dividing head??

[decoy91288]

I saw a picture of an index plate (dividing head?) mounted to a Taig lathe. The text explained the plate was made and installed from a guy lautard plan. The lautard website does not list such a plan separately and the descriptions of the books do not specify the item either. Anyone know where I might find such plans or have another suggestion for doing the same work. the purpose is to accurately divide the arc of rotation for drilling holes, cutting gears etc. I am an inexperienced hobbiest, please speak slowly and clearly. :-)



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Craig

[SGW]

The plan may be from one of Lautard's "Machinst Bedside Reader" series. I think Vols. 1 and 2 are the most generally useful. Vol. 3 gets into a lot of detail about reamers, which is good information if you need it but it's kind of specialized. (There is other information too, but the reamer information predominates, as I recall.)
The books are fun reading. If you've got a spare $40 or so, buy Vols. 1 and 2. I think you'll enjoy them, even if the plan isn't there.

Not knowing exactly what you're trying to do it's hard to give suggestions "for doing the same work." A lot depends on how accurate you need to be, how many divisions you need to do, etc. There are a host of ways to do indexing for specific instances. One way I've heard of is to take a piece of bandsaw blade, count off a total of teeth that is some multiple of the number of divisions you need (e.g. if you need 20 divisions, you might count off 100 teeth), form the blade into a loop, accurately overlapping the ends so the loop has 100 teeth, slide the loop over a disk you've turned to be the i.d. of the loop, and mount the disk on the end of your lathe spindle. Then rig some kind of pin to index in between the blade teeth, counting every 5th tooth to get your 20 divisions.
(The multiple teeth business is just to get the i.d. of the loop to be some convenient size, by the way, and that depends on the tpi of the blade, the size of your lathe, etc., so don't think there is any magic in the choice of the multiple. Just choose something that makes the loop a convenient size to handle.)
Or you may be able to just index into your lathe's bull gear, depending on the number of divisions you need and the number of teeth in the bull gear.

[gc-john]

I came across an web article for a dividing head for the Taig lathe. You can reference it at the following web site:
http://www.jeffree.co.uk/Pages/divheadmk1.html
It's describes how to build one and includes drawings and pictures. Looks like its going to be my next project.

[artificer in metal]

We made an indexer as a final project in machining apprenticeship training. We did NOT hand drill the index plates (they were done on a CNC mill for us). I would suggest you buy the plates and build the rest for good accuracy. I would have to check to see regarding the use of the drawings but we did have complete drawings for all the pieces.
Contact me if you wish more info.

[slayer666]

Do you have drawings for the indexer you built? If so, could I possibly get a copy of them?

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by artificer in metal:
We made an indexer as a final project in machining apprenticeship training. We did NOT hand drill the index plates (they were done on a CNC mill for us). I would suggest you buy the plates and build the rest for good accuracy. I would have to check to see regarding the use of the drawings but we did have complete drawings for all the pieces.
Contact me if you wish more info.</font>

[so ga sailor]

check Guy Lautard's web site, he lists plans for items of his (and others)designs, may be Lautard' octupus

[Norman Atkinson]

Craig!

At present, I am finishing off something called a George Thomas Dividing Head.
There is a kit from Hemingway in England but a tremendous amount of detail is contained in George's book called "Workshop Techniques" by Tee Publishing. It is a companion volume to his Model Engineers Workshop Manual. They were compiled after his death from articles which appeared in the English " Model Engineer".

Whilst both books look daunting to the beginner, they contain step by step methods of lathe and mill work. His Dividing in the Techniques book sets out to explain how to really start making division plates- and these are what you are on about now. Can you visualise just how all those holes can be set out- using nothing more than a drilling machine and a set of dividers/ compasses. Or with a set of lathe change wheels. Maybe these are something to come later on your Taig.
The frightening thing is that the initial errors- and we all make them- start to improve each time that we set out to make another plate rather than get worse.

I wish you well- and hope that my suggestions will add to your fun.

Norman

[This message has been edited by NORMAN ATKINSON (edited 09-06-2005).]

[topct]

decoy, not sure if you have seen this,
http://www.cartertools.com/cipk.html
Could this be what you might be looking at? Any way if you have a Taig and haven't seen this site your missing a lot of great info concerning the Taig.
http://www.cartertools.com/


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Gene

[mklotz]

One of the Bedside Reader's describes a technique for originating a hole plate
using only a lathe. Perhaps that's what you're on about.

Basically, it goes like this... For N divisions, you make N small cylindrical
slugs, all of the same diameter. Then you turn a (larger cylinder) to a
diameter such that the N small cylinders fit around the circumference
perfectly. Attach them, make a suitable index pin, and Bob's your uncle.

A fuller description of the technique and a program to do the required math is
available on my web site. Look for DPLATE.

Regards, Marv

Home Shop Freeware - Tools for People Who Build Things
http://www.geocities.com/mklotz.geo

[Timewarp]

Does anyone have a source for the 40-50-60 dividing plates as seen on cartertools.com but in larger diameters?? I'd like to mount one on my chuck so i can drill on the lathe like torker and evan! 10 inches would about right.

Pablo