Face Plate Question

[epanzella]

My Grizzly G4003G came with a faceplate. I ordered lathe dogs from grizzly assuming they would fit that faceplate but the end of the dog is too fat and the slots in the plate are too far from center for the dog to reach them even if it did fit. It's not a big deal to make it work but I'm just wondering where I went wrong here. Are there different standards of fit like the various tapers?

 

[pineyfolks]

You have a faceplate and you can modify it or the dogs. I have a faceplate for my SB but it also came with a dog plate with has a wider slot. I usually just turn a piece of scrap into a center and drive the dog on one of the chuck jaws. You just have to skim it each time to true it.

 

[12bolts]

Can you not return the dogs for ones that will suit your face plate?
They do make various sizes of dogs to suit different diameter work pieces. For what its worth I dont do much turning between centres, but when I do I just fab up a dog to suit the job at hand.

Cheers Phil

 

[chips&more]

This got me thinken. I can’t remember the last time I used a lathe dog on a metal lathe, maybe 30 years? That’s an old school operation that I do not do anymore. For me, it would be a blue moon project to see it happening and then I would have to tear apart the garage to find the darn dogs. As said and +1 on using the lathe chuck with a 60° turned center and have the dog hang on a jaw…Good Luck

 

[pineyfolks]

Heres a pic that will save you from modifying anything just make a headstock center

 

[Hawkeye]

The faceplate is meant to hold a workpiece by bolting or clamping it on. Doesn't get used much at that. Occasionally, you will find a combination of dog and faceplate that will work together. Most of the time, the faceplate isn't used to drive a dog.

I also have dog plates with both my lathes. One is the same as the SB plate shown. The other has a pin sticking out of it. The dogs for that one don't have the "L" arm on them.

You could grind the "L" arm a bit thinner to fit in the slots on your faceplate, but you would also have to cut a slot further in toward the spindle, if it can be done without weakening the faceplate. It would be a good idea to also lengthen the slot directly opposite the first one to keep everything in balance.

 

[darkzero]

The faceplate is meant to hold a workpiece by bolting or clamping it on. Doesn't get used much at that. Occasionally, you will find a combination of dog and faceplate that will work together. Most of the time, the faceplate isn't used to drive a dog.

Agreed, faceplates aren't meant for driving dogs but many people modify them so they can. Here's how Gary (MHRIP) modified his faceplate to drive dogs. Post #51. Instead of modifying one of the slots he added a slot. Only one slot is needed for the dog as the same one should always be used anyway.

Lathe dogs are still easy to find new these days but it seems no one or not many seem to offer new dog plates (import). Wonder why that is, because not many turn between centers anymore & there's no market for reproducing them?

Can't say I've ever used my faceplate yet except to check that it fits the spindle. Never bothered to modify it like Gary cause I found a direct mount dogplate on ebay for cheap & in excellent condition.






As far as the center issue, I can only use my dogplate (with the dogs that I have) if I use the adapter & a MT3 center. If I use a MT5 center it sticks out way to far & my dogs won't reach.

 

[epanzella]

I guess the answer is "faceplates weren't meant for driving dogs". I thought they were. My bad. Thanks all.

 

[Tozguy]

I guess the answer is "faceplates weren't meant for driving dogs". I thought they were. My bad. Thanks all.

Actually you were close. You may have just needed a straight tail dog instead of a bent tail dog. Then add a bolt in one of the slots of the face plate that catches the straight dog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathe_dog

 

[Morgan RedHawk]

I have the same set of dogs from Grizzly, a very similar faceplate, and the same dilemma. I was thinking of bolting a couple of pieces from a hold-down kit to the faceplate to drive the dogs. Drive the dog with one side and have another on the other side of the faceplate to balance it. Any reason this would not work or be dangerous?

Here is the part I was thinking of using for this: