I have a nice variety of material choices available to me...360 brass, bearing bronze, mild steel, drill rod, nylon, 6061 T6...maybe even some cast iron bits I can mill down to suit.
I want to redo the plates on this lathe so I can adjust them from the top with self-locking capscrews for vibration resistance. I do a lot of parting work and keeping the saddle snug is a real chore with the current setup. The original plates are brittle Chinese cast iron which will eventually give out and crack. I want to replace them before that. What material, or combination or materials, will give the best result?