Mr. Pete never doubt the impact you have with your videos. As a result of watching your videos and trying things you've taught in my shop i have become capable of building just about anything i need. In fact, I received a huge compliment from an accomplished machinist today. He told me I should be working for Jay Leno after seeing the repair I did on my antique B&S surface grinder. The compliment was actually for you.
*Very* satisfying indeed to see this device in one piece and installed! It really is a chicken-and-egg situation however with using a milling machine to produce the tool so you don't have to use a milling machine!!! I also hadn't thought about the rigidity issue--I think that could well be the Achilles heel of this whole project. Keith Rucker recently made a spiral gear from scratch, but even with a horizontal milling machine, an index head and a proper lead attachment he ended up making two passes per tooth in order to avoid any issues with rigidity. Given there are only two points of quite narrow fixture for this device to attach to the lathe I am certain you will have to very carefully nibble away at each tooth. Thank you very much indeed Mr. Pete for going through this long and really _very_ involved project. Looking forward to seeing it all in action next!
That was a tremendous 6 part video series on fabricating the Atlas gear cutting attachment ! Alot of great machining operations show and explained by you. Always top notch content Tubalcain!
I remember seeing drawings and such in one of the magazines from the 1950's-1960's. I always thought it was a cool attachment. Never built one. Later, I wound up with a old B & S dividing head that I cut several gears with. Wish I still had that DH today. The design of this one gave me ideas of making one for holding a index plate that could be used on the mill instead of the lathe. The index plate I have has a 127-hole circle that I want to make a gear for the South Bend lathe. In the meantime, if I need one, I'll 3-D print one. But nothing replaces making one from metal. As always, thanks for sharing. Ken
Mr Pete, this is the most amazing tool I ever saw on all machining that you teach us. For someone like me that doesn't have a serious milling machine, I will make me such a tool tomorrow at my shop. Thanks so much for this great video and the explanations...I will watch all the parts of this video more than once. Have a great day.
Finally it all comes together. An enjoyable video hosted by the master. I have one of those milling attachments for the Atlas lathe. Never used it, but sure is pretty.
This device is many years old but it is still relevant today. I will say more that this device will live for a long time. Thank you for showing it. Health and good luck to you.
Hi Lyle, have you considered drilling a horizontal dowel hole through the gear blank and in to the pinned ring on the shaft? Doing it this way would not compromise the bores where they freewheel on the bearings. Thanks for another excellent series of videos.
Forgot to say, you certainly turned out a great deal of work with this series. You appear to have the stamina of a fellow much younger. I envy you that.
True, you use a milling machine to avoid using a milling machine to cut a gear. But, this is useful for those who don't have access to a dividing head.
I have learned with patience and alot of time you can accomplish most anything if you set your mind to it and have awesome teachers making videos on how to do things !!
As a machinist and Manufacture of many years we have all gotten the SHAFT at one point or another but not as nice as this one. Thanks Pete and be safe.
I really like the modifications you made ot the original Atlas print. Especially the milling of the main body to prevent the gear cutter from making contact. No need ot repeat everyting you made modifications on, but, all great! ....Now, I need to modify mine to make it better! Stay well and thank you for this project being presented.
Hello there from Oxford England 🏴 from a joiner with an old boxford lathe who does a bit of metal work love your Videos taught me a lot metalwork-shop At school no bloody teacher
Thanks, Mr Pete, for making this project. Interesting variations in the drawings, probably just to differentate than provide significant improvement. I could see it used for making certain kinds of cutter. First time I've heard an American use "b*gger it up" - it uses a swear word with an interesting history. The phrase is often used in workplaces up and down the UK (and I presume other Anglophone countries) to indicate damaging or ruining something. Not a phrase for 'polite company' on this side of the ditch!
Now do that for a Helical gear. And scale it up to a 8' diameter gear...which my father had to do for ship reduction gearing. Great explanations on getting the blank gear on, and as always welcome humor!
I agree with you that Craftsman probably didn’t make this to sell. Somebody in the design department said: “no man in this basement is going to be cutting gears”. The thought of making this back in the day realizes you would’ve had a friend with a mill or access to one at work. Great, educational video series, as always.
Loved the series Mr. Pete. I have a Bridgeport with a horizontal attachment which works pretty well, so I likely will not build this project myself, by I truly appreciate the projects you do, and the decades of pedagogical experience you put into each and every one of them. Thank you
These were not wasted lessons. If there are a few novice machinists who need to jump in at the shallow end, this may fill a need for them. This device could also have uses other than gears. Laying out equally spaced holes around a wheel rim for the spokes comes to mind. Or, as in my case, just thinking through the logic of how this device was designed could be the spark for solving some other mechanical development. Mr Pete, any time we spend tapped into your years of experience and gathered knowledge is always time well invested. Please keep on teaching us how. 🥸👍✅
I made this for my 6 inch Atlas-clausing lathe and did cut a gear out of aluminum. I used a 1/2 inch shaft through the square block since my gears use a 1/2 inch ID. Works wonderful! Fun to build. My milling attachment was copied from your design also.
Thanks again for another great video! All the updates make sense . I have 3d gears for my sb 9 c soon to have metal . I will do the converting to a b model as soon as I can find a cross feed . Yes people do your projects! Thanks again
Learned some stuff. The only Chinese gear cutters I found in the particular size I needed was with a 22mm bore and metric key. Had to build the arbor and used a pin as you did. Worked out OK. Thanks for the videos. Being a hobby jack of all trades, I have found you as well as many others on RUclips invaluable. Can't beat a man at his own game but you certainly learn from him or her.
Mr Pete I will glad to tell you that have made a drill press vise similar to your video series. Smaller that would fit a benchtop drill press. The quality and clamping force compared to a harbor nut is un matched. Thank you love these series
Chicken and Egg: You have a milling attachment for the lathe, allowing this to be a lathe only project in theory. Excellent series, thank you Mr. Pete.
This was a great series of an interesting mechanism..Well done. I hope it exceeds your expectations although that’s a tall order with having several milling machines at your fingertips. Thanks
The attachment does have several things going for it. Even if cutting the gear requires a roughing and a finishing pass, the attachment indexes so quickly that with power cross-feed you just have to keep cutting oil on the cutter (if you don't have your drip oiler installed) while you watch it run. Most gear cutting jobs in the home shop are making missing or damaged gears for the lathe's threading gear train. If the gears are made of Aluminum instead of steel or cast iron the gears will only last three lifetimes. Cheers from NC/USA
Hi Lyle, that was a great finish to the build series and plenty of good tips too. Thank you for doing the build and sharing with us. I look forward to seeing it in use cutting a gear or two. I am wondering how rigid it is and how it will function in use. I really only have a running lathe in my shop so this is something I would consider making to cut a couple of gears to replace the plastic ones I printed. Thank you again, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
@@jerrydemas2020 I used petg and plain old PLA. They are holding up just fine showing no degradation from the oil I use to lubricate them and have been using the for about four years. I am not against them at all. I just want to be able to cut some from aluminum and some off sizes to cut specific worms.
"Wrong end, Corrigan."😄 I have a suggestion. You could drill a small hole in the face of your gear blank, and a matching one in the shoulder of the fixture shaft, then use a dowel to couple them. Lots easier than keyways, and you would eliminate that potential wear point where the gear turns on the stud. You could even fill it in when the gear is complete if you want to. But you may not need to key the gear to the fixture at all. The gear cutter puts strictly an axial load on the workpiece. Virtually no torque. Friction from securely tightening the nut should be sufficient. Keying would be cheap insurance, though. I'd probably do it.
There's very little torque on the blank if accurately aligned, indeed conventional cutting the force will be radially outward so preventing rotation if anything.
As always, lots of clever design all over the project. A pin instead of a key, an undercut to avoid burrs making trouble later,....... As Yo say, wonder how many units will be built. I confess. Plan A is to bore a few holes, thread some and assemble the digitally controlled rotating table capable to both horizontal and vertical mounting. But as Plan B, using the main design idea, and design a fixture like this is a clear option.
Lyle - Good wrap up and explanations. Lots of little tips/techniques that are helpful for other projects. Especially liked marking the 'gear lock tooth'. It's little things like that to help accuracy that assist when working to the limits of a machine/setup. Piece of cake to cough out the gear on a Fellows Gear Shaper - but how many have one of those in the home shop? Keep up the good work.
@@ellieprice363 Where's the fun in that? To do it that way, all you need is an easy chair and a telephone. Just look at all the cool machines and knowledge you have to have doing it Lyle's way.
@@kensherwin4544 I understand your point. I’m a great fan and subscriber to Mr. Pete’s channel. He even produced a video on my Bridgeport tramming device. It depends on the situation. If you want to learn how simple spur gears can be made on a lathe Lyle’s video will show you how. However if you have a gear failure in production and need a replacement fast Boston Gear, McMaster-Carr, or any Industrial Supply Company will get you back in service fast.
Hello Lyle, As mentioned earlier in this series, I made a similar attachment for my Hercus Lathe (S/B clone). I made a hollow spindle that would take a 3C collet and have used it to mill flutes in some strange taps that I have made. The first tap was a 4 flute, 7/16¨ x 10 TPI, left hand Acme thread for a new cross slide nut I was making.
I have wanted to see this device made since I first saw the drawings online several years ago. I spent a lot of good money purchasing a milling attachment for my Craftsman 12” and have never used it. I had a need to make a few missing change gears for a South Bend 405 I purchased and thought this would a good option. I do have a little milling machine, a Lewis Machine Co., but it has been modified to vertical with the addition of a Benchmaster head, and would be a pain to cut gears on due to its size and my lack of a dividing head. I might try to make one of these to cut a couple gears. What I particularly enjoyed about this series was your modifications and musings on how to improve the design. This got the gears in my own head spinning. It’s one thing to design a thing, another to figure out how to make it work in the real world. Great series!
Just re-watched this video and it was just as good the sixth time viewing it as the first time. In looking at the drawings very closely and comparing it to the gear cutting fixture I made back in the 1990's for my little 6 inch Craftsman lathe I see that the one I made is lacking a few components (such as the collar at the front) and definitely not nearly as pretty as the one you made. Since I did not own (and still don't) a milling machine I used a bit of right at the edge of the box thinking and a mig welder to join some of the components and create the slot where the indexing dog moves up and down. Instead of using a square block of metal to hold the shaft I used a piece of 1-1/4" round stock 2-1/2" long and bored to 3/4" I.D. The round stock piece was welded to a piece of 1/4" flat bar centered on one side so I could mount it in the milling attachment vise. 180° from that I cut a slit in the round stock and then mounted two flat bar tabs (one on each side of the slit) so I could then clamp the shaft by drawing the two tabs together with two 1/4" socket head screws. The upright piece to hold the indexing dog was made out of a piece of flat bar with a slot cut in it using a hack saw and then a piece of 1/4" key stock was added to each side of the slot so the indexing dog was snug but slid up and down. The indexing dog is solid on mine (not spring loaded) and has a V at the bottom end to fit into the space between the teeth on the indexing gear - it locks in place using a 1/4" socket head screw that is tightened and loosened to allow the dog to slide up and down as the gear is advanced each tooth. I did not use a collar between the indexing gear and the piece the shaft mounts in - instead I just left a step in the shaft as the front side that extends about 1/8" so the indexing gear is stepped away from the body and can rotate freely when not clamped. I figured that all the pressure while cutting a gear is being exerted from the rear as the blank is fed into the cutter - the rear of the shaft does have a step so it cannot slide forward. The shaft I used has a 1/2" diameter step at the front so I could use the lathe change gears to index (24P 14.5 PA) and 3/8" diameter at the rear where the blank mounts. Neither of the shaft ends are keyed - I just tighten the nuts securely against the sleeves that seat against the indexing gear and the blank being cut. Maybe I am just lucky but I have never had the gear I index with or the blank rotate while cutting the gears and I have cut about 15 gears with it so far. I also had to extend the housing further away from the milling vise than what yours is in order to allow cutting the larger gears (such as a 64 tooth gear) given the very limited travel of the milling attachment vise on my small lathe. Since using mine a few times cutting the larger gears I have made a few modifications - one of which was to allow the shaft to be loose enough to rotate and only locking it using a 1/4" socket head screw once I advance the index gear to the next tooth and secure the dog. This does not appear to make a difference in creating a gear and allows me to rotate the shaft advance to cut the next tooth a little bit quicker. Just thought I would let you know that while the gear making attachment may not have been very popular with many people a few were made and are still being used. I will be the first to admit that my version isn't very pretty compared to yours but at the end of the day it allows me to cut new steel change gears for my lathe and that was why I built it. One thing I have observed is that a power feed for the cross slide screw would be easier than turning the screw by hand ( especially when cutting several 64 tooth gears) but you make do with what you have. l may see if I can create an electric variable speed power feed as my next project if the gear sets I am hoping to create work out ok. Thanks again for posting these videos and sharing your wisdom and talents so other amateur's such as myself can see how it should be done.
To keep the gear blank from rotating, drill a short, blind, 1/8" hole in the rear of the blank, to slip on to a short, 1/8" pin, that you protrude from the end of the aluminum spindle housing. Using a keyway in the shaft has it's challenges as the blank gear hub varies in diameter.
I made one about ten years ago. I changed a lot of things like you did otherwise it would never have worked . You made about the same changes that I did except I put a lot heavier spring on the spacing pawl. It get to jump around and promptly broke a cotter and made a mess of everything. I turned both ends and made some bushings from 11/16 to i inch and hardened them . then things went better from then on. The plans are available from the company. that baught Atlas and I cant think of right now. Covid brain and old age took care of that.
I'm going to build a milling attachment for my tiny lathe. But first, I'll have to build a x-y jig for my belt sander. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure cutting a dovetail is possible without a mill, it probably won't be as pretty in the end, but function's the important part.
Instead of keying the non-keyed gears, you could make a collar that is keyed to the shaft and has a pin (or a hole for a pin) offset from the collar's axis. You could then drill a hole in the blank that temporarily allows you to pin the blank to the collar during gear cutting. Just an idea.. Great project, thanks!
This project prompted numerous questions and you answered some of them with this video. I will be interested to see how you set it up to ensure it is square to cutting axis, work on top dead center to the cutter and how you determine and control depth of cut. I see how you do it in theory, but the lathe setup seems a bit cheesey. I love the journey and, if nothing else, showing that hard things can be accomplished.
The way I see it, I can also make and use one of these to hold in my mill vice since I do not own an indexer. Also I can make or buy a milling attachment for my clausing 6300 12” lathe
Why key the gear to be cut? There are no tangential forces to rotate the blank on the shaft when cutting straight spur gears. Surely a good friction fit held with that end nut should work perfectly well?
I don't know if it can be done, since I don't have a milling machine, but I intend to try to make one of these on my 6" Atlas. I have the milling attachment for it. I will probably have to simplify the design to get it to work. It will be awhile before I get a chance to attempt it. Keep up the good work! I just love these types of projects. MJ
I bought a used Atlas 6" lathe about 30 years ago and it included a vertical slide and a similar gear-cutting attachment, scaled down for the 6" lathe - 1" square steel housing with a 1/2" diameter arbor. I tried to attach a photo but don't know how.
I'm going to drill holes in my blanks through sides and make a washer with pins in it to avoid keyways. Similar to how some gears are pinned in quick change gearbox . I don't have broaches and will do this for ones that need Keyway also.. I will be making all my gears and will use this in my milling machine to duplicate.
UN INVENTO ACOJONANTE PARA HACER ENGRANAJES EN EL TORNO...MI PREGUNTA ES: AL UTILIZAR EL TORNO COMO FRESADORA OCASIONAL NO SE DESCENTRA LOS EJES DEL TORNO?
If you look at Mr. Pete's setup you will notice he is at the bottom of travel for the gear he wants to cut. This is why he mentioned running the lathe in reverse to keep the cutting forces going into the gear blank. If you had to cut a larger diameter gear you would not have enough down travel in the milling attachment. So instead the larger gears are being cut from the bottom of the blank with the lathe running in the forward direction. You would have a bit more travel in the Y axis of the gear attachment to account for larger blanks. Hope that made sense.
The only way i see this as handy is if you dont own a mill but you do have a lathe and you have a friend with a mill you can use . Its a novel tool that im sure does a good enough job .
I suppose, since one making this tool will be making their own gears from scratch, they could bore the gear blank to fit the tool arbor, cut the gear and then, using the current bore, center the gear in a 4 jaw chuck and re-bore to the correct size. It's extra work but with no other option, gear making becomes possible. Suggestion: Rather than cutting a keyway in your arbor and gear blank to prevent slippage why not use CA glue to affix it for cutting and heat the part when it's done to break the super glue bond?
I myself am in the process of making a gear blank arbor for a mini 7x10 lathe with a mill slide table using a single point cutting tool to make the teeth. I see you are using a 32 tooth gear to duplicate a 32 tooth gear. In my case, I need a 40 tooth gear. Is it possible to use an 80 tooth mod1 gear to cut a 40 tooth mod1? By the time I get half way around the 80 tooth gear would the 40 teeth in the blank be cut? Thank you for all of the knowledge you share mr pete! Edit: your next video (#841) answered my question.
Well. Sometimes the milling machine is in use, and you rapt need that gear. More likely it was something to keep the apprentice away from the really expensive machinery. Lord knows, we were only allowed near the milling machines in our final year of high school, with the teacher mother henning us the whole time.
So what if you have a mill of some sort? That fixture will work just as well if not better in them. We don't all have rotary tables or spindexers. After all, a lathe is just a specialized horizontal mill except its overarm support is an underarm support and tailstock.
Sometimes it's not the destination but the journey that's the best part of the trip. Great Build.
It's a fun project that your students will enjoy making Mr. Pete
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Mr. Pete never doubt the impact you have with your videos. As a result of watching your videos and trying things you've taught in my shop i have become capable of building just about anything i need. In fact, I received a huge compliment from an accomplished machinist today. He told me I should be working for Jay Leno after seeing the repair I did on my antique B&S surface grinder. The compliment was actually for you.
Wow, thank you
*Very* satisfying indeed to see this device in one piece and installed!
It really is a chicken-and-egg situation however with using a milling machine to produce the tool so you don't have to use a milling machine!!! I also hadn't thought about the rigidity issue--I think that could well be the Achilles heel of this whole project. Keith Rucker recently made a spiral gear from scratch, but even with a horizontal milling machine, an index head and a proper lead attachment he ended up making two passes per tooth in order to avoid any issues with rigidity. Given there are only two points of quite narrow fixture for this device to attach to the lathe I am certain you will have to very carefully nibble away at each tooth.
Thank you very much indeed Mr. Pete for going through this long and really _very_ involved project. Looking forward to seeing it all in action next!
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That was a tremendous 6 part video series on fabricating the Atlas gear cutting attachment ! Alot of great machining operations show and explained by you. Always top notch content Tubalcain!
Thank you very much!
I remember seeing drawings and such in one of the magazines from the 1950's-1960's. I always thought it was a cool attachment. Never built one. Later, I wound up with a old B & S dividing head that I cut several gears with. Wish I still had that DH today.
The design of this one gave me ideas of making one for holding a index plate that could be used on the mill instead of the lathe. The index plate I have has a 127-hole circle that I want to make a gear for the South Bend lathe.
In the meantime, if I need one, I'll 3-D print one. But nothing replaces making one from metal.
As always, thanks for sharing. Ken
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Mr Pete, this is the most amazing tool I ever saw on all machining that you teach us. For someone like me that doesn't have a serious milling machine, I will make me such a tool tomorrow at my shop.
Thanks so much for this great video and the explanations...I will watch all the parts of this video more than once. Have a great day.
Wow, thanks
Mr. Pete - You are the Bomb! I'll be watching every video you put together.
Thank you very much. I hope you do.
Great series, Mr. Pete. Everything we learn from you is just one more trick in our Batman Utility Belt.
lol
I watched every second of all 6.
Thank you very much.
Clint in Virginia.
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Finally it all comes together. An enjoyable video hosted by the master. I have one of those milling attachments for the Atlas lathe. Never used it, but sure is pretty.
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Step by step :)
A great video to accompany my coffee. As always thank you Lyle. These videos teach us to think when running our machines or life in general.
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This device is many years old but it is still relevant today. I will say more that this device will live for a long time. Thank you for showing it.
Health and good luck to you.
Thanks Mr. Pete for the video. I can't wait to see you cut a gear. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.
Hi Lyle, have you considered drilling a horizontal dowel hole through the gear blank and in to the pinned ring on the shaft? Doing it this way would not compromise the bores where they freewheel on the bearings. Thanks for another excellent series of videos.
Great idea
Forgot to say, you certainly turned out a great deal of work with this series. You appear to have the stamina of a fellow much younger. I envy you that.
Thank you very much
True, you use a milling machine to avoid using a milling machine to cut a gear. But, this is useful for those who don't have access to a dividing head.
I have learned with patience and alot of time you can accomplish most anything if you set your mind to it and have awesome teachers making videos on how to do things !!
Love that!
As a machinist and Manufacture of many years we have all gotten the SHAFT at one point or another but not as nice as this one.
Thanks Pete and be safe.
Thanks Mr. Pete for this 6 part video series.
You bet!
I really like the modifications you made ot the original Atlas print. Especially the milling of the main body to prevent the gear cutter from making contact. No need ot repeat everyting you made modifications on, but, all great! ....Now, I need to modify mine to make it better! Stay well and thank you for this project being presented.
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Hello there from Oxford England 🏴 from a joiner with an old boxford lathe who does a bit of metal work love your Videos taught me a lot metalwork-shop At school no bloody teacher
Thank you for watching
Thanks mr Pete. Looking forward to the gear cutting video.
Thanks, Mr Pete, for making this project. Interesting variations in the drawings, probably just to differentate than provide significant improvement. I could see it used for making certain kinds of cutter. First time I've heard an American use "b*gger it up" - it uses a swear word with an interesting history. The phrase is often used in workplaces up and down the UK (and I presume other Anglophone countries) to indicate damaging or ruining something. Not a phrase for 'polite company' on this side of the ditch!
Yes, it has two meanings here as well
Now do that for a Helical gear. And scale it up to a 8' diameter gear...which my father had to do for ship reduction gearing. Great explanations on getting the blank gear on, and as always welcome humor!
I agree with you that Craftsman probably didn’t make this to sell. Somebody in the design department said: “no man in this basement is going to be cutting gears”. The thought of making this back in the day realizes you would’ve had a friend with a mill or access to one at work.
Great, educational video series, as always.
I totally agree
Loved the series Mr. Pete. I have a Bridgeport with a horizontal attachment which works pretty well, so I likely will not build this project myself, by I truly appreciate the projects you do, and the decades of pedagogical experience you put into each and every one of them. Thank you
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Thank you for all your hard work.
🙂👍👍👍
These were not wasted lessons. If there are a few novice machinists who need to jump in at the shallow end, this may fill a need for them. This device could also have uses other than gears. Laying out equally spaced holes around a wheel rim for the spokes comes to mind. Or, as in my case, just thinking through the logic of how this device was designed could be the spark for solving some other mechanical development. Mr Pete, any time we spend tapped into your years of experience and gathered knowledge is always time well invested. Please keep on teaching us how. 🥸👍✅
Thank you for watching
Looking forward to the gear cutting.😊
I made this for my 6 inch Atlas-clausing lathe and did cut a gear out of aluminum. I used a 1/2 inch shaft through the square block since my gears use a 1/2 inch ID.
Works wonderful! Fun to build. My milling attachment was copied from your design also.
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Thanks again for another great video! All the updates make sense . I have 3d gears for my sb 9 c soon to have metal . I will do the converting to a b model as soon as I can find a cross feed . Yes people do your projects! Thanks again
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Great project, I am excited about seeing you use it when that video is produced.
Learned some stuff. The only Chinese gear cutters I found in the particular size I needed was with a 22mm bore and metric key. Had to build the arbor and used a pin as you did. Worked out OK. Thanks for the videos. Being a hobby jack of all trades, I have found you as well as many others on RUclips invaluable. Can't beat a man at his own game but you certainly learn from him or her.
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Thanks for sharing and really appreciate the good job you've done
Hi Mr Pete great job always like seeing projects .Thanks for having us along . JM
Mr Pete I will glad to tell you that have made a drill press vise similar to your video series. Smaller that would fit a benchtop drill press. The quality and clamping force compared to a harbor nut is un matched. Thank you love these series
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Great rap up, operation, operation it’s all in the operations.
Looks great Lyle
Chicken and Egg: You have a milling attachment for the lathe, allowing this to be a lathe only project in theory.
Excellent series, thank you Mr. Pete.
Thanks for sharing 👍
This was a great series of an interesting mechanism..Well done. I hope it exceeds your expectations although that’s a tall order with having several milling machines at your fingertips. Thanks
Looks good but time will tell. Probably will work in a pinch for sure. Enjoyed the build well done Lyle.😊😊😊😊😊😊
The attachment does have several things going for it. Even if cutting the gear requires a roughing and a finishing pass, the attachment indexes so quickly that with power cross-feed you just have to keep cutting oil on the cutter (if you don't have your drip oiler installed) while you watch it run.
Most gear cutting jobs in the home shop are making missing or damaged gears for the lathe's threading gear train. If the gears are made of Aluminum instead of steel or cast iron the gears will only last three lifetimes.
Cheers from NC/USA
Hi Lyle, that was a great finish to the build series and plenty of good tips too. Thank you for doing the build and sharing with us. I look forward to seeing it in use cutting a gear or two. I am wondering how rigid it is and how it will function in use. I really only have a running lathe in my shop so this is something I would consider making to cut a couple of gears to replace the plastic ones I printed. Thank you again, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it
what filament did you use for the 3D printed gears? Didn't they last?
@@jerrydemas2020 I used petg and plain old PLA. They are holding up just fine showing no degradation from the oil I use to lubricate them and have been using the for about four years. I am not against them at all. I just want to be able to cut some from aluminum and some off sizes to cut specific worms.
And you can 3D print another for your master to copy in steel
@@stevewilliams2498 yes sir.
A nice attachment at the very least. Thanks for the video keep on keeping on.
😀
"Wrong end, Corrigan."😄
I have a suggestion. You could drill a small hole in the face of your gear blank, and a matching one in the shoulder of the fixture shaft, then use a dowel to couple them. Lots easier than keyways, and you would eliminate that potential wear point where the gear turns on the stud. You could even fill it in when the gear is complete if you want to. But you may not need to key the gear to the fixture at all. The gear cutter puts strictly an axial load on the workpiece. Virtually no torque. Friction from securely tightening the nut should be sufficient. Keying would be cheap insurance, though. I'd probably do it.
There's very little torque on the blank if accurately aligned, indeed conventional cutting the force will be radially outward so preventing rotation if anything.
Thank you Mr. Pete
As always, lots of clever design all over the project. A pin instead of a key, an undercut to avoid burrs making trouble later,.......
As Yo say, wonder how many units will be built. I confess. Plan A is to bore a few holes, thread some and assemble the digitally controlled rotating table capable to both horizontal and vertical mounting. But as Plan B, using the main design idea, and design a fixture like this is a clear option.
Thanks Mr. Pete 👍
I just got an Atlas 12" lathe a bit ago, and this just might be the first major project I do, because I want to replace the gears with steel.
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Good series. Looking forward to seeing this fixture in action at a later date. Thanks.
I'm going to be making one, and use it on my Lewis shaper.
Good morning Mr Pete. John
Lyle - Good wrap up and explanations. Lots of little tips/techniques that are helpful for other projects. Especially liked marking the 'gear lock tooth'. It's little things like that to help accuracy that assist when working to the limits of a machine/setup. Piece of cake to cough out the gear on a Fellows Gear Shaper - but how many have one of those in the home shop? Keep up the good work.
You could probably order that exact gear, or one with a smaller bore that can be enlarged, from the Boston Gear Catalog.
@@ellieprice363 Where's the fun in that? To do it that way, all you need is an easy chair and a telephone. Just look at all the cool machines and knowledge you have to have doing it Lyle's way.
@@kensherwin4544 I understand your point. I’m a great fan and subscriber to Mr. Pete’s channel.
He even produced a video on my Bridgeport tramming device. It depends on the situation. If you want to learn how simple spur gears can be made on a lathe Lyle’s video will show you how. However if you have a gear failure in production and need a replacement fast Boston Gear, McMaster-Carr, or any Industrial Supply Company will get you back in service fast.
What a good project , thank you.
It's interesting to see how to make one of those. I Probably won't make one, but then again.
Hello Lyle, As mentioned earlier in this series, I made a similar attachment for my Hercus Lathe (S/B clone). I made a hollow spindle that would take a 3C collet and have used it to mill flutes in some strange taps that I have made. The first tap was a 4 flute, 7/16¨ x 10 TPI, left hand Acme thread for a new cross slide nut I was making.
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I have wanted to see this device made since I first saw the drawings online several years ago. I spent a lot of good money purchasing a milling attachment for my Craftsman 12” and have never used it. I had a need to make a few missing change gears for a South Bend 405 I purchased and thought this would a good option. I do have a little milling machine, a Lewis Machine Co., but it has been modified to vertical with the addition of a Benchmaster head, and would be a pain to cut gears on due to its size and my lack of a dividing head. I might try to make one of these to cut a couple gears. What I particularly enjoyed about this series was your modifications and musings on how to improve the design. This got the gears in my own head spinning. It’s one thing to design a thing, another to figure out how to make it work in the real world. Great series!
Thanks
Just re-watched this video and it was just as good the sixth time viewing it as the first time.
In looking at the drawings very closely and comparing it to the gear cutting fixture I made back in the 1990's for my little 6 inch Craftsman lathe I see that the one I made is lacking a few components (such as the collar at the front) and definitely not nearly as pretty as the one you made. Since I did not own (and still don't) a milling machine I used a bit of right at the edge of the box thinking and a mig welder to join some of the components and create the slot where the indexing dog moves up and down. Instead of using a square block of metal to hold the shaft I used a piece of 1-1/4" round stock 2-1/2" long and bored to 3/4" I.D. The round stock piece was welded to a piece of 1/4" flat bar centered on one side so I could mount it in the milling attachment vise. 180° from that I cut a slit in the round stock and then mounted two flat bar tabs (one on each side of the slit) so I could then clamp the shaft by drawing the two tabs together with two 1/4" socket head screws. The upright piece to hold the indexing dog was made out of a piece of flat bar with a slot cut in it using a hack saw and then a piece of 1/4" key stock was added to each side of the slot so the indexing dog was snug but slid up and down. The indexing dog is solid on mine (not spring loaded) and has a V at the bottom end to fit into the space between the teeth on the indexing gear - it locks in place using a 1/4" socket head screw that is tightened and loosened to allow the dog to slide up and down as the gear is advanced each tooth. I did not use a collar between the indexing gear and the piece the shaft mounts in - instead I just left a step in the shaft as the front side that extends about 1/8" so the indexing gear is stepped away from the body and can rotate freely when not clamped. I figured that all the pressure while cutting a gear is being exerted from the rear as the blank is fed into the cutter - the rear of the shaft does have a step so it cannot slide forward. The shaft I used has a 1/2" diameter step at the front so I could use the lathe change gears to index (24P 14.5 PA) and 3/8" diameter at the rear where the blank mounts. Neither of the shaft ends are keyed - I just tighten the nuts securely against the sleeves that seat against the indexing gear and the blank being cut. Maybe I am just lucky but I have never had the gear I index with or the blank rotate while cutting the gears and I have cut about 15 gears with it so far. I also had to extend the housing further away from the milling vise than what yours is in order to allow cutting the larger gears (such as a 64 tooth gear) given the very limited travel of the milling attachment vise on my small lathe. Since using mine a few times cutting the larger gears I have made a few modifications - one of which was to allow the shaft to be loose enough to rotate and only locking it using a 1/4" socket head screw once I advance the index gear to the next tooth and secure the dog. This does not appear to make a difference in creating a gear and allows me to rotate the shaft advance to cut the next tooth a little bit quicker. Just thought I would let you know that while the gear making attachment may not have been very popular with many people a few were made and are still being used. I will be the first to admit that my version isn't very pretty compared to yours but at the end of the day it allows me to cut new steel change gears for my lathe and that was why I built it.
One thing I have observed is that a power feed for the cross slide screw would be easier than turning the screw by hand ( especially when cutting several 64 tooth gears) but you make do with what you have. l may see if I can create an electric variable speed power feed as my next project if the gear sets I am hoping to create work out ok.
Thanks again for posting these videos and sharing your wisdom and talents so other amateur's such as myself can see how it should be done.
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To keep the gear blank from rotating, drill a short, blind, 1/8" hole in the rear of the blank, to slip on to a short, 1/8" pin, that you protrude from the end of the aluminum spindle housing. Using a keyway in the shaft has it's challenges as the blank gear hub varies in diameter.
Amazing amount of work that you have done,Sir and ready to see how it works.Thank you.
Thanks 👍
Great build, loved the whole series. A great educational learning video.Please keep making these videos.
Thanks, will do!
Great video series.
I made one about ten years ago. I changed a lot of things like you did otherwise it would never have worked . You made about the same changes that I did except I put a lot heavier spring on the spacing pawl. It get to jump around and promptly broke a cotter and made a mess of everything. I turned both ends and made some bushings from 11/16 to i inch and hardened them . then things went better from then on. The plans are available from the company. that baught Atlas and I cant think of right now. Covid brain and old age took care of that.
Thanks
Good morning
I'm going to build a milling attachment for my tiny lathe. But first, I'll have to build a x-y jig for my belt sander. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure cutting a dovetail is possible without a mill, it probably won't be as pretty in the end, but function's the important part.
Instead of keying the non-keyed gears, you could make a collar that is keyed to the shaft and has a pin (or a hole for a pin) offset from the collar's axis. You could then drill a hole in the blank that temporarily allows you to pin the blank to the collar during gear cutting. Just an idea.. Great project, thanks!
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This project prompted numerous questions and you answered some of them with this video. I will be interested to see how you set it up to ensure it is square to cutting axis, work on top dead center to the cutter and how you determine and control depth of cut. I see how you do it in theory, but the lathe setup seems a bit cheesey. I love the journey and, if nothing else, showing that hard things can be accomplished.
....Wrong Way Corrigan ! Nice ! ...I've not heard that for a while. 🙂
The way I see it, I can also make and use one of these to hold in my mill vice since I do not own an indexer. Also I can make or buy a milling attachment for my clausing 6300 12” lathe
Why key the gear to be cut? There are no tangential forces to rotate the blank on the shaft when cutting straight spur gears. Surely a good friction fit held with that end nut should work perfectly well?
Hi mrpete222, I'm buying the parts to have a go & I hope to finish it, some time. thank for all your video's.
Thanks again
Thanks for sharing
How is the depth of cut maintained to control the pitch diameter of the gear that is being cut?
Once you touch the blank to the cutter, the depth of cut will be set with the milling attachment and locked into position.
and a fine vintage you are!
If i were to make one, I probably would cut two or three keyways in the end of the shaft, 90 degrees apart leaving a position for the future...,😁👍👍👍👍
Its a vicious cycle always needing tools to make more tools! LOL
Very true, but we like that vicious circle
I don't know if it can be done, since I don't have a milling machine, but I intend to try to make one of these on my 6" Atlas. I have the milling attachment for it. I will probably have to simplify the design to get it to work. It will be awhile before I get a chance to attempt it. Keep up the good work! I just love these types of projects.
MJ
I bought a used Atlas 6" lathe about 30 years ago and it included a vertical slide and a similar gear-cutting attachment, scaled down for the 6" lathe - 1" square steel housing with a 1/2" diameter arbor.
I tried to attach a photo but don't know how.
Mr. Pete...why not just use a little super glue to keep the gear from rotating. A little heat will release it when the great is finished.
One of the stills showed the cutter under the blank, allowing forward rotation. Ron W4BIN
Yes, that will be explained in the follow up videos
I'm going to drill holes in my blanks through sides and make a washer with pins in it to avoid keyways. Similar to how some gears are pinned in quick change gearbox . I don't have broaches and will do this for ones that need Keyway also.. I will be making all my gears and will use this in my milling machine to duplicate.
Great alternative idea
Fascinating
i would imagine i could use this device on my small mill to cut gears as well.
Perhaps not very useful for those of us with horizontal milling machines, but a fun project nonetheless.
Love that t-shirt! 😉
I'm curious what grade of steel is best for gear blanks
UN INVENTO ACOJONANTE PARA HACER ENGRANAJES EN EL TORNO...MI PREGUNTA ES: AL UTILIZAR EL TORNO COMO FRESADORA OCASIONAL NO SE DESCENTRA LOS EJES DEL TORNO?
Douglas "Wronng Way" Corrigan born on this day January 22, 1907.
lol
Superglue or loc-tite bearing retainer might hold it well enough along with a tight nut?
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I think the idea was you make the attachment at work with the firms time and materials then bring it home to use
Question: Why would two pictures at the end of this video show a gear being cut from the bottom?
Maybe it's the setup used for non reversing lathes.
If you look at Mr. Pete's setup you will notice he is at the bottom of travel for the gear he wants to cut. This is why he mentioned running the lathe in reverse to keep the cutting forces going into the gear blank. If you had to cut a larger diameter gear you would not have enough down travel in the milling attachment. So instead the larger gears are being cut from the bottom of the blank with the lathe running in the forward direction. You would have a bit more travel in the Y axis of the gear attachment to account for larger blanks. Hope that made sense.
The only way i see this as handy is if you dont own a mill but you do have a lathe and you have a friend with a mill you can use . Its a novel tool that im sure does a good enough job .
I suppose, since one making this tool will be making their own gears from scratch, they could bore the gear blank to fit the tool arbor, cut the gear and then, using the current bore, center the gear in a 4 jaw chuck and re-bore to the correct size. It's extra work but with no other option, gear making becomes possible. Suggestion: Rather than cutting a keyway in your arbor and gear blank to prevent slippage why not use CA glue to affix it for cutting and heat the part when it's done to break the super glue bond?
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I myself am in the process of making a gear blank arbor for a mini 7x10 lathe with a mill slide table using a single point cutting tool to make the teeth. I see you are using a 32 tooth gear to duplicate a 32 tooth gear. In my case, I need a 40 tooth gear. Is it possible to use an 80 tooth mod1 gear to cut a 40 tooth mod1? By the time I get half way around the 80 tooth gear would the 40 teeth in the blank be cut? Thank you for all of the knowledge you share mr pete! Edit: your next video (#841) answered my question.
Well. Sometimes the milling machine is in use, and you rapt need that gear.
More likely it was something to keep the apprentice away from the really expensive machinery.
Lord knows, we were only allowed near the milling machines in our final year of high school, with the teacher mother henning us the whole time.
Thank you for these videos. Could the same be done with an indexing head?
Yes you can!
So what if you have a mill of some sort? That fixture will work just as well if not better in them. We don't all have rotary tables or spindexers. After all, a lathe is just a specialized horizontal mill except its overarm support is an underarm support and tailstock.