When doing precision work on the manual mills, it is sometimes necessary to lock the motion of one of the axes to prevent any drift while performing cuts. This is particularly true for the z-axis on the new larger mill; its table has a tendency to drift upward by a thousandth or two while traversing along the x-axis.
But it is easy to forget that the axis has been locked and start to move it while it is still locked. This is not very good for the lock and gibs of that axis. Again, this is a particular issue for the z-axis on the new mill; the autofeed lever for z is very accessible but the locks are behind the table almost out of sight.
So we have a new procedure for the mills: whenever you lock any of the x, y, or z axes on the large mill or the x or y axes of the small mill, you should place one of these “Axis Locked” tags on both the manual and auto feed handles for that axis as a reminder, as shown here for the z-axis of the large mill.
These tags are on hooks near the locks, as shown below, and should be returned there when the axis motion is unlocked.
(Note also the nice new hammer holder behind the y-axis autofeed motor.)
It is very rare to lock the x or z axis of the lathe, but it is possible, so I’ve also placed one tag in the lathe toolbox.
Note that this new procedure does not apply to the quill motion locks on either mill or the motion locks of the lathe tail stock. Those are expected to be locked and unlocked frequently, and checking them is an automatic part of running the machine.