Centering Scope

Richard King 2 said:
It's easy and cheap to make test bars you can put in the turret to check and align the turret. Inside micrometer the holes in the turret to find the average size. Then turn a shaft so you can slide it into the turret. Not knowing the size of the machine and holes is a pain. But if it's 5/8" turn a shaft 4 to 6" long, slide it into the turret and lock it. Then turn in the chuck a shaft 4"to 6" long to the same size as the turret shaft (test bar) Then move the turret slide up so the shafts touch, lock the turret and turret slide and mound a mag base with .0001" or .0005" indicator on the side and align the side and then check to top dead center of the shafts. This is how I have been aligning turrets for 50+ years. :)
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Yeah that's kind of what I've been doing and it definitely works especially if you set the locking block in the T slot on the carriage and set the clip on the cross slide handwheel. You could see where having one of these scopes would be the cat's PJ's though...for milling operations too
 
Uglydog said:
Several years I had the opportunity to work on a gearbox housing which had been shattered.
Was part of a vintage tractor of some sort.
The owner got it patched/brazed up, But now all of the holes were gone.
Using the center scope we got the intact part measured from a common reference point.
Then was able to drill and tap the repaired part. Took a couple of days. Bolted up nicely.
Was seriously huge fun.

Daryl
MN
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Yeah that's what I'm talking about. I don't know why these aren't more popular
 
Probably 20 years ago, a tech where I worked managed to purchase a centering scope - an inexpensive one. It was my first exposure to such a thing. It was tedious to use - on a knee mill you were bent out of position to get your eye anywhere near the eyepiece - and you could *almost* see through it. In short, I think it was fairly useless. The design for sale on eBay looks like it might be superior, but I've never seen one in real life. That **was** a long time ago, but I suspect that there's not much good to be had for less than "a lot" of money.

GsT
 
Agreed.
Tedious, but was within my budget, and it has been helpful on a handful of jobs.
It's a nice to have in a hobby shop not a need to have.

Daryl
MN
 
GeneT45 said:
Probably 20 years ago, a tech where I worked managed to purchase a centering scope - an inexpensive one. It was my first exposure to such a thing. It was tedious to use - on a knee mill you were bent out of position to get your eye anywhere near the eyepiece - and you could *almost* see through it. In short, I think it was fairly useless. The design for sale on eBay looks like it might be superior, but I've never seen one in real life. That **was** a long time ago, but I suspect that there's not much good to be had for less than "a lot" of money.

GsT
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Yes they are very spendy and I noticed that they aren't very popular. That's kinda why I started this thread. Was hoping that someone might have an old decent one on a shelf collecting dust and might see more value in selling in for a little less but see it put to good use.

I'll probably just end up making a bad decision and buying one that I won't be happy with, sell it for a loss and buy the more expensive one in the end lol
 
Uglydog said:
Agreed.
Tedious, but was within my budget, and it has been helpful on a handful of jobs.
It's a nice to have in a hobby shop not a need to have.

Daryl
MN
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Yeah I'm just a hobbyist and like you said it would come in handy for a few things
 
One should never sweep a hole with an indicator as gravity changes the indicator. It's not a trustworthy test.
A student recorded me showing this to error of flipping an indicator.
 
Richard King 2 said:
One should never sweep a hole with an indicator as gravity changes the indicator. It's not a trustworthy test.
A student recorded me showing this to error of flipping an indicator.
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Love the video. Super informative, I had no idea there was that much error. Thanks so much for sharing
 
I'd guess that the problem is with the mount, not with the indicator itself.
 
There's a Hemingway centering scope kit available for about$150, that looks pretty interesting. It's available with various arbors ...MT2, MT3, or straight 1/2"diameter:

Centring Microscope - hemingwaykits.com

Unique projects for the small workshop owner. Please browse our Toolroom and Engine Bay for our latest project kits.
www.hemingwaykits.com
 
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