# Head Tramming Tool Plus...



## Monk (Feb 18, 2017)

A little while back I managed to snag a Starrett 196B rear plunger indicator on eBay for cheap ($25). I had seen a Tubal Cain video on tramming a mill head and decided to build an indicator holder that I could use with my new (used) indicator. The indicator came with a 5/16 rod and pinch attachment for adjustment that accepts a ¼ inch rod. 




I had an idea for the holder based on the brass and stainless scraps I had around the shop. I wanted to clamp it in the spindle in a way that would allow me to sweep around my vise without having to remove it and re-tram it after doing the head. That involved using two more larger pinch attachments (one from ½ in to 3/8, and one from 3/8 to ¼) for the adjusting rods. First I turned, center drilled, threaded and parted off the pinch’s clamping piston. Next, I drilled and turned the nose cone for the clamping cylinder. 




Then I cross drilled, parted off and bored the cylinder to accept the clamping piston. Next I turned, drilled, tapped, knurled and parted off the tightening knob




Then I drilled the clamping hole in the pinch, slotted it with a slitting saw, and drilled, tapped and counter-sunk it to fit the piston and cylinder snug that tightens it all down. The pieces, plus the snug tension spring I sourced from trusty ACE hardware appear below.




After making a second pinch to accept the 3/8ths cross rod and ¼ inch down rod, I assembled the pieces which, when extended and attached to the spindle at one end and the indicator at the other, allows me to tram the head’s lean by sweeping off of my 1-2-3 blocks on either side of the vise. I have enough adjustment reach to sweep around the back of the vise without removing it.




Then I can sweep the “nod” of the head off the ground surfaces on the front and back of the vice.




It all folds up and takes up very little space when not in use, and can be re-purposed for other applications.


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## tweinke (Feb 18, 2017)

Nice job!


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## CADWIZZARD (Jun 30, 2018)

That's awesome. Always looking for ways to make my cuts more precise.


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## Ken from ontario (Jun 30, 2018)

It looks like you can get a very reliable reading from that set up, well built.


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## Monk (Jun 30, 2018)

Thanks, folks. They took quite a bit of time, but were fun to make. I threaded up a longer rod to use with a magnetic base and have used the set up for several different applications (like centering a chuck on my rotary table).


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