When using probes or cameras that need to stay in position during an operation, the long cord can be an issue. You don't want the cord to pull your camera over slowly during the operation. So a good idea is to wrap the camera cord around the indicator stand down to it's base so that the weight of the cord doesn't have any leverage on the end of the indicator stand.
Great work Rob, I put my vertical milling adaptor in the bottom draw as it chatters so much when milling. However I think I must dust it off after looking at your clip and look how I can improve and use it. Thanks for the great videos.
Hi Rob ! Very creative and inspiring solution to a problem - very nice ! ... yeah, I like that you had to take a beer for scratching it out of your head .. :-))
xynudu I got no dog ... so for me it's THE best friend ;-)) ... but it's a job to keep it up with the casting ... awful lot of beers have to be drunk !
Far too many seem to just write off those vertical slides / milling attachments as pretty much worthless today. I bought one after I bought my Bridgeport clone. There s some work that's just easier to do with the part in that orientation. At one time at least in the U.K. few had any kind of mill in there home shops because they were just too expensive. I've seen pictures in old magazines of some very complex parts that were all done on a lathe with one. No they don't have close to the same rigidity that a proper mill does, adjust the depth of cut and feed and they'll still get the job done. Clever set up to cut that gear. And nice use of a web cam to magnify where the pointer and line match up.
Totally agree. Bolt one to the cross slide and it works OK, but not on the compound (on small lathes) where I've seen people using them on the net. The work envelope is small, and gravity doesn't help out when aligning stuff, but they can do handy jobs at times. Cheers Rob
Hi Chris, The USB microscope makes all the difference. I had always used a pointer with a fine tip and a magnifying glass to line it up, but that had room for error and was slow. This new method is fast, easy to align, and super accurate. The indexing method works great, BUT you must use a symmetrical pie chart (printed from the internet). Spread sheet pie charts often print using four quadrants to make up the pie, and are not uniform as a result - eg Excel does this. Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers Rob
Right! Berri TDR is good vin ordinaire. I now have two immediate aims; empty the cask in the laundry and repurpose the box into an indexing disc. Three! Three tasks; get a cheap Chinese lathe.
Hey, if you know what you are doing, there is always a way to do it. I've done some really good work on Chinese machines. If you have a steady hand you can clean up a shaft or make a pin by bolting an x-y vise on the ways of a wood lathe and rigging a tool post. And I've made gears by roughing out the teeth with a band saw and hand filing them to shape. As long as you have a sample of the tooth profile and some way to index accurately, anything is possible.
Brass gears are pretty good. I have made some myself. A little bit more strength than alu gears I think. Actually I made my first gears on the lathe, but when I bought a milling machine and made me a rotary table it was much easier to make some gears. Have a Guinness! :)
Hi Gary, Yes, quick fix, no big deal. Done this a few too many times ;) But a good opportunity to show viewers that it's within their capabilities, and basic equipment levels. I love putting it up these dudes that make out this sort of stuff is high end machinist work, and that you need a dividing head and mill costing a fortune etc. Cheers Rob
I actually own a dividing head, but it is missing several indexing plates. I had the idea of printing a guide to make my own indexing plates for the dividing head, but here you've shown how to use much the same idea to eliminate the dividing head altogether. Hmmm....wonder what I can get for that thing on EBay?
I've got a late 1980s JET 9x20 lathe with one of the gears (plastic, sacrificial) seems to have worn down so badly my threading feed screw no longer turns. If I can't find a cheap enough replacement I'll do this with Aluminum to replace it.
Make sure the leadscrew has a shear pin, as the gear is sacrificial for a reason. Aluminium gears are very strong and the shear pin will break before any gears give way. So only use an aluminium gear if there is some protection in place in the event of a carriage crash. Normally the leadscrew will have a drive coupling at the headstock end consisting of a cross pin of some description. Even if this is not meant to break, it can usually/easily be replaced with a pin made of brass or bronze brazing rod to turn it into a shear pin. I use bronze rod on my lathe and it shears nicely. Cheers Rob
Thats really clever. I'd like to hear more about the cutter and what type of camera you were using. Do these gears sing a bit when you run them, and what type of material did you make them from? Surprisingly enough, my Clausing has LE phenolic gears and steel mixed together. I also invite you and your viewers to check out my channel for some cool insider shop tricks. Thumbs up and a new sub. Take care
Hi Joe, The gears make the same sound as the originals, that sort of chatter noise you get. The gears are brass and aluminium. They use fibre and alloy gears in some machinery to quieten things down a bit. The camera is a Nikon L820. Has good optics and macro. Sound is OK but can over modulate easily. Cheers Rob
Hi Joe, Sorry, I misunderstood your question. The camera used for indexing is an Andonstar USB microscope. I review it below: ruclips.net/video/Dl_xYLx4jhw/видео.html You could use any USB microscope with a suitable mount. Cheers Rob
Why are the two new gears on the tumbler (from alu and brass) not the same size? If you reverse the lead screw direction you will get different speeds, right?
No. It's a tooth for tooth transfer. You can use any sized gear as an intermediary and it will make no difference to the final speed. I know this is hard to wrap your head around, but that's the way it works. Cheers Rob
I had another look. And you are right of course. So far I had only seen tumblers with two equally sized gears and mistakenly assumed it has to be that way. But it does not matter.
I don't understand the question. The intermediate pulley as shown is part of the drive reduction system you find on any Chinese lathe. It enables you to change the drive ratio between motor and intermediate, and intermediate to spindle. You obviously need two belts to do this - one for each ratio change. Rob
I'm sorry about that. It was pretty late when i asked the question so it doesn't make much sense now that i look at it. What i wondered was at 9:21, you had one belt connected from the motor pulley to the idler pulley and the other belt was connected from the motor to the spindle. It's typically arranged this way (Motor, Idler, Spindle) The way you had the belts arranged at 9:21 had only one belt transmitting power from the motor to the spindle while the belt on the idler pulley wasn't really utilized (as far as i can tell) Just curious that's all.
Nothing like a few beers to grease the brain cells Rob and a couple of good sturdy chairs and then you engage one self in soulful meditation..Its never a waste of time thinking and I am still wrestling with the er 32 collets---3 days and still not a usefull conclusion--they just read all over the place..I could use them for snapper leads when I go fishing and get my moneys worth out of them that way.. Another good vid --keep them rolling...E
If my memory serves me right I think I bought them from Hong Kong but I will put them away for a while--there are other projects I have to do and have another go at them in a month or so..Some times being stubborn works for you and sometimes against..The chucks run true on the inside--put a collet in and all over the shop...A good long think is in order.... E
There is a non "standard" version of ER collets which is slightly longer than the common type. It's an uncommon industrial type. I have heard of people in forums buying these from Ebay (out of Hong Kong) being unaware of the difference. Might pay to check the specs of what collets you've got against ER data. Cheers Rob
NVM, brainfart! Have been getting back into machining after a loooong break and got confused :( Thanks for answering so quickly! Also, cool bananas, I like that phrase!
The microscope is the literal cherry on top; thank you for the idea!
Great job, Thanks. I followed your lead and built something similar and turned out my first gear today. It works great.
Certainly does. Good going.
Cheers Rob
When using probes or cameras that need to stay in position during an operation, the long cord can be an issue. You don't want the cord to pull your camera over slowly during the operation. So a good idea is to wrap the camera cord around the indicator stand down to it's base so that the weight of the cord doesn't have any leverage on the end of the indicator stand.
Great work Rob, I put my vertical milling adaptor in the bottom draw as it chatters so much when milling. However I think I must dust it off after looking at your clip and look how I can improve and use it. Thanks for the great videos.
Excellent job, Rob. Lots of ingenuity in evidence here.
Lovely! great educational work. I will definitely put it into practice. Thank you sir.
Hi Rob !
Very creative and inspiring solution to a problem - very nice !
... yeah, I like that you had to take a beer for scratching it out of your head .. :-))
Beer is man's best friend, next to his dog ;)
Cheers Rob
xynudu
I got no dog ... so for me it's THE best friend ;-))
... but it's a job to keep it up with the casting ... awful lot of beers have to be drunk !
Far too many seem to just write off those vertical slides / milling attachments as pretty much worthless today. I bought one after I bought my Bridgeport clone. There s some work that's just easier to do with the part in that orientation. At one time at least in the U.K. few had any kind of mill in there home shops because they were just too expensive. I've seen pictures in old magazines of some very complex parts that were all done on a lathe with one. No they don't have close to the same rigidity that a proper mill does, adjust the depth of cut and feed and they'll still get the job done.
Clever set up to cut that gear. And nice use of a web cam to magnify where the pointer and line match up.
Totally agree. Bolt one to the cross slide and it works OK, but not on the compound (on small lathes) where I've seen people using them on the net.
The work envelope is small, and gravity doesn't help out when aligning stuff, but they can do handy jobs at times.
Cheers Rob
Super successful Rob - love the indexing method.
Hi Chris,
The USB microscope makes all the difference.
I had always used a pointer with a fine tip and a magnifying glass to line it up, but that had room for error and was slow.
This new method is fast, easy to align, and super accurate.
The indexing method works great, BUT you must use a symmetrical pie chart (printed from the internet). Spread sheet pie charts often print using four quadrants to make up the pie, and are not uniform as a result - eg Excel does this.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Cheers Rob
G'day mate. You are a man of many talents. Great project, great thinking and it should inspire others to make their own gears. Keep on keeping on.
Right! Berri TDR is good vin ordinaire. I now have two immediate aims; empty the cask in the laundry and repurpose the box into an indexing disc. Three! Three tasks; get a cheap Chinese lathe.
Hey, if you know what you are doing, there is always a way to do it. I've done some really good work on Chinese machines. If you have a steady hand you can clean up a shaft or make a pin by bolting an x-y vise on the ways of a wood lathe and rigging a tool post. And I've made gears by roughing out the teeth with a band saw and hand filing them to shape. As long as you have a sample of the tooth profile and some way to index accurately, anything is possible.
Brass gears are pretty good. I have made some myself. A little bit more strength than alu gears I think.
Actually I made my first gears on the lathe, but when I bought a milling machine and made me a rotary table it was much easier to make some gears.
Have a Guinness! :)
Really clever stuff, repaired mine with emerkit and re filed them.
Nice work Rob, very satisfying to repair something from scratch. I've just had a look at your website, well worth a read. Cheers :-)
Nice job. Now the old girl is ready for the next project. regards from the UK.
Hi Gary,
Yes, quick fix, no big deal. Done this a few too many times ;)
But a good opportunity to show viewers that it's within their capabilities, and basic equipment levels.
I love putting it up these dudes that make out this sort of stuff is high end machinist work, and that you need a dividing head and mill costing a fortune etc.
Cheers Rob
I actually own a dividing head, but it is missing several indexing plates. I had the idea of printing a guide to make my own indexing plates for the dividing head, but here you've shown how to use much the same idea to eliminate the dividing head altogether. Hmmm....wonder what I can get for that thing on EBay?
Great job,clever technique you have there!
I've got a late 1980s JET 9x20 lathe with one of the gears (plastic, sacrificial) seems to have worn down so badly my threading feed screw no longer turns. If I can't find a cheap enough replacement I'll do this with Aluminum to replace it.
Make sure the leadscrew has a shear pin, as the gear is sacrificial for a reason.
Aluminium gears are very strong and the shear pin will break before any gears give way. So only use an aluminium gear if there is some protection in place in the event of a carriage crash.
Normally the leadscrew will have a drive coupling at the headstock end consisting of a cross pin of some description. Even if this is not meant to break, it can usually/easily be replaced with a pin made of brass or bronze brazing rod to turn it into a shear pin.
I use bronze rod on my lathe and it shears nicely.
Cheers Rob
Thats really clever. I'd like to hear more about the cutter and what type of camera you were using. Do these gears sing a bit when you run them, and what type of material did you make them from? Surprisingly enough, my Clausing has LE phenolic gears and steel mixed together. I also invite you and your viewers to check out my channel for some cool insider shop tricks. Thumbs up and a new sub. Take care
Hi Joe,
The gears make the same sound as the originals, that sort of chatter noise you get. The gears are brass and aluminium.
They use fibre and alloy gears in some machinery to quieten things down a bit.
The camera is a Nikon L820. Has good optics and macro. Sound is OK but can over modulate easily.
Cheers Rob
Thanks for your detailed and quick reply. the camera for the gear index template was very small. Was that the Nikon?
Hi Joe,
Sorry, I misunderstood your question.
The camera used for indexing is an Andonstar USB microscope. I review it below:
ruclips.net/video/Dl_xYLx4jhw/видео.html
You could use any USB microscope with a suitable mount.
Cheers Rob
Hi Rob, how do you work out the correct diam of gear or is that done on computer ? regards Merv
It's all in my web pages on the subject: users.tpg.com.au/agnet/cq9325rev7-n2.html
Cheers rob
thanks for another great video.. :) they come out nice. enjoy your beer.
Why are the two new gears on the tumbler (from alu and brass) not the same size? If you reverse the lead screw direction you will get different speeds, right?
No.
It's a tooth for tooth transfer. You can use any sized gear as an intermediary and it will make no difference to the final speed.
I know this is hard to wrap your head around, but that's the way it works.
Cheers Rob
I had another look. And you are right of course. So far I had only seen tumblers with two equally sized gears and mistakenly assumed it has to be that way. But it does not matter.
Nicely done Rob!
I assume those gears run dry? Great video and explanation - thanks.
They can run dry, but I give em oil. The gear centres have to be oiled anyway,
Cheers Rob
hello sir
i've questions,
why did you make the gear shaft for long?
why dont you make it shorter to save space?
thanks
The indexing shaft has to be long enough to clear the top of the vertical mill slide handle.
Rob
Agreed - nice Joe Rob.
9:21 Can you explain why there is a belt connected to the idler pulley? I would really like to know.
I don't understand the question. The intermediate pulley as shown is part of the drive reduction system you find on any Chinese lathe.
It enables you to change the drive ratio between motor and intermediate, and intermediate to spindle.
You obviously need two belts to do this - one for each ratio change.
Rob
I'm sorry about that. It was pretty late when i asked the question so it doesn't make much sense now that i look at it. What i wondered was at 9:21, you had one belt connected from the motor pulley to the idler pulley and the other belt was connected from the motor to the spindle. It's typically arranged this way (Motor, Idler, Spindle) The way you had the belts arranged at 9:21 had only one belt transmitting power from the motor to the spindle while the belt on the idler pulley wasn't really utilized (as far as i can tell) Just curious that's all.
Nothing like a few beers to grease the brain cells Rob and a couple of good sturdy chairs and then you engage one self in soulful meditation..Its never a waste of time thinking and I am still wrestling with the er 32 collets---3 days and still not a usefull conclusion--they just read all over the place..I could use them for snapper leads when I go fishing and get my moneys worth out of them that way..
Another good vid --keep them rolling...E
Hi Ian,
Bad karma.
Who did you buy them from ?
Cheers Rob
If my memory serves me right I think I bought them from Hong Kong but I will put them away for a while--there are other projects I have to do and have another go at them in a month or so..Some times being stubborn works for you and sometimes against..The chucks run true on the inside--put a collet in and all over the shop...A good long think is in order.... E
There is a non "standard" version of ER collets which is slightly longer than the common type. It's an uncommon industrial type.
I have heard of people in forums buying these from Ebay (out of Hong Kong) being unaware of the difference.
Might pay to check the specs of what collets you've got against ER data.
Cheers Rob
one question please ! how you made that spiral protector for your lathe thread rod?
It came with the lathe as original equipment.
You can buy them from specialist suppliers. Search for "spiral lead screw protector".
Cheers Rob
Can you cut volute gears on a lathe or do they need to be milled?
What do you mean by a "volute" gear ?
Rob
NVM, brainfart! Have been getting back into machining after a loooong break and got confused :( Thanks for answering so quickly! Also, cool bananas, I like that phrase!
No problem.
What's the name of the device you used to hold the gear?
It's home made.
I should send you a job I need doing!
No you didn't say fantastic you said fentestic just as all good aussies should love the video take it easy brother from Alistair in Scotland.
good job man
Nice computer; shame I couldn't see the screen.
Nice Job as usual :)