I'm going to have to machine both the ballnut and the ballscrew, so first of all I'll need to remove the ballnut without my balls dropping, fnnnaaaarrrr. This is the method I used before:
The shorter brass (bronze?) "keeper" piece on the left will sit inside the ballnut, holding the balls in their channels and is in turn held in place by an M8 screw / washer on each end. The brass piece on the right is only used during the removal operation. It's bored out internally at one end so that it slides over the reduced end of the ballscrew.
Ballscrew removed, now to remove the temporary extension tool:
Done, with the keeper secured in place:
Ballnut machining:
Here's what I need - the 15mm wide "nose" needs to be machined, otherwise the ballnut flange will foul the machine head casting. It actually requires machining to a depth of 7.5mm below the circumference, although that dimension is not shown in the drawing:
But before doing any machining, it's essential to prevent any swarf getting inside the ballnut. Masking tape does the trick:
Although it's hardened carbon(?) steel, a carbide end mill is more than capable of machining it. I have used a 3/8" end mill I acquired in Canada. Presumably made of mystery Chinesium carbide but it's not something I'm likely to want to use for anything important.
Came out all right...
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