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MINI LATHE SPINDLE INDEXING ATTCHMENT

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backyard_cnc:
Hi All,

I cannot take credit for the design of this project, as it is from the pages of the MODEL ENGINEERS WORKSHOP magazine from the UK. They recently ran a whole series of articles by Dave Fenner on the mini-lathe and projects for it. This attachment consists of a expanding arbor that slips into the backend of the spindle and then expands when you tighten it to lock into the spindle. It uses one of your lathes change gears as the index. In the photos you can see both the expanding arbor and then the mounting plates on the end of the lathe as well in that photo the arbor is in place with a small change gear mounted. I have yet to build the small spring loaded plunger which will mount on the swingplate (hanging down in photo) and engage into the teeth of the gear for pos=itive locking of the spindle. The many change gears will allow most any number of desired divisions. Couple this attchment with a toolpost mounted dremel tool and al sorts of neat things become possible on this little lathe! Once I finish the plunger I will post a complete pic. All these parts were made on the mini lathe, except I slit the expanding arbor on my mill and I knurled the retaining nuts on my big lathe as I don't have a knurler for the mini lathe.

Questions?

Gerald

Divided he ad:
Hi Gerald,

I don't know you spend one evening in the workshop and when you finally turn on your computer there are hundreds of posts to view!!!! (well nearly!?).... Good stuff  :thumbup:

I have read all of your posts.... Just thought I'd reply to this one as it intrigued me  :thumbup:


I'm not into the CNC stuff really, just 'cause I don't own any! But I do appreciate good tooling of anykind. So this looks interesting..... I'm not 100% sure (Not even really into the 80's!) of what this is used for.... So will watch out for it's completion and first workings  :dremel:



Happy to see another variation to the board  :D


Ralph.

Darren:
New dials anyone...thanks Gerald, it's great to see so much stuff going on.... :)

CrewCab:
Ralph, Gerald's building an indexing attachment so he can accurately rotate / index / divide the workpiece for other operations in the lathe ............ hence the use of a dremel in the toolpopst, your using the chuck as a dividing head ............. I'm pretty sure Cedge has done this as well.

CC

backyard_cnc:
Ralph,

It appears that others have answered the question as to what to use this for. I plan on making new graduated dials for things like my lathe or for drilling bolt hole circles on the face of things mounted in the chuck. Drilling of course will require a live tool in the toolpost and I have described my toolpost holder for a dremel tool in another posting. The dials can be graduated by simply using a very sharp lathe tool to scribe the lines into the new dial which you index around in equal steps. Say you would do 50 divisions for a dial to be used on a 20TPI screw (for 50 thou per turn of the screw)

Look for DAVE FENNER's new book on the MINI LATHE in the Workshop Series. Dave was the past editor of the UK  magazine MODEL ENGINEERS WORKSHOP. Both the book and the magzine will be readily available in the UK where you are located.

Cheers
Gerald

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