Spindexer flip around

[Dan Dubeau]

Ya, for ease of setup and use (once you understand the vernier holes) they beat anything else hands down (collet blocks are pretty close too). Most people already have a vise on a mill table, and you can simply chuck a spindexer in the vise, and get right to it. We've got a couple at work, and use them all the time. There are also a lot of situations where they're not the best tool for the job. But they're pretty handy for sure. Worth it IMO for their relatively small price tag.

I have some parts to make this weekend that I need my spindexer for, but I might put those off for now, and flip mine around first. It will be a lot better to use for these parts if I had extra clearance..... I'll make a decision later tonight depending on how ambitious I am lol. This is why I never get to finish projects....

[BCRider]

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I've not even squared the base up to the spindle yet. But that's a darn fine idea too. I'll tackle that when I bore the base for the split cotter spindle lock.

And I read you on the creeping project pile up aspect. This spindexer flip was one of those. I started out making the auto feed cog for the shaper.

I haven't had time to make up a nice tidy drawing but here's what I worked with if you're doing this really soon.

One aspect which might change is the depth and diameter of the oversize shoulder at the end of the body with the vernier holes. The dimension of 2.080" is sized to be .020 smaller than the diameter of the recess so there would be no possible issue with dragging on the OD. And the length of that portion is sized for the depth of the recess plus the thickness of the plate plus the .05 indicated in the sketch. You'll want to confirm those before you use what I've posted. Also the screws used were 6-32 x 1/2" flat head hex socket screws. So the width of the flange is sized to be slightly bigger than the diameter of the screw heads. No reason for that other than the holes are mid way across the width of the flange so it looks more tidy

Hope that saves you a bit of time if you opt to do it the same way as I did.

[Baz]

Wasn't there a thread on here some 5-10 years ago with a more complex conversion including worm gear? I think it started with squaring the base. It might have been decimated in the big photo hosting debacle removing all the key pictures.

[J Tiers]

OK, I guess as long as you don't need the "forbidden" numbers of divisions, you can use them. Of course, you need a set of 5C collets as well.

I don't have any use for 5C as yet (I will when the Rivett is "commissioned", but that is not for a while yet. I'd find a 3C version pretty handy at the moment, as I have 3C collets available for use in the Logan. (Yet another project.... I already have collet blocks for 3C).

[BCRider]

Wasn't there a thread on here some 5-10 years ago with a more complex conversion including worm gear? I think it started with squaring the base. It might have been decimated in the big photo hosting debacle removing all the key pictures.

That wouldn't surprise me. And it sounds like what Tom Lipton did on OxTools in a video series. I've got no interest in dolling it up to that degree. I've got the rotary table and the set of plates to go with it if things get that serious.

JTiers, I launched into the 5C commitment at some point in the late 90's or early after the new millenium. The ER option is pretty common now. Heck, when I just looked out of interest I found a spindexer that is natively set up for ER32. So 5C doesn't have the major share like it used to have on holder options. But all my actual work holding tools that can use collets are all 5C based. So I go with that now and for the rest of my machining days.

Although..... If you were to pick up a 5C spindex and do the flip thing you could make up an adapter which was 5C on the outside and 3C on the inside.... Hey?... Hey?... Nudge, nudge... ...

If something comes up where I need more precision such as gear making I've got the H/V rotary table and the sector arms and plates. And the tail stock all dialed in to the RT height in the vertical mode.

[J Tiers]

...........................

Although..... If you were to pick up a 5C spindex and do the flip thing you could make up an adapter which was 5C on the outside and 3C on the inside.... Hey?... Hey?... Nudge, nudge... ...

......................................

Now THAT is absolutely NOT a silly idea. I kinda like it!

Most of the 3C are Hardinge, and I am clearly NOT buying Hardinge 5C collets (the net cost would equal the rest of the shop if I did). So I'd only need to make the adapter pretty carefully, and I'd be able to use the 3C.

Nice thought, thanks.

[ed_h]

Wasn't there a thread on here some 5-10 years ago with a more complex conversion including worm gear? I think it started with squaring the base. It might have been decimated in the big photo hosting debacle removing all the key pictures.

Don't know if this is the one you remember, but it was discussed here, plus there was a version of it in the magazine.

http://bullfire.net/4th_Axis/4th_Axis.html

Ed

[BCRider]

Now THAT is absolutely NOT a silly idea. I kinda like it!

Most of the 3C are Hardinge, and I am clearly NOT buying Hardinge 5C collets (the net cost would equal the rest of the shop if I did). So I'd only need to make the adapter pretty carefully, and I'd be able to use the 3C.

Nice thought, thanks.

You're welcome

I've had very good luck with stuff like this just turned on the lathe provided I can do ALL of the critical cuts in one setup. And I'd expect no different from such an adapter provided some trick to switch accurately between the 10° outer 5C nose angle and the inner 12° for the 3C can be done with some trick. You'll have a section which is round and straight. If you set up a dial gauge set on center height and square to the turned section it could act like a short sine plate. Just with the gauge reading instead of jo blocks.

A trick I used on my 5C chuck when I did it was get the far in cylindrical section for the back tang of the collets pretty close but not quite a fit on the tang of the collet. Then I "polished" it using a bar in my boring bar holder that had a slot cut across it to retain some emery strip. I squared it up with a dial gauge so it was parallel to the ways and sent it into the bore. Then I eased out so it rubbed lightly but with a good sound to it. A few back and forths then extract, clean and test fit a collet. It took about 15 minutes of sneaking up on the fit but it worked well. My worst collet fits a hair loose. The opposite worst collet is a pretty snug bump off the heel of my hand. The others in between are nigh on perfect within a soft to firm push to seat. This isn't something that would have been easily done with just the boring bar without going rapidly from too tight to too loose.

[JRouche]

I'm sure that those of you that have a spindexer are like me and you've found that the indexing wheel gets in the way for some smaller detail jobs. For a good long time I've intended to flip my own indexer around so the collet was on the end away from the indexing wheel.



A quick CAD session later and I was back in the shop drawing in hand and hogging down a lump

Next up was centering the indexing wheel to bore it out to fit the adapter ring. I didn't get pics of the setup because it had me going. I centered up the middle hole then started to run the lathe only to notice that the ring of indexing holes was running wobbly.


So things got complicated as I had to use a dial gauge with an ID adapter and zero up the ring of holes. That ring after all being the important feature. Anyway it got done and the center was bored out and a score line marked for drilling to mount the plate to the adapter ring.

And here's a sneak peak towards the finish.

I think you nailed it, on all accounts .. My looksee? JR

The spindex handle? I like your fix, the handles are in the way and I have sliced them off. Good riddens.

You smart folks and CAD? I wish I could, thats all. JR

[BCRider]

...You smart folks and CAD? I wish I could, thats all. JR

I started out with CAD in the opening years of the new millenium. I'd say it took me probably 150 to 200 hours before I was matching speed of drawing in CAD with drawing on a proper board with a drafting machine. Put in the time and you can do it too. But there's not much other option to droning down the hours.

It's the other way around now and has been for most of the past 15 to 18 years. I can draw much faster in CAD now than I ever could by hand. But it was a tough uphill battle for those first couple of hundred hours. I knew what I wanted to do but had to drill through the various help features to figure out how. And that really slows things down.

I've tried to do some 3D since then but it's like starting all over again. At least 2D shares the same goals and most of the same methods as the old paper based technical drawing. The 3D stuff is a whole other mind set.