Recently, the gas spring on my Tormach 15L Slant-PRO lathe has experiencd a reduction in holding force, and is no longer able to keep the chuck guard in the up position. Miraculously, Tormach still carries the replacement part, part number 34314. I think they quoted me $30 + $14 shipping, a reasonable price. But I didn't want to wait for ground shipping, since I have McMaster-Carr an hour away and their ground shiping arrives the next day. The McMaster part was about $29 + $8 shipping.
Unfortunately, McMaster’s gas springs are a bit longer, so I had to drill a second mounting hole in the chuck guard to mount it.
The new hole was placed about 45 mm further down along the chuck guard edge.
With the new spring installed:
