Re: LHT-25B - Small Turret Lathe

On 2/5/2025 11:24 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Bob La Londe"  wrote in message news:vnuhr0$23q2d$1@dont-email.me...
 On 2/4/2025 5:33 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:

I seriously considered drilling index holes in the rim of the backplates if I could mount them on my dividing head accurately enough.

 I don't see why it would any any harder to indicate in than anything
else you put on it.  Face up, and indicate in center of rotation of
disc.  Face right (or left) and indicate in perpendicular to travel.
Indicate center with half function.  Drill, ream, rotate, Drill, ream,
rotate,Drill, ream, rotate... it wouldn't be hard.  Just tedious.
 USE A STUB (screw machine length) DRILL.
 You have an Indicol (or clone or home made holder) and a test indicator
right?
-- Bob La Londe
 --------------------------------------
 The issue isn't indicating, it's clamping a large threaded backplate (or similar) to my hobby-sized indexing equipment. The Clausing's spindle to table clearance limits the height of work pieces and table accessories. I located the old sector gear for setup and then the blank for cutting on a 1/2" centering plug before bolting them to the rotary table.  I milled the teeth on it horizontally, at its center height.
 A Clausing is very nice for making -small- parts. An RF-31 has a larger work envelope. This is the upgraded model with a taller column. Notice that it's drilling with a collet instead of,. a chuck, which I sometimes have to do for clearance.
https://www.wentztech.com/metalworking/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ Clausing_8520_Cover.png
 

Machinery's hand book trig tables, sine plate, tilt the head.  Nah, now its getting hard.  Not impossible.  Just hard.  LOL.  The thing is once you get it dialed in its still just rotate drill ream, rotate drill ream...Oh, yeah, rotate in only one direction if you are really chasing decimal places.
I drill with a collet for the same reason all the time even on this machine.
https://www.grizzly.com/products/south-bend-10-x-54-5-hp-single-phase-mill-with-dro/sb1028f
In fact I have made my own split collets for sizes like #7 and #21 to slip inside the native R8 spindle collets.  I have also moved the head off to one side and hung the part out past the table, clamped to the face of a right angle plate.  This adds a couple feet to the height of a part I can drill.  I prefer not to move the head around if I don't have to though.  Hence why I use collets sometimes instead of the Tegara integrated shank drill chuck.
I'm not a fan of Grizzly, but this machine is a beast.  It was also only $19,995 when I bought mine.
--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
--
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