tough to turn by hand. So, people typically turn the nut using channel lock pliers, which is not very good for the knurl. Poor design.

The top end of the die has a flange to hold the die in place, and to retain the lube while in use. Unfortunately, the flange is round, so must also be held with channel locks while removing or tightening the retaining nut. Poor design again.

( The RCBS / Lyman presses use a retaining nut that's a hex nut that is easily removed using just 1 wrench. Much better design, in my opinion. )

I measured to find that the Saeco dies' threads are UNEF 11/16-24, which is a rare size. I found a "Zoro Select Z0431-SS Panel Nut, 11/16-24, Hex, Stainless, Plain" available on Ebay that's rather expensive, but has the right thread. They can be ordered from Zoro, directly, at the same price. But, I had a few bucks left in my paypal account, so used it to buy via Ebay. I couldn't find a nut of this thread anywhere on Amazon. The nut that arrived a couple days later is of good quality, and fits my Saeco dies perfectly. It needs a 1" wrench, or channel locks to turn the nut, but it's a whole lot easier than trying to turn a knurled nut! And it's much easier to snug down tight enough to seal the top flange down against the press body against lube leakage.

Just thought I'd share with anyone else who's frustrated with their Saeco die nut.

 

[Darkker]

Sorry you had trouble with it.

McMaster-Carr is where you can find any odd fasteners you may need in the future.

Cheers

 

[JBelk]

Master-Carr is THE place for jam nuts of any size. MSC (Manhattan Supply Co) will also have them and may have a local outlet in a big city close to you.

 

[MikeG]

All you have to do is buy a lathe... way cheaper to make your own!



If you think reloading is expensive, wait till you get some 'free' machine tools!

 

[JBelk]

The first thing I did when I read the OP's problem is think of the big hex bar standing in the corner. It would take less than 20 minutes to make any nut you want.....except for Lyman gear. Lathes can't cut 30TPI.

 

[MikeG]

Mine can. B-9 on the Atlas gearbox

 

[gmd3006]

MSC doesn't catalog them. Couldn't find them at McMaster b4, but found them today. Grainger has them at 2x the price.

Anyway, the point of my post was the improvement of using a hex nut instead of a knurled nut on that press.

 

[JBelk]

MikeG-- You found something said not to exist and I saw it too. A pitch with an uncertain number is said to be impossible to cut but Lyman did it for many years. I notice most Atlas QC boxes are 28TPI at B-9. I've never seen or heard of 30TPI on any other QC plate.
If you have that Atlas lathe, cut a 30TPI test piece and lets see if we can measure what pitch it's actually cutting.

 

[Darkker]

Couldn't find them at McMaster b4, but found them today.

Anyway, the point of my post was the improvement of using a hex nut instead of a knurled nut on that press.

That's why I posted the link, takes you to the page with the correct hex.

Cheers

 

[MikeG]

Here's mine. Keep in mind it is the "el cheapo" version of a lathe, also sold in Sears (which is how mine is branded). So Atlas may have had numerous versions and maybe the gearboxes aren't all the same. As my dad said, "Son, Atlas didn't make the best lathes.... just the cheapest."

When I get a chance, I'll count teeth in the drive train and see if I can reverse-engineer the tooth count on the 7.5/15/30/60/120 setting.

 

[JBelk]

That would be a fun exercise! My first lathe was a Sears 10" installed in the gunshop in 1959. I sold it to a student in Colorado. An old flat bed Atlas is all that's needed for the best gun work.....unless you like cannons.
All those pitches on the 9 row have the same mathematical problem. Gear counts would be great.

 

[unclenick]

Mike,

Does your Atlas have an 8 or 10 TPI lead screw, or something else?

 

[MikeG]

8 threads per inch on the lead screw. I think the 6" Atlas lathes had 10TPI on the lead screw, but going from memory and not entirely sure of that. Don't know about the 10" lathes, mine is a 12". Here is the gear train from the headstock spindle down.

Headstock spindle gear: 32 teeth.
Reversing gears: 36 teeth but I assume it doesn't matter, since the next gear is the same as the headstock gear.
Next gear after the reversing gears: 32 teeth. Kind of hard to count the teeth so I'm going on diameter - this could possibly be incorrect but I don't see how if the teeth geometry (diametrical pitch) is identical throughout the train.
The 32 tooth gear is keyed to the same shaft as 16 tooth gear (two to one reduction).
The 16 tooth gear drives a 40 tooth gear.
The 40 tooth gear drives a 48 tooth gear.
The 48 tooth gear drives the input gear to the transmission, which (going from diameter) appears to be another 32 tooth gear.

Beyond that I don't have any way to check the transmission gear teeth counts, other than taking it apart. I don't use change gears so not really sure how to sort the rest of this out. Each movement of the 'A' lever double the thread pitch, from the chart.

 

[unclenick]

Well, you have an even 2:1 reduction from spindle to transmission input, so when the tranny is set 1:1 and you engage the split nut, the lead screw starts moving the saddle a 16th of an inch per turn of the spindle. A 30 TPI thread is 1.875 times shorter than that, so an 8-tooth gear driving a 15-tooth is the smallest single pairing of tooth counts that would get you there. In practice, the tyranny drive starts with a multiplier/reducer set that goes 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, and 8:1 as A, B, C, D, or E. You then pair that with screw drive gears 1 through 9 via the transfer idler set. On my lathe, a Chinese knock-off of a U.S. design, there are only 1 through 8 screw drive gears to pair with the transmission . So I think that's uncovered the answer. Most of us only have 8 gears to pair the tranny with, but Atlas cheated and gave you 9.

 

[JBelk]

One of the several 'trick' questions on job applications for the aero-space shops was at bid time to make a simple shouldered bolt, but it called out 30TPI. If you answered, 'Specify pitch' you got an attaboy.