Dividing Head Welding Positioner Ground Lug Ideas

Ironken

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O.K. guys. Matt at PM gave me a good deal on this incomplete dividing head and it's on its way. I will be ordering a 5" or 6" 3 jaw chuck and backing plate for said dividing head. If you look in the pic and notice the degree ring and the brass pointer mounting screw, this is what I want to fabricate a ground to.

The degrees will get machined off of the ring and I want to use a copper "brush" radiused to ride on the old degree ring using the mounting screw for the pointer. I need to come up with simple ideas to keep a bit of pressure on the copper brush to ensure contact. A short lead will be bolted to this part to connect my ground clamp to......ideas? I was thinking a "leaf spring" type setup with a copper brush bolted to the end but, 1/16 +/- spring steel is hard to find.

I have a dc worm drive motor, #25 chain and small sprockets along with a reversable speed controller on hand.

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Use it as a dividing head as it was designed for, and make a simple motorized turntable for welding. My $.0.02, and worth every penny. Lots of people on this site could use a good dividing head like that one.
 
Use it as a dividing head as it was designed for, and make a simple motorized turntable for welding. My $.0.02, and worth every penny. Lots of people on this site could use a good dividing head like that one.

You're kidding right....? Lotsa people could have purchased this very item but I did, to use for my purpose. Usually Bob, you add a huge amount of solid advice to a thread that I respect. This time....not so much. My query was for ideas on a grounding mechanism that may be better than my own. This forum is dripping with great ideas, thus my post.

I can easily build "a simple motorized turntable for welding" but, this dividing head fits the bill oh so well.

Soooo, got any ideas on how to ground this thing correctly?
 
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You're kidding right....? Lotsa people could have purchased this very item but I did, to use for my purpose. Usually Bob, you add a huge amount of solid advice to a thread that I respect. This time....not so much. My query was for ideas on a grounding mechanism that may be better than my own. This forum is dripping with great ideas, thus my post.

I can easily build "a simple motorized turntable for welding" but, this dividing head fits the bill oh so well.

Soooo, got any ideas on how to ground this thing correctly?
I respect that it is your dividing head and you can do whatever you want with it. Unless the dividing head is no longer suitable for it's intended use, I respectfully disagree with re-purposing it as a welding table. My opinion. I won't comment on ideas for adding a ground to it.
 
Re-purposing the dividing head aside, I like the idea of using a copper brush to ground against a rotating disk. Brass would likely work about as well and can be had in brush form, already mounted to a metal shank (like a wire wheel for use in a drill for cleaning). If that could be used, you would already have a lug for clamping the ground clamp to it. Maybe mounted on a spring to hold pressure against the rotating disk (like you had described). I find this interesting as I have needed something similar before, but could not get the entire idea together at once.
 
I believe that by "copper brush", the OP is referring to the type of brushes used in automotive starters. A wire brush most likely would not last very long as there would bve a tendency to burn the bristles. I would suggest a set of four brushes, on spring loaded pivots to contact the ring. The ring itself should be copper or brass and the brushes could be copper impregnated graphite. This sort of contacts has been used for automotive starter motors and a salvaged starter could be a quick way to accomplish your goal. At 1:31 into the following video, you see the brush setup.
 
Re-purposing the dividing head aside, I like the idea of using a copper brush to ground against a rotating disk. Brass would likely work about as well and can be had in brush form, already mounted to a metal shank (like a wire wheel for use in a drill for cleaning). If that could be used, you would already have a lug for clamping the ground clamp to it. Maybe mounted on a spring to hold pressure against the rotating disk (like you had described). I find this interesting as I have needed something similar before, but could not get the entire idea together at once.

Good idea. As RJ said, the amperage would be too high for the bristles though.
 
I agree with Bob, seems like using a sledge to kill a mosquito but... RJ has the best idea, starter motor brushes and lots of them around the perimeter.
Me I would try to keep the dividing head functionality also, unless I already had another div head.
Mark
ps here's an idea: maybe fill the unit with graphite powder instead of oil then you wouldn't need brushes at all.
 
Can I buy the divider parts, you not going to use?/
 
I believe that by "copper brush", the OP is referring to the type of brushes used in automotive starters. A wire brush most likely would not last very long as there would bve a tendency to burn the bristles. I would suggest a set of four brushes, on spring loaded pivots to contact the ring. The ring itself should be copper or brass and the brushes could be copper impregnated graphite. This sort of contacts has been used for automotive starter motors and a salvaged starter could be a quick way to accomplish your goal. At 1:31 into the following video, you see the brush setup.

Great idea, RJ! Thanks for clearing the details up for Randall.
 
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