I began by creating an alignment jig using two V-blocks and some rubber bands.

I notched out the V shape in the end of a piece of scrap MDF on the table saw. Next I drew a few lines on a scrap piece of pine and predrilled some holes in the bottom. To ensure the two V-blocks are lined up, I clamped a solid piece of threaded rod using rubber bands and screwed the blocks to the pine.

Because the threaded rods are different diameters and the V-blocks are the same height, I needed to hold the threaded rods at the same height. Because the threaded inserts are the same diameter, I put two on each threaded rod and clamped them in the jig.

I used JB Weld because it was the best value at my hardware store. It gave a strong bond and seemed to have the most glue for the money. The only down side is the long set time. I don’t have much patience, so waiting overnight to see if it worked was torturous.

I put a dab of epoxy on the ends of the threaded rods and then on the nuts. I added some locktite to the threaded rods for good measure.

The end result: almost perfect alignment.
Other issues:

1. backlash is apparent, a preloading setup is needed for the fences to maintain the accuracy

2. the thumbwheel is not an integral part of the mechanism any more.

More to come!

I have posted a YouTube video showing how my mechanism works. You can view it here.
The big error, see if you can catch it, is my left-right mix-up.

Thank you for watching. I’ll be glad to answer any questions about how this works. The next posting in this blog will detail the construction of this jig.