Shop Made Tools

[Cenedd]

ATW Ah, I see them there in the picture now.
Was thinking it could be done off one of these cotter's but it's drilled off-centre and would need to be expanded to an oval shape to handle both....and then realised I was (yet again) over-thinking and over-complicating it! How about a longer needle for the DTI when you inevitably end up with clearance issues? Yes it may through the scale of the DTI off but ultimately you're looking for relative difference rather than absolute measurement so it shouldn't be a problem.

[ATW]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Cenedd it clamps using a cotter (Think that is the UK term, not sure what the US term is) pointed at in the section shown below, note the CAD model doesn't show the necessary clamping relief in the center between the cotter and the square bar. The blue stud is Loctited into the brass cotter and the thumb screw when tightened pulls the cutter onto the shaft clamping it. The DTI dovetail to round shank clamp/adapter fits into the hole that gets clamped by the cotter.



Yeah a 45° would have been a nice touch, although I can still mount the DTI vertically on its bottom dovetail for best clearance but losing the ability to see its face on a full sweep.

Andy

[nickel-city-fab]

oooo nice! i'm liking the twin beams (stiff design)

[Cenedd]

ATW Very nice. I can't really see from the pictures how the thumbscrew clamps the indicator lug - thought it might compress the hole but can't see a slit through that piece. Anyway, if you drilled a hole above that one but at around 45° and ideally so that it also clamps with the same thumbscrew (for simplicity of use) you'd be able to angle the DTI for clearance but still retain the fine adjust you've built. Was trying to think of some sort of more infinitely adjustable pivot so you could choose the angle and then lock it....but that's maybe over the top and definitely a design problem for someone with more of a clue than I!

[ATW]

My take on a "Zero It" indicator holder:

The "kit" of parts for anyone interested in the finer details:

In action:


Over the cheap import indicol and C style holders the fine radial adjust and the vertical alignment make it a real pleasure to use, although one possible downside is with the indicator sitting flat clearance around clamps may be tight (as in the last photo).

[Cenedd]

My single one just slides out (sideways) on a shelf.....I feel quite inadequate now!

[BCRider]

Sounds like thinking and design time well spent. And deserving of even more kudos.

As the old line goes "I love it when a plan comes together"

[rjazz]

Thanks BC, ya spent many nights lying in bed, planning it out. Once I had the basics figured out, I am lucky enough to have a 3D CAD software with motion. I was able to build the whole thing with CAD, and work out the exact placements and dimensions, and not waste materials or time. Then I had a print to follow for each individual part, and things went together perfectly. The only glitch was, I originally planned on a counterweight on the back of the stand. After it was built with grinders on it, I quickly learned the amount of weight needed was not very practical, so had to rethink, and went with gas struts. But very happy with the results.

[BCRider]

Now... THAT... is....VERY SLICK! ! ! !

I can only imagine the head scratching that went into it and the happy face you made when you tried it out for the first time. I've been known to do a little jig of Victory at stuff that is half as nice.

[rjazz]

Been enjoying this thread for some time. Finally got something to add.

The world's most over-engineered grinder stand.

[JRouche]

Little follower rest for a Hardinge lathe.

Very Nice! JR

[Bob Engelhardt]

It just mounts in a regular double wide dovetail-type tool holder. [snip].

[nickel-city-fab]

Wow Ken, that's great work! I hope I can do that someday, I'm kinda into the break-action British stuff...

[MaxxLagg]

It just mounts in a regular double wide dovetail-type tool holder. The follower and the sanvik tool mount side-by-side, kind of like it is displayed. I haven't used it in years but it works best if you size everything in one pass. I had a job where I turned a .500 diameter piece of stock down to .125 diameter for about 2 inches in length. Just set it up, dialed it in, slow feed rate, one pass.

[Captain K]

That follower looks great. How does it all mount on the lathe?