X-Y Table

My cheapo Chinese x-y table turned up and I gave it a quick try out of the box using an 8mm ball nosed mill which I'd bought from RDG Tools.
It worked very well on a bit of old Walnut table top and managed to cut Ali' too. There is a fair amount of backlash and it was all a bit loose, with the x travel vibrating round as I wound in the y travel.
Irritatingly the mounting slots are closer together than the slots on the pillar drill table, but I bolted it down on the diagonal with just 2 bolts for a quick try
The actual tables/ beds are aluminium extrusions and the carriages are also Ali' with brass gib strips to take up the play, so, not heavy duty!

I stripped it down and fettled it to tighten it all up. The lead screws are just M10 threaded rod with the nut being a bit of brass rod of 15mm diameter drilled and tapped and rather sloppy. To take out some of the slop I dug out my old soldering iron and soldered into the last few threads at one end of the nut. I then took an M10 coach bolt and filed 3 grooves into it like a tap and took the tops off the threads with a file. Using that I cleaned the soldered threads, which resulted in a much snugger fit, I did that for both x and y travel.
On re-assembly I tightened the gib strips and also tightened the retaining nut on the end of the lead screws, which incidentally have ball bearings at either end

It now feels much smoother and tighter with much less backlash. It's fine for use on wood and Ali' and I dare say it would cut mild steel if taking fine cuts.
It is what it is and I dare say that the whole thing would wear rapidly if worked hard, but for light occasional use it is much better and less dangerous than feeding material under a mill my hand!
I recon I've had about fifteen quids worth of fun out of it already!