Way Cover

This was one of the first things built for my Mini. Getting chips, cutting fluid and debri on my Ways was not good for them or the Cross Slide...and not fun to clean. Most larger lathes have an accordion style for these reasons. I found a few on the web but none were the accordion style...so I had a bright Idea one day to try and make one from an old plastic (not sure what they are made of) place-mat. We had an old set of these lying around and they were black which suited my purpose. They also had both a smooth side and a textured side for non-slip.

Basically I took some rough measurements of the width of the cross slide and moved it back to open most of the forward section of the ways. Basically about 6" x 6.4" works well. I laid it out on the mat and marked it with a Sharpie then cut the basic shape with a straight edge and Exact-o knife.

The trick was getting an even accordion that would fold well and not interfere with the stock or chuck as I moved or fed forward. I settled on 3/4" for each fold beyond the initial shelf and drop scores.

Also note from the picture that the attachment end is done on the cross slide using the two set screws for the follower rest (if you have one). Measure the distance center to center (~3.4"), then drill two smaller sized holes in the mat in order to press the mat down on to them, and make it easier to take it on and off for thoroughly cleaning the mat and Ways. I have had this off and on at least 50 times now and it all still works great.

The next part is a little tricky but doable and fixable if you cut through. Score the mat not going all the way through, while allowing it to fold cleanly. Keep in mind that you must score every other line on the opposite side of the mat.

I started from the secure end and measured the shelf on the cross slide and marked the mat accordingly so the textured side was up. I made that score then measured the drop from the shelf to the ways and marked and scored the smooth side of the mat. By doing this it allows a clean tuck into the cross slide and allows the folds to work from the other end as you come forward. After that I just measured out about 3/4" for every fold until I got to the end...Remember, Score every other side.

Overall it went pretty well except for going all the way through on one score. It was a bit floppy when I tried it, so I used some brown packing tape and cut a 3/4" strip long enough to cover the Faux Pas...and Wah Lah it works great.

The one in the picture is still on my Mini for many months and works great. I have had to use some more packing tape on it over this time but it really works to keep the Ways clean and makes brushing chips into the guard tray easy with a 1" brush until I do a full clean up. The best thing is it took maybe an hour to make and I still have 3 more place-mats when this one finally gives out. :-) Another benefit to this is due to its width, this Way cover really helps keep the front portion of lead screw clean as well.

Not bad for <$2.00 and a little work...but mainly it was fun and Useful!

**Note: You could track down a piece of Neoprene and do the same thing which might hold up better to cutting fluid...but like I said mine is still holding up.

Here are some current pictures after about 10 months of use.