Collet Type Spindles For Dividing Heads

[pgp001]

I thought some of you might be interested in the mods I have done to two of my dividing/indexing heads.

The spindle of the larger Tom Senior one was originally made to accept a chuck and had a 2 morse taper bore. The smaller one had an unidentified collet bore. I have made a new spindle for each one to accept collets which I already had full sets of.

The first and second photo's show the set up for producing the outside taper on the spindle, the cut is from left to right so there is no backlash in the cross slide.
The taper bore had already been finished in the Harrison lathe, and a piece of centre drilled ground bar was gripped in one of its own collets, this ensured everything was running dead true.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/turning%20taper%20on %20myford%2001.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/turning%20taper%20on%20myford%2001.jpg)

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/turning%20taper%20on %20myford%2002.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/turning%20taper%20on%20myford%2002.jpg)

This photo shows the new spindle and collet, together with the original one.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/new%20and%20old%20together.j pg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/new%20and%20old%20together.jpg)

This is the Tom Senior head with its new spindle installed, I will make an adapter to allow a chuck or faceplate to be used as well. The worm and dividing plates are easily removed for simple indexing on these heads.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/spindle%20fitted% 20in%20larger%20head.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/spindle%20fitted%20in%20larger%20head.jpg)

This photo shows the smaller head with a similar spindle to take Bristol Erikson DA180 collets, it is very compact and light, and is ideal for quick and regular use, I get fed up heaving 30lb units onto the table every time I need to use them.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/spindle%20fitted %20in%20smaller%20head.jpg (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.procter/Indexer%20Heads/spindle%20fitted%20in%20smaller%20head.jpg)

I have also made a packer for the small head, so that the tailstock from the Senior can be used with it if required.

Phil (UK)

[This message has been edited by pgp001 (edited 09-17-2004).]

[Michael Az]

Nice work Phil. Those should prove to be very useful now.
Michael

[John Stevenson]

Phil,
Nice job and useful, should pay back many times over in saved time.

Is there any heat treat plants near you? I would pay to get this Tuftrided if they do it.
It puts a very thin microns hard coating on and stops general dinging and marking.

It's done at about 400 degrees so there is no distortion as in the higher temperature cyanide processes.

Had to pop up to Boroughbridge last week, drove by your place but was pushed for time so no chance to call in for a coffee and sort those books out.

John S.

[Forrest Addy]

For some reason it never occured to me to make a more convenient spindle for a dividing head.

I've passed many good dividing heads by because they had 11 B&S tapers and threaded spindles or some other combination I thought was ridiculous in the modern shop. I've always yearned for one with a #40 mill taper inside and an A-4 lathe spindle flange outside.

A dividing head spindle has at most a dozen diameters and precision features, it's short and rigid, and could be made from HT 4140 because it sees little hard service where very hard precision ground surfaces would be necessary. It's a lathe job requiring no more than routine care and close size and distortion control. Wow! (slap forhead) I coulda had a free custom spindle Cincinnatti dividing head and tailstock!

Why didn't I think of it? Oh well, pgp001 is smarter than me. Add him to the lengthening list.

[John Stevenson]

Forrest,
If you look carefully you will see Phil has only make a sub spindle to fit inside the original dividing head and not the main spindle but I must admit I'm with you on making one for actually fit the DH.

My original home made one had a No2 Morse and a Myford nose to suit my lathe.
I did make a 4th axis head once for my CNC with a D1-4 to match the lathe but because of other reasons the head wasn't a sucess, that was one of my frequent bad days http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//biggrin.gif

John S.

[pgp001]

John
I think you must be on the wrong medication again, or you have been looking at some different photo's !
Both the spindles I made are direct replacements for the originals, not sub spindles.
Have a closer look and you will see what I mean.
Phil

[John Stevenson]

Phil,
You are correct.
It says take 2. per day, I read that as 20

Things are comming back into focus now.

John S.