| Indexing attachment (Oct
7, 2002) |
Lathe indexing attachment
(Jun 2, 2004) |
| Dividing Head (May 14,
2003) |
Home made indexing again
(Jun 3, 2004) |
| Dividing Heads (May 27,
2003) |
Indexing (Jun 16, 2004) |
| Dividing in the lathe
(Sep 10, 2003) |
Easy way out of creating a
precision Lathe indexer? (Jun 17, 2004) |
| Dividing Head/Indexing
(Apr 12, 2004) |
Indexing using the gear train
(Dec 22, 2004) |
| |
| Indexing attachment |
| On
www.lathes.co.uk
under south bend accessories I see an indexing attachment looks like
a big gear bolts to the outboard end of the spindle. Was there ever
such a thing available for the 9-inch does anyone know? (6580) |
| Don't know about one that attaches to
the outboard end, but I have an indexing (face) plate that mounts on
the spindle. It has 4 rows of offset holes on the OD. I understand
it has 360, for the whole clock. Haven't used it though. Rick (6582) |
| I am looking at SB
accessories and attachments catalog number 5418 dated August 1954.
It states that the index attachment is only available for the 10"
lathe. It further states that the attachment should be ordered with
the lathe and fitted at the factory. (this is probably because at
least two holes have to be drilled in the headstock housing) and
consists of the detent lever and eight index wheels. Marvin
(6584) |
| I guess one that threads
on the spindle wouldn't be difficult to do. I could put the
indexing holes in the chuck backplate perhaps. But if I want to
index the workpiece I probably should think more about building some
sort of dividing head arrangement for the tailstock--after all I
need the spindle to rotate whatever cutter.
(6594) |
| In some of my
literature it states that you could at one time contact South Bend
and they would send you an article on how to build an index
attachment, someone must have a copy someplace. The picture I seen
showed a shaft with a holder for the shaft mounted on the cross
slide with whatever you are milling on one end and using the gears
from the gear change on the other end, with a way to select the
teeth, wouldn't be that big a job to build and with the gears could
get most intervals needed, the gear cutter was mounted on a holder
between the lathe chuck and the tailstock. Tom (6614) |
| Brian, Check out
the attached pictures. I hope they come through OK. They come from
Catalog No. 46-B, January, 1939, entitled, "South Bend 9-inch
WORKSHOP Precision Lathes" The first one is a picture of the
indexing attachment scanned as a *.jpg file, which was priced at
$225, a lot of money back then. The second attachment is the entire
page, scanned as a *.pdf file. It's interesting to see the 1939
prices. The thread dial indicator was only $6, the taper attachment
was $55, and a "Plain Carriage Stop" that I have never seen before
was only $3. On the next page of the catalog was the milling
attachment for $35. The steady rest was only $6, and the follower
rest was $4. Jon (6638) |
| Exactly what I
need and not difficult; two pieces of round stock, a pillow block,
a couple keys and a bunch of time and effort. (6698) |
| LURCH Posted a file
" gcutter.jpg " under files with a picture and text from a old
Craftsman/Atlas book to give you an idea what I was talking about.
Tom (6780) |
| Dividing Head
|
| Some new pics of
the Dividing Head I'm working on using my SB9 to line bore it for
the bushings. http://tejasdragon.com/DivHead.html The Wood
Dragon (11108) |
| Nice work. I was surprised to see the un-painted bed and
carriage.
did you get a new bed ? We were talking about painting and I
commented on your cool paint job. Amazing what people notice. Dave
(11125) |
| Yes I
did I traded for a new bed ( older than the one I had but better )
I'll get around to painting it some day. I'm going to make the other
one into a CNC wood lathe. I've got every thing except head stock
and tail stock, but I'm going to cast them for AL and see how it
goes it'll just be used for wood. The Wood Dragon (11127) |
| I have just bought
a dividing head for a Boxford lathe which I believe is equivalent to
the American Southbend. Has anyone got any useful information on the
use of this item. It was supplied with 3 plates and has a 40:1 ratio.
(11202) |
| Dividing Heads
|
| I am in the market for a dividing head. The budget
will stand one in the range of $500.00 to $600.00. In my research I
have come across the following: Semi-Universal Dividing Head
Universal Dividing Head Horizontal-Vertical Super Spacer Index
Spacer Spacers are also listed as super and simple. From the
pictures I have seen, a super spacer is akin to a rotary table but
with an adjustable vernier plate and any number of masking plates
for divisions. They also seem to be much more expensive. The
dividing heads I have seen that are with in my means are a 9" model,
MAC-DH-1 carried by Victor Machinery Exchange
http://www.victornet.com/cgi-bin/victor/productlist.html .
It is touted as a Brown and Sharpe type. Comes with head and tail
stock, center and driving dog, threaded back plate for chuck
mounting, and three dividing plates. Lists for $595.00. The second
is carried by Travers, https://www.travers.com/index.asp model D.H.-9.
Search page 578 of 2003 catalog. It seems to be set up as the one
above for $536.00. The third one is carried by MSC
http://www.mscdirect.com ,
9" on page 1532 of current catalog. It seems comparable for $546.13.
Cannot figure what the $.13 is for. So, I now lean on the collective
experience of the group(s). Which is what, differences,
capabilities, etc. Of the three I have come across it would seem
cost is the only difference. I also understand there is a Phase II
dividing head but I have not seen one. Fred
(11508) |
| Regarding dividing
heads: is there a good source of info on how to use one? I have
never used one and have but a vague idea of how the plates work. I
would certainly like to be able to divide a circle into degrees on
my lathe. Frank
(11514) |
| Frank Home Shop
Machinist Feb Mar 2003 on what it is for and Rich (11528) |
| On my lathe
(11531) |
| Steven: I don't
know who used "dividing head" and "lathe" in the same sentence, but
it wasn't me as you can tell if you read my original message. I want
to learn how to use a dividing head and I don't understand how the
plates work. I would like to be able to divide a circle held in a
chuck in my lathe into degrees. (and fractions thereof) 2 sentences,
2 thoughts. My wood lathe has pin holes that can be used to set the
spindle at 90 degree intervals. Is there anything that will do
something like this on a metal lathe? Frank
(11532) |
| Have a look at this page on Tony Griffith's site.
Len (11534) |
| Many thanks! that's
just what I need. Now to find one for a 10k. Frank (11537) |
| Steven Picture the
SB milling vise with a rotary spindle and some added features built
into the back of it.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mlathemods/files/Lathe%20Milling/
JWE (11540) |
| Yes JWE I can
imagine that setup and it doesn't appeal to me. Attaching a dividing
head to a lathe is what I misunderstood Frank to have in mind. My
reading comprehension skills while speed reading posts has let me
down again. My apologies to Frank. Steven (11541) |
| Steven: Attached
(hopefully...) are some pics of dividing heads in use on small
lathes. I have the kit to make one of them (the one in the b/w
photo), I'm starting on it this weekend. Although a poor substitute
for a real milling machine, at least for me it's the only choice I
have. And I really don't think it'll be all that cumbersome,
especially for doing the occasional small gear. Tom (11542) |
| Here it is with the
photo attached. Here is another approach. Don't know if this was
anything ever produced by South Bend (there are no identifying
marks), and I'm not exactly sure of how to use it. My understanding
is that it allows dividing in 1 degree increments. It has 90 holes
per row, 4 rows. I'm not sure how the numbers on the face work. It
fits on the spindle threads and there are no holes for mounting
anything on the face of it like a face plate. I suppose an adapter
could be made to fit it on the other end of the spindle, so one
could hold something in a chuck or collet for dividing. Clearly,
I've never used it, but thought it pretty cool, had never seen one
for sale on eBay or anywhere else, thought I could use it someday,
so got it (it isn't for sale.) If you have a rotary table or access
to one, you could make one of these degree dividing plates. On the
type shown at the site below, you could make one like that too, if
you only needed a specific number of increments, and that was
available in a standard gear. You could bore/modify the hole to
mount it on the rear side of the spindle and use a flat spring
detent for incrementing. Rick (11543) |
| Tom, that
is interesting . I saved the pics and will send them to a friend
that is crazy with the ideas to make gears. I can understand the
compulsion to build things , particularly something that wont get
much use and therefore the purchase of a new unit cannot easily be
justified. In that line of reasoning I just finished building a
radius cutter for my 20 inch lathe. You know I wont use that thing
very often but a new unit in that size would run about $900.00 . And
no I am mistaken again , that setup you are set to build does not
look awkward- very slick setup in fact. Post pictures
when you finish. Steven(11544) |
| There is an
attachment for a dividing device to a Myford lathe to Index the
headstock if that is what you are refering to. I think it is on one
of these websites. Let me know if you do not find it.
http://www.nmpproducts.com/quorntxt.htm
http://www.hobbymechanics.com.au/quorn.htm archie (11545) |
| Where did you get
the kit? Bob Murray (11546) |
| Thomas These look a
lot like the Myford and Boxford units which the Westbury unit I have
posted the articles on was inspired by. Looking good. JWE (11550) |
| Tom- Looks very
nice Where did you get the castings kit? Frank(11554) |
| Frank, Bob: I
actually got the kit on eBay, but the original supplier was
Hemingway ( http://www.hemingwaykits.co.uk/ ). It's called the "George
Thomas Versatile Dividing Head (VDH). I think they recently changed
ownership, but will be in business again soon. Not sure of the
original price, or the shipping costs (I think they're in England).
J.W.: Yep, both photos were of Myford, and the color photo was of
the Myford dividing head accessory, which when I checked was $400++
from the local Myford dealer. Hence the kit. Steven: Yea, I'm a bit
gear nuts as well. I'll post some pics when done, and maybe a few
along the way, as I have a feeling I'll be working on it for the
next several months. Tom
(11555) |
| But in my opinion
a lathe has serious travel limitations and rigidity problems when
pressed into milling operations and therin goes my opinion that a
person should be buying a mill before they consider a dividing head.
Many people don't have the money to buy multiple machines or don't
have the space to put them. If you want to see a good example of a
lathe-related dividing head look up information on George H. Thomas'
Versatile Dividing Head intended for use on the Myford lathe. And
Professor Chaddock, a very well known model engineer, had a
sub-miniature workshop but did outstanding work, he designed the
Quorn Tool Cutter Grinder so that he would be able to make his own
cutters for making a scale model of the BRM V-16 Grand Prix racing
engine. It's not the number of machines or even their superiority
that determines the work you produce, rather it's knowing how to
make the best use of what you have. Anthony . (11561) |
| Anthony there
is a kernel of truth to what you say. But I am going to have to
add another. You can do a lot of small work on a large machine
but you cant do anything large on a small machine. . Or I could tell
you about a neighbor that does beautiful work with a power drill, a Dremmel, and a set of hand files but the tradeoff is that he is mighty
slow . You can make out as if having a minimal number of machines
is some virtue but you will never convince my neighbor that has no
machinery or me that has a shop full and still adding. Machines that
are under sized for the work or an incomplete shop will test your
ingenuity and give you more to brag about when you pull off the
impossible. I started that way myself - a lathe and an old drill
press and hardly anything else. Man, I have used a high speed wood
router to mill aluminum when I had to make cooling fixtures and
didn't have a better way. Look here now I am opening myself up to
flames here. Metalworking is an expensive proposition whether you are
in the business or as a hobby . It is nearly impossible for the
average enthusiast to have all the nice things that would make the
job go easy and so yes you do go on and get the job done with what
you have. However , unless you are just satisfied with microsized
shops (and small projects) or really just get all your kicks working
through the frustrations of trying to work miracles with nothing but
determination - then you need the basics -- The basics would include
a mill and it's accessories. And you buy these machines and
accessories a bit at a time over a number of years. . It was a few
years after I got my first lathe till I got my first vertical mill.
In the 1000 members at this group , is there anybody that does not
yet have a mill who wouldn't want one if the price was right? . I
don't care what your financial situation is , if you play with this
metalworking long enough you will run up on a mill you can afford-
might be something you have to work over before you use but bargains
are out there on all the old iron .So what are you waiting for?
Anthony. A lot of what I have just written harkens back to previous
posts and not so much to yours so be a bit slow about taking insult
cause I am not directing anything at you or anybody else for that
matter. I am just continuing with my own campaign to encourage
members to get a milling machine . That's all. . By the way I still
hate that picture. G Steven (11572) |
| Amen and thanks for
pointing out the obvious when the obvious has become elusive.
Theoretical limitations are not the point. Projects completed to the
satisfaction of the machinist are the point. I'm sure Chaddock's BRM
impresses those who have no idea what machines and processes were
used to make it. Shane (11574) |
| I think both Steve
and Anthony are both right - those of us to whom this stuff is a
hobby do things very differently than those in business. In business
one makes decisions to maximize profit; in a hobby one makes
decisions to maximize pleasure and enjoyment. And there are no
contract deadlines. It's a very personal and individual way we
interact with our hobby. And that's what makes this group so nice -
there are so many people with many different approaches that someone
is bound to be able to answer a problem! Frank (11583) |
| Frank And I have
three decent milling machines (2 RF30s and a RF20)but still there
are many times I find especially on small parts that that need some
fiddly operation that the cross slide milling vise is the better
tool. This is why I am going to build a couple of variations of the
Westbury one for the 9x, SB and 7x machines with the rotary spindle
and worm gear dividing capabilities. Also sometimes it can be easier
to hold the part in the lathe chuck using a dividing rig on the
lathe spindle and a powered rotary spindle on the cross slide. What
most of us are doing is not single operation production work and so
like the British model engineers the capability of versatility in
our machines is many times more important than size or speed.
JWE(11589) |
| Steven writes: You can make out as
if having a minimal number of machines is some virtue but you will
never convince my neighbor that has no machinery or me that has a
shop full and still adding. Didn't mean to imply that making do with
less than would be desirable was a virtue. But you might remember
that I remarked both on the lack of funds and the lack of space. The
basics would include a mill and it's accessories. If this is true how
did Whitworth and Maudsley do work without a mill? How was the first
mill made when the producer didn't have a mill with which to make
it? In the 1000 members at this group , is there anybody that does
not yet have a mill who wouldn't want one if the price was right? If
the price was right and the space in which to install it was
available, absolutely. A lot of what I have just written harkens
back to previous posts and not so much to yours so be a bit slow
about taking insult cause I am not directing anything at you or
anybody else for that matter. I haven't taken your response as an
insult and I hope I don't insult you or anyone else, either on this
list or elsewhere. We seem to be focusing on the issue in slightly
different directions. You appear to be saying "Get the mill so you
can do the work." I'm trying to say "Don't let the lack of a mill
prevent you from doing the work." My point is, if you don't have the
mill find a solution, whether it be getting access to somebody
else's mill, getting your own mill, or finding an alternative way to
do the work. I am just continuing with my own campaign to encourage
members to get a milling machine . And, this being a South Bend
list, should the mill be a South Bend? BG preferences would be a
Deckel FP-2 fully kitted out. Not having one at this time I'll do
the best I can under the circumstances. Anthony (11595) |
| Dividing in the
lathe |
| I have put the
Duplex article on dividing in the lathe here because it relates more
to lathe modifications than to milling machine work. This article
covers all the bases on doing simple and complex dividing on parts
held in the lathe chuck. Now drilling and or milling can be done
with a cross slide mounted spindle such as the Duplex one shown in
this folder for the rear tool post or the Westbury one for his
vertical slide attachment that has been moved to mlathemods04. This
will also work with the flex shaft unit mounted in the boring tool
holder for the QC tool post and driven from a small drill press that
is illustrated in the photos section. JWE (13877) |
| Dividing
Head/Indexing |
| Looking
for solutions on a dividing head for my Heavy 10. Some of my
projects require indexing the part every XX degrees. Looking for
plans or will purchase a ready made tool. Any information will be
greatly appreciated. Albert (18389) |
| Try mlathemods04 in
the lathemilling folder. JWE (18393) |
| If you are
thinking about indexing work held in the lathe chuck or a mandrel
collet consider:- 1) A direct indexing detent on the back-gear bull
wheel (i.e. the big one just behind the chuck). I don't know how many
teeth there are (76 ??) on this wheel but if it happens to work out
right at every "x" teeth this is by far the cheapest and quickest
method. 2) If you have a gearwheel with a suitable number of teeth
make an adapter to fix into the back end of the mandrel and rig up a
detent to index on the teeth. 3) A refinement to idea 2 is to use
proper dividing head plates instead of a gearwheel You can get
conversion kits to turn some rotary tables into dividing heads (eg
those sold under the Vertex name in the UK) relatively cheaply.
These kits include the plates , detent and fingers so, with a
suitable adapter quite a good range of direct divisions can be got.
4) If the work is always held in the same chuck you could drill edge
of the back plate with a suitable number of holes and engage them
with a suitable detent. You would need to rig up something to drill
the holes radial to the back-plate edge and obviously have to sort
out some temporary means of indexing. Factors of 3 are quite easy on
a three jaw chuck using stops against the jaws, 3 and 6 are dead
easy higher numbers takes a bit more thinking. Similarly factors of
4 on a 4 jaw. Were I to do this I would consider copying the 5-C
collet spin indexers which have 36 holes and a 10 hole vernier
giving 1 degree increments. If you want to hold work on the lathe
cross slide those inexpensive 5-C collet 1 degree increment indexers
are about the right size providing the work will fit in a 5-C collet
or in the small chuck available as an extra. many not be financially
worthwhile if you don't already have collets. Clive (18404) |
| Lathe indexing
attachment |
| I've not seen
too many of these on the net, but at least one fairly precise
version exists, it attaches to the rear spindle of a lathe and has
allows an index wheel to allow the chuck to move at set degrees
depending on the index plate used. Of course I cant possibly afford
a commercial product, so I'm looking for a home made item that has
good plans available from the net. As an indication of what there is
that I've found, this gent has made a quite good one, but is very
UN-helpful with the where to's and why Fore's of how its all done
(maybe he is just a busy bloke, I dunno).. enen after a couple of
gentle prods via email.
http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/daveg/SCircles.html
SO if anyone has spotted a suitable design for a 9" close.. Id be
more than appreciative of the URL, spec or otherwise. (Garry D) (19423) |
| I am faced
with same problem and this site is pretty and his circles are super
but there's no way anyone else could do it. anybody got a good site
for dividing setting circles? Frank (19425) |
| David Gingery has a
series of books on how to build your own machine shop. I have the
books about the Foundry, Lathe, Shaper, and Milling machine. Book 6
describes how to build a dividing head. I do not have this book, but
in the books I do have he mentions that the dividing disks are
really rather easy to make. Perhaps this would be a good place to
start looking. I have no interest in building a machine shop from
scrap aluminum at this point, but the books have a lot of excellent
information. The basic Foundry has a ton of info on casting
aluminum. If there is an easy and cheap way to make the dividing
disks, this guy will know how to do it!!! P.S. The web site listed
below mentions that the disks were made by CNC. Alex
(19428) |
| Let me see if I remember this. I think
the plan is to use a thin strip of paper with a series of equally
spaced lines, the number of lines equal to (the desired number of
holes +1) a disk whose circumference is the same as the length from
the first hole to the last. Wrap the paper around the disk such that
the first line precisely lines up with the last and then scribe
lines from the center of the disk to the lines on the paper. This
will give something very very close to what you're looking for. For
example, if you want a disk with 19 holes, get a piece of paper 20
inches and a bit long. Draw 20 lines 1 inch apart. Cut the excess
paper off in the middle of the first and last line. Now get a disk
19 inches in circumference and wrap the paper around it. You'll know
the disk is the right size when the paper JUST wraps around it.
Alan (19431) |
| I built my own
indexer using an old index plate from a rotary table. I mounted it
on a shaft that fit into the rear of my 9" spindle. IT fits snug but
I don't have to beat it in. Then I bored a hole (1/8") through the
spindle into the shaft at 1/2"from the edge of the spindle. I had to
drill it undersize and grind it to size as the spindle is hardened.
At this point you have an index plate mounted firmly into the rear
of the spindle. Next I tapped a 1/4" x 20 hole in the center of my
shaft and cut an aluminum extrusion channel about 8" long. I made a
spacer so that I could bolt the aluminum rail from the center of the
shaft in the spindle to an open spot on the banjo bracket. I milled
a slot in the bracket and ran a bolt through the bracket, through
the spacer and through the banjo bracket, put a nut on the bolt. I
cut a groove in the bottom of the channel in the position of the
index plate. Next I made a steel tab that fit into the aluminum
channel and would slide from one side to the other. I tapped a hole
in the tab #8 x 32 and made a 8- 32 thumbscrew bolt with a point on
the end that fit into the index plate. You just thread the
thumbscrew bolt into the hole you want and it forces pressure onto
the channel so that it doesn't move. To move to the next hole you
just loosen the thumbscrew and rotate the spindle to the next hole.
After using it a few times I added another hole to lock the tab to
the channel at the proper radius in relation to the index plate.
This thing works perfect and cost me less than $15. The channel is
the aluminum channel sold by Rockler Hardware for woodworking
tables. You can get used index plates for about $10. Took about 3
hours total. Paul I am faced with same problem and this site is
pretty and his circles are super but there's no way anyone else
could do it. Anybody got a good site for dividing setting circles?
Frank (19433) |
| You can get
Gingery's books at: http://www.lindsaybks.com/
John (19434) |
| I just opened a
photo album with a picture of my heavy ten and the indexer that was
made by the previous owner. I haven't seen one quite like it. He took
an index plate from somewhere and built it into the backplate of the
10" 4 jaw chuck. He made up a sliding pin that engages the holes in
the index. The slide is mounted on top of the bearing cap. I haven't
had a chance to use it but it looks pretty neat. I just thought maybe
someone else might like to see it. The album name is "TomMunroe" and
located in our picture group. Tom (19438) |
| I thought I would
try making a tiny URL to my pictures so here it is I hope:-)
http://tinyurl.com/36hf2
Tom (19439) |
| I used Gingery's
method to make a 50 hole plate to fit on my spin index. I used it
fairly successfully to graduate a feed dial. I used an aluminum
faceplate and a piece of seamstress fabric tape measure. I turned
the plate to 55 cm in diameter (about 7 inches) as that was
divisible by 50 (1.1 cm). Using 50 cm might have been better as I
had to be very careful when indexing with it. I mounted my new plate
on the faceplate and set it up on a stub axle on the drill press
table. Drilled with a center drill first and then drilled through
with a larger bit Accuracy depends upon how well you line up the
tape and how well the holes are drilled. Gingery's disks were for
his dividing head so any errors were divided by the ratio of the
head (40:1 IIRC). In my case since I was direct indexing the errors
are not reduced, but since measurement errors were on a 7 inch
diameter, drilling was on about a 4" diameter and the actual dial was
only 1.25", I can't see any error on the dial. There is
noticeable
error on the dividing plate though. A hand drill mounted on the
cross slide might have worked better than the drill press. In the
absence of a commercial dividing plate, another alternative is to
make up a fixture to fasten an ordinary gear to the end of the
spindle. For those with a set of change gears this should give you
lots to work with. I'm thinking about using a drawbar/MT arbor as a
method to hold a plate on the end of the spindle. The through hole
will be blocked but I don't see that as a problem. Any comments,
other ideas? John (19441) |
| Before I built my
spindle indexer I took the front gear cover off and used the
threaded hole on the front to hold a bent piece of 1/8" steel that
fit in between gear teeth in the bull gear. Then I would count off
the divisions in the teeth and mark the spots with white nail
polish. I milled a slot in the 1/8" steel where it went into the
threaded hole so it would move up and down to release the spindle
for rotating between cuts. I piggybacked another 1/8" tab on top off
the first and filed to fit between the teeth. This allowed the first
piece to lock tip to tip with a gear tooth and this gave me the
ability to divide the odd numbers equally. It worked great for such
a small solution. Paul (19443) |
| I use an indexing
attachment on my 10K that uses lathe change gears for indexing
plates. It's easy to make and use and could be adapted for use on
the 9" also. You may see a photo of the setup at
http://users.consolidated.net/jimkull/indexer1.jpg
Plans are available. Jim (19453) |
| Jim, Why not swing
that arm around to the front and use the front gear? I realize that
by changing gears you get equal divisions of different numbers but
with one adapter you could get all divisible numbers off the one
gear and delete the extra parts on the back side. Paul
(19454) |
| Paul, Good
suggestion. I needed an oddball number of divisions and this works
with any gear installed. The 100 tooth gear from my metric
transposing set is used for marking index lines on control knobs.
Jim (19455) |
| Have read somewhere, possibly in "The machinist bedside reader" of persons making
plywood wheels, with band saw blades fastened to the perimeter of
the wheel, using the teeth for indexing. Make up different size
plates to suit requirements. Bela (19456) |
| I bought a cam
timing disc from the local motorcycle shop. It's 9" in diameter,
made from 1/16" aluminum. I bored an accurate hole in the center to
fit the spindle of my lathe, then put it on and screwed the chuck on
over it. Made a cursor from a scrap of aluminum angle.. The cursor
has a notch to fit over one of the V ways, and is cut to follow the
OD of the disc closely. I had planned to arrange a way to clamp it
down, but never really had to. It's quite reliable to 1/2 degree.
Harold
(19457) |
Jim, With a small
notch or fork machined into the guide pin instead of a point, you
could make the front gear stop halfway between where it stops now.
I'm pretty sure that's what I did to get the odd numbers on mine.
That set-up looks great. Paul
(19464) |
| I once saw a South
Bend indexing faceplate with the division holes in the edge of the
faceplate. There was an a small mount that screwed to the lathe
headstock with a lock pin to hold the faceplate. This was on Ebay
and it had never been used. I'm pretty sure it factory original for
the 9" SB. That thing went for over $300. Paul (19465) |
| There was an
article in Popular Mechanics Mag in the 1960's +/-(I think)
describing an indexing attachment using a large gear, maybe the 80
tooth gear, mounted to an expanding plug that fit into the rear of
the spindle. It had a spring mounted tooth to engage the gear. I
have a copy and can send a Xerox or email scan to anyone who would
like to see it. I think the article was based around an SB lathe.
Steve (19474) |
| Home made
indexing again |
| When I wanted to
make new dials for the cross slide and lead screw on my old six inch
Atlas. I did not like the set screw way of locking the dials on the
cross and compound and added a dial on the right end of the lead
screw. I made the dials first as large as I could without
interfering with the slides. Then I used a CAD program to make the
divisions and numbers fairly large on the drawing. Then saved the
files and printed them out in reduced sizes to just wrap around my
new dials. It took a few tries to get them the exact size so the 0
line was split with the 100 line. I cut out the scales and glued
them in place and coated with several coats of poly varnish. The
dials were still working well when in an attack of the stupid I
sold that lathe. This is a SB group and I don't know if any SBs were
not fitted with power cross feeds, my little Atlas did not have any
so as part of the new dials on the cross slide and lead screw I left
enough room for a drum on each dial. When I wanted to face something
I ran a cord from the "drum" on the lead screw through a pulley
clamped to the edge of my bench to the "drum" on the cross slide
dial. Lock the carriage in place engage the lead screw (not the
carriage though) and let the cord unwind from the cross slide to the
lead screw. Not an accurate power cross feed, but a lot more steady
than my hand and did pretty good facing work on face plates, chuck
back plates, locomotive smoke box fronts etc. Where there is a Willy
there is a way.
(19450) |
| I used a similar
approach for making a calibrated dial used on a tensioning fixture
for my 10" cabinet saw. I did not consider it accurate enough for
the lathe "WRONG"!!!!. Jim B. (19451) |
| Indexing |
| Last week there
were a ton of questions and ideas on indexing. Found this today on
HSM thread. This looks like a great idea.
http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/Headstock_Dividing_Attachment.html
Paul (19674) |
| Easy way out of
creating a precision Lathe indexer? |
| If you
recall, I posted a website showing the lathe indexing head where a
bloke in Sydney had created a system to attach to the rear of his
lathe spindle. I now admit that I was too quick to judge when I
stated he was "very UN-helpful". I asked if (at a later stage) if I
could borrow his setup to attempt to replicate it, and he agreed.. Kazamm! Ripper. Then I thought about it some more.. my skills are
err.. novice to say the least, I could create the mountings and
arbor, but the plates would have been beyond me. I sent another
email asking if it would be possible for him to take a "foreign
order" (this is a job for mates on the bosses time - in Oz) for a
nominal sum of his choosing. To my complete surprise he said "no
problem, what do you want/need" (an I might add, no charge), in my
n00biness I stammered and stuttered and finally stated that I didn't
know.. I thought that a 360DEG with min/sec increments would be good
and also metric 3.6deg etc would be useful too, but I've left it up
to him, he's a pretty damned good machinist/Engineer from what I've
seen on his website. My suggestion to you all is, find a shop that
has a machine like this..
http://www.imcmetals.com/frames/FrameSet.htm
(2nd machine from left Strippit CNC hole puncher) - would help
greatly if you hade a "mate" that you knew, and ask them to punch
out some index plates for you. I'm guessing it would be much cheaper
than the commercial versions available, and just as precise. All you
then need to do is create the arbor and pin assy to mount and
rotate/lock the index in place. Easy fix (one hopes). Garry D. (19686) |
| Why not use
index plates from indexers or spacers? They go pretty cheap on Ebay
or you can buy them new from tool catalogues like MSC, KBC, or Enco.
Paul (19687) |
| Same
reason I make my own dovetail cutters and D bits for milling and
also my own QC toolpost and holders for my lathe. I plain and
simple cant afford commercial ones. Garry D. (19730) |
| Gary, I'm new to
metal working and was curious how you make your own dovetail
cutters. Just can't see how you might do it g but do know they are
expensive to buy and like you I prefer to make my own stuff if I
can pull it off with the tools I have at hand. Tom (19732) |
| Tom, This was
a real backyard job as I baulked at the cost of a new Cutter. I used
about 4in of 1/2" steel for the shaft. Offset the mill vice by the
required (figure out your dovetail angle) angle and cut a recess
1/4in deep. Then just braze in some 1/4 tool steel and form the tool
tip. I warned you this was a real "back yard" job, it only has one
cutting edge, but it cut accurate (if slow) doves through about 2
1/2ft of steel plate and the 3 1/2" block which now serve as my
Quick-change Tool Holders. It lost its edge after being asked to work
so hard but that's nothing that a quick grind wont fix. Id suggest
this would only be of value to someone that has no need of a
dovetail all that often, or if cant justify the high cost of a
quality tool. Garry D. (19762) |
| Garry, If you send
me your address, I'll send you photos of the one I made for my9" for
about $15. I can't get the photos to post, but I'm still trying.
Paul (19767) |
| Dovetails can
be cut easily on a shaper. There are many available down in the land
of Oz. JP (19771) |
| JP, Well, you find me a shaper that I can afford Ill
take one :) I cant manage index plates let alone a precision
toolmaking device. Hell my backgear has been without a tooth for over
three months cuz I cant afford a new/used one or afford to have the
tooth rebuilt/reformed.. some of us have money.. some don't.. those
without, get creative :) Don't be afraid to point me to what you
think of cheap formers though.. I may well have missed the reseller..
direct email to cut the chatter on the list would be best methinks.
Garry D. (19777) |
| Paul, Always
happy to see alternatives. feel free. Off list is probably best. Garry
D.(19778) |
| Time to get
creative. My backgear had a pair of pins pressed in and filed to
shape, replacing a tooth when I got the bugger and it worked fine.
Do a search for 'shaper attachment' on this list. I posted a link to
one some time ago (6 mo?). I was actually going to design and build
a simple one but then I found a ShapeRite shaper, and being somewhat
lazy, I dragged the beast home. It would be pretty simple to make
one up. JP (19779) |
| Dovetails can be
cut easily on a shaper. There are many available down in the land of
Oz. JP (19780) |
| Bela Try:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Metal_Shapers/ Bill (19781) |
| You mean, besides
this one:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Metal_Shapers Jeff
(19783) |
| Also have this
group for Atlas machines but I am sure you could ask general shaper
questions also
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Atlasshaperandmillingmachineusersgroup/
Ron (19784) |
| Indexing using
the gear train |
| Check out this
site, there is one in here somewhere.
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~chrish/homepage.htm JP (23310) |
| Kevin,
Unfortunately, the threading/feed gear ratios are "backwards" for
chuck indexing. When you thread or feed, the chuck almost always
turns faster than the lead screw. The only exceptions are when the
cut thread pitch exceeds (a smaller number) the lead screw pitch.
Back gear has no effect. In contrast, rotary tables and dividing
head chucks are "geared down" from the handle. If your lead screw
was geared the same as a typical rotary table (90 to 1), it's
maximum speed would be 1400 x 90 or 126,000 rpm! You'd need better
bearings ;-) So, unless the first your are cutting the same number
of teeth as one of the three spindle gears, the odds of finding a
workable index scheme are very low. On the other hand, a milling
table and dividing head would work well since, at that point, you
basically have a horizontal mill with a very stable spindle. Bill
(23321) |
| Kevin, The first
one I made was from a piece of 1/8" flat stock. I took the front
gear cover off and used the screw hole for the cover to mount the
"indexer". If you bend the stock to go up and into the gear at the
right (correct angle) and file the edge to match the DP on the gear
it holds great. Now machine a slot where the screw hole is so that
you can slide the bar up and down into and out of the gear just by
loosening a thumb screw holding it to the headstock. Bend a 90
degree "tab" away from the headstock for a handle to use while
sliding it in and out on the bottom of the stock. I forget how many
teeth are on that gear, sometimes you need an odd or even number of
increments. I solved this by making a spacer, filed to match the
teeth like the first one, and mounted it to the top of the first
one. Put a washer behind the indexer and let the second part engage
the gear. It puts the tip of the first part exactly in line with the
tip of the gear, thereby giving you the other (odd or even) set of
divisions. Mark the gear with fingernail polish to see where to
engage to the indexer. If I remember correctly there are like 99
teeth on that gear giving you 100 divisions. Anyway it took 5
minutes to make, cost less than a dollar and held the repetitive
accuracy I was looking for. I'll read up on the posting procedure
and see if I can put up a picture. Paul (23349) |
