# Graduated dials



## iron man

A friend of mine wanted direct read dials for his lathe he asked for help so I would need to make a dial with 200 spaces. I like to leave everything in the lathe till everything is done so using my indexing head was out of the question. So I went and purchased a cheap 10 inch plywood blade and made a spring loaded holder that would click off each tooth. The little brass pointer helped me keep track of each long line needed by marking every tenth tooth with a magic marker.


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## chuckorlando

Thats pretty slick thinking man. Awesome


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## iron man

I made this post that fit snug in the spindle shaft and tightens up like a bicycle handlebar.

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After I cut all the lines in the dial and filed it smooth I made this quick mount for the number stamps. One slot is a 1/4" wide for single digits the other is 5/16 wide for double digits.

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After setting the distance back you just hold the punch to one side for one digit.

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And then hold it to the other side for the second digit. I used a brass jewelers hammer with only slight force.

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I think the plated punch set was only $21 they worked real nice.


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## JimDawson

What a beautiful job, and great thinking on the saw blade.


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## iron man

I have to file it a little to remove any distortion from the punch but it turned out really nice for the first try I think I will make some more!

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Tryed to get a picture without the glare sorry. Once I got the lines centered with the milled slots on the jig I used the saw blade to degree off each 10 spaces for the numbers that way I did not have to re-align each time it went quick. I will have to figure out a good methode to paint the lines and clean up the dial hope this helps someone thanks for lookin.. Ray


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## bvd1940

iron man said:


> A friend of mine wanted direct read dials for his lathe he asked for help so I would need to make a dial with 200 spaces. I like to leave everything in the lathe till everything is done so using my indexing head was out of the question. So I went and purchased a cheap 10 inch plywood blade and made a spring loaded holder that would click off each tooth. The little brass pointer helped me keep track of each long line needed by marking every tenth tooth with a magic marker.



Thats thinking outside the box, nice job:man:


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## iron man

Thanks I first went through a pile of gears I have looking for one with 200 teeth when that failed I was rummaging through some stuff and found an old chop saw blade it did not have enough spaces so I went to the local Menards and found one for $11. I think I will keep it just for this. Ray


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## toolman49

G'Day Ray,
Back in the the olden days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I had a full head of hair, I briefly worked in an engraving shop, the practice they used to fill lettering was to cut strips of 1/8" thick card stock about 1" x 2" and apply a bead of lacquer to the edge with an artists brush, this was used to squeegee the lacquer into the engraving about 10 characters at a time, after letting it dry for about 5 minutes the excess was removed with a soft cotton cloth stretched over another piece of card stock lightly dampened with lacquer thinners. After a few months of headaches and nausea from the lacquer thinners I decided that this was not a viable career option.
 Ventilation ??? we don't need no stinking ventilation, was the attitude at the time.
Regards,
Martin


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## Hawkeye

Nice work, Ironman. I like that kind of thinking.


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## tertiaryjim

Thats a nice looking dial.

When I made one I cut the lines extra deep and sloped paint in them.
After the paint was dry I turned the dial on the lathe and removed a couple thousanths so it looked clean with sharp dark lines.


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## iron man

How deep did you cut your lines? Ray


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## Beone

I love the punch holder idea!
dave


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## iron man

Beone said:


> I love the punch holder idea!
> dave




 Thanks I was trying to come up with something quick easy to use and make and consistant it seems to fit the bill perfectly. Ray

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## chips&more

Nice work iron man. A bit suggestive criticism if you don’t mind. Might be a good idea to put a support under your work so all that hammering does not telegraph into your chuck and or head stock bearings. I know it’s not much hammer force but why risk it when you can avoid the possible damage/problem. Again, nice work and…Good Luck.


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## Andre

Glad you got around a problem that comes up, that's not always easy to do.
But.....stamping in the lathe is a huge nono. It will damage your nice tapered Timkin bearing races or rollers.


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## iron man

chips&more said:


> Nice work iron man. A bit suggestive criticism if you don’t mind. Might be a good idea to put a support under your work so all that hammering does not telegraph into your chuck and or head stock bearings. I know it’s not much hammer force but why risk it when you can avoid the possible damage/problem. Again, nice work and…Good Luck.



Thanks for the concern but that seems to me to be an old wives tale the hammer barely weighs an ounce the taps are very light and they are nothing compared to the abuse the bearings take as they get hammered when you machine something square or a welded up shaft or something out of round ect.. I worked in a machine shop for 25+ years where they use to straighten bent shafts in a lathe and in the 25+ years I never ever saw a broken, chiped or cracked timkin bearing and they where very hard on the machines. I would not recommend doing that but the stamps are only 1/16th really how hard do you have to strike them without damaging the stamp? not much, but after all they are just wheel bearings and look at the hammering a wheel bearing takes in a car or truck or off road vehicle much more force than a one ounce hammer..


I have had this lathe a long time and it had plenty of abuse before me I check the bearings every now and then they are the original bearings and show no sign of wear or cracks or chips.. Ray


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## Andre

iron man said:


> Thanks for the concern but that seems to me to be an old wives tale the hammer barley weighs an ounce the taps are very light and they are nothing compared to the abuse the bearings take as they get hammered when you machine something square or a welded up shaft or something out of round ect.. I worked in a machine shop for 25+ years where they use to straighten bent shafts in a lathe and in the 25+ years I never ever saw a broken, chiped or cracked timkin bearing and they where very hard on the machines. I would not recommend doing that but the stamps are only 1/16th really how hard do you have to strike them without damaging the stamp? not much, but after all they are just wheel bearings and look at the hammering a wheel bearing takes in a car or truck or off road vehicle much more force than a one ounce hammer..
> 
> 
> I have had this lathe a long time and it had plenty of abuse before me I check the bearings every now and then they are the original bearings and show no sign of wear or cracks or chips.. Ray



Hammer might weigh an ounce but your swinging it. Plus there is already downward preload from the chuck/work not helping. 

Hammering on a spindle is never good.


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## dualquad

Great idea, nice work!


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## Bishop

I think its a mighty fin solution to you indexing problem and love the stamp holder setup. I have no idea if stamping with the dial in the spindle could damage the bearings but that was my first though and I try to stick to my instincts. I think you probably right though, an interrupted cut would probably put way more force on the bearing and your most likely not cranking out a few hundred dials a month. 

Shawn


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## ericc

Hi.  It is not obvious what the force multiplier of a hammer blow is, since it is short and sharp.  There is an article in the latest California Blacksmith magazine that gives an estimate for the force multiplier for a hammer blow from a full swing, such as one carried out by a blacksmith.  It is about 10000 X.  In other words, a 2 lb hammer could potentially generate 20000 lbs of force, or 10 tons.  This is entirely reasonable, since a hammer can exceed the yield stress of prehard 4140 in a small area.  A lathe bearing should be able to handle a few thousand pounds, and that tiny hammer would be expected to generate substantially less.  The small area over which the punch applies it, explains the ability to deform metal at its target.  The area of the rollers should be quite a bit larger than the punch target, and made of substantially harder steel.  But it surprising that the margin of safety is not as large as initially expected.  That is the power of impact force.


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## iron man

Listen I see people who make dials on a daily basis stamp them in the lathe with no problem you are over thinking this I have seen timken bearings on cars with bent spindles the same bearings we are using that never have a crack in them I have replace hundreds of timken bearing in car, truck, farm equipment, and indutrial equipment that took all kinds of impact including the center stage out of commercial snow blowers and never a cracked bearing. The only time I have seen a cracked bearing is one that overheated and gauled that is it end of story. Have you ever tried to crack a bearing to get it off? I have seen guys try and they usually dont win and end up with round chisels, a slight tap of a brass hammer would not bruise your finger. Most timkens of this size can take a several thousand pounds of force to even damage the bearing would break the casting, the small amount I am applying here will not make any differance so I choose to continue on I deal with facts and in my experiance it will still remain an unproven tall tale. Ray


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## RandyM

Easy fellas. Time to stay calm.

:watching:


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## iron man

At any rate here is the finished dial sorry about the poor picture I also need to color the lines and numbers a little. I am going to make a couple more this went very well. Ray


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## Bishop

Colour the lines white and they will look as good as Hardinge dials. The numbering is perfectly aligned, nice work.


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## autonoz

Great idea and great job. How did you make the lines?


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## RandyM

iron man said:


> I also need to color the lines and numbers a little. I am going to make a couple more this went very well. Ray



Yes it did Ray, very well. :thumbsup2:

So what color are you going to use? Make sure we get to see finished item.


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## iron man

autonoz said:


> Great idea and great job. How did you make the lines?



 I sharpened a cutting tool and used a carriage stop you basicly drag the tool through the metal just scratching the surface I cut in about 15 thousands deep..For the short lines instead of readjusting the carrige stop each time I used a small magnet as a spacer to stop the carriage short. thanks Ray


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## iron man

RandyM said:


> Yes it did Ray, very well. :thumbsup2:
> 
> So what color are you going to use? Make sure we get to see finished item.



 Like I said this is a dial for a friend so it will be up to him on the color he is talking red or black (red)? I dont think I have ever seen a red one I might mention the white. Thanks Ray


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## Chucketn

Excelent post Iron Man. I have several projects that will benefit from/need/were supposed to have graduated dials!

Chuck


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## Bishop

For what its worth I tried red graduation lines I made on a radius cutter for my lathe and for me at least the contrast was really hard to read. It was easier to see the lines with no colour than with the red.


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## iron man

Bishop said:


> For what its worth I tried red graduation lines I made on a radius cutter for my lathe and for me at least the contrast was really hard to read. It was easier to see the lines with no colour than with the red.




 Thanks I will tell him that.  I read somewhere that a guy used laquer paint (hard to find anymore) painted the dial let it dry then removed the excess by spinning it in a lathe and holding a wood stick on the surface. This he said stopped the paint from being pulled out of the fine lines and numbers..Ray


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## kd4gij

You can get laquer paint at michales or any art supply store. You can also get it at auto paint supplyers but have to buy at lest a pint.


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## iron man

kd4gij said:


> You can get laquer paint at michales or any art supply store. You can also get it at auto paint supplyers but have to buy at lest a pint.



For some reason the auto parts stores claim it is restricted around here all though I have seen it in spray cans I may just do that or check the art supply houses. Thanks Ray


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## middle.road

The tedium of stamping all those numbers, well skill actually, it really looks great. I would have messed it up by the 7th Number.
And then there is the mag hood I'd have to have on to use it


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## george wilson

I have to agree with iron man that the small force(he is only stamping ALUMINUM with 1/16" stamps),is not going to mess up his bearings. An interrupted cut in steel would be a lot more force. I would not recommend heavier stamping,of course.

For what it's worth: My Hardinge HLVH has white  delrin (?) dials with black grads.

Anyway,the use of the 200 tooth blade was a clever solution to the problem without complicated other means. That's the type of solution I LIKE!!!!


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## iron man

george wilson said:


> I have to agree with iron man that the small force(he is only stamping ALUMINUM with 1/16" stamps),is not going to mess up his bearings. An interrupted cut in steel would be a lot more force. I would not recommend heavier stamping,of course.
> 
> For what it's worth: My Hardinge HLVH has white delrin (?) dials with black grads.
> 
> Anyway,the use of the 200 tooth blade was a clever solution to the problem without complicated other means. That's the type of solution I LIKE!!!!



 Thanks George the dial shown is cold rolled but I have made aluminum and brass dials in the past and your right the impact from the little brass hammer is the same just a light tap otherwise you will ruin the numbered stamp. An interrupted cut or simply tapping something to get it straight in a four jawed chuck would put more impact than what I am doing. Ray


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## uncle harry

iron man said:


> For some reason the auto parts stores claim it is restricted around here all though I have seen it in spray cans I may just do that or check the art supply houses. Thanks Ray



Gee, even hardware stores sell lacquer thinner.  Maybe a MSDS research effort could locate a rattle can source of lacquer.


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## Thoro

I used rustoleum pro spray can paint to refinish my lathe tags. Solvent is mineral spirits.... May not be as tough as lacquer, but is easy to find, and you can clear coat over it to prevent oxidation.


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## iron man

I found some lacquer spray paint at Hobby Lobby made by testers I also found enamal paint sticks most dial makers use lacquer paint sticks but I may give the enamal a try and remove the excess with a stick as you have shown.


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## chips&more

For coloring the grads and numbers. I have tried the lacquer paint, didn’t work well enough. I have tried the colored sticks from the engravers, didn’t work. I have tried various flavors of spray paint, forget it! And all the different paints and wax sticks over the years, forget it! None of the stuff produces a lasting, professional, perfect 10 result. But then I found a product that gives fantastic results. And it’s a product called “Dyken Staining” and it is NOT Dyken layout fluid, that’s different stuff. It comes in a few color choices, but I have only used the black color….Good Luck.


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## george wilson

You could try Aluminum black,a chemical,not a paint. Abrade it off the surface. It will stay in the grads. Then,gun blue for the steel ones. If you can,get some that makes a black finish. Personally,I like the dials untreated. They came that way,mostly,from the factories(except the delrin Hardinge dials,which HAD to be blacked or you could not see the grads.)

I still agree that 1/16" numbers tapped with a small hammer aren't harmful even in steel(which is still rather soft stuff). Turning a square steel bar of tool steel would be a lot more forceful.

Be sure to stone your numbers FLAT. They look cheap when left with the displaced metal sticking up around their perimeters. Only a cheap rifle,like a J.C. Higgins .22 from the 50's(still have mine),and the like left their letters un flattened. Wait,did Winchester on recent guns?  Well,things aren't what they USED to be!! They SHOULDA flatted them. Actually,quite a few modern made guns have pooched up lettering. Some people have NO ART in their souls. You know,even my 1986 Grizzly lathe has nicely flatted numbers on the dials(But,I could do WITHOUT that ugly hard chrome. Smooth steel looks better. Yeah,I know.... corrosion. Well,keep them up and don't LET them rust or discolor!!


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## iron man

chips&more said:


> For coloring the grads and numbers. I have tried the lacquer paint, didn’t work well enough. I have tried the colored sticks from the engravers, didn’t work. I have tried various flavors of spray paint, forget it! And all the different paints and wax sticks over the years, forget it! None of the stuff produces a lasting, professional, perfect 10 result. But then I found a product that gives fantastic results. And it’s a product called “Dyken Staining” and it is NOT Dyken layout fluid, that’s different stuff. It comes in a few color choices, but I have only used the black color….Good Luck.



 A friend of mine has some of the black dykem stain I can try I did have some good results with black lacquer wiped in with a cloth then remove the excess with a wood stick i suppose i could do the same with stain. I also thought about gun blueing.. Ray


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## chips&more

With gun bluing and especially hot bluing, it will color everything and then you will have to remove the unwanted. Maybe not so fun. I’m very finicky about details. When I inspect high grade machinery the dial grads and #’s are “filled” in with color and not blued. The Dykem Staining also fills in the voids and does not come off like paint does. And don’t know why they call it a stain when it has the viscosity of house paint? Depending on your engraving depth, maybe 2 or 3 coats and then emery stick off the unwanted and then enjoy…Good Luck.


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## chips&more

Not trying to hijack the thread. Just want to show the results when using Dykem Staining (DS). I have a Sanford surface grinder that needed handwheels. Figured finding an original set was next to impossible. I procured rough castings on-line and finished them at home.  The counter balance weights between the spokes/webbing was made from plate and screwed ( not welded) to its adjoining spoke, then filled in with Bondo. I used a Gorton pantograph for the grads and #’s and then filled that stuff in with the DS. I did this about 8 years ago and the DS looks as good as day one. I wish I could have plated the handwheels to prevent rusting, but getting that process done in my neighborhood nowadays is very hard to do, find and pricey. And I noted that some generations of SG handwheels were not plated.  So, I just give them a light coat of Starrett instrument oil and all is good.


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## iron man

Nice work it would be so nice to have dials that large the lines are so much easier to read I will try the black dykem on the next one, How about that new spray on chrome plating? I know it is probably just a form of plastic but it sure looks nice.. thanks Ray


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## Bishop

I need to touch these up yet but I am partial to white lines. I found that fine steel wool does a good job of removing the lacquer paint without pulling it out of the lines.


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## chuckorlando

I think the problem with most paints is the thickness in relation to the depth of the ticks and numbers. It sits high enough that it gets pulled when sanding. I like the dye idea my self. I gave up on my bridgeport cause the paint kept pulling. I'll try the dykem


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## iron man

Bishop said:


> I need to touch these up yet but I am partial to white lines. I found that fine steel wool does a good job of removing the lacquer paint without pulling it out of the lines.





 The white does stand out nice. Ray


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## Falcon67

Very nice work.


> You can get laquer paint at michales or any art supply store. You can also get it at auto paint supplyers but have to buy at lest a pint.





> For some reason the auto parts stores claim it is restricted around here all though I have seen it in spray cans I may just do that or check the art supply houses. Thanks Ray



Likely because EPA will be auditing automotive paint sellers and "professional" paint stores for compliance with VOC regs, among other things.  Seems art stores are outside that radar system.  And being a racer, I agree on the bearings.  500 HP, wheels in the air a few feet before landing, riding the brakes at 100 MPH across the finish line - same wheel bearings in the car since 1992.  Not gonna hurt spindle bearings much with number strikes.


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## Isberg

A comment regarding on the possible problem caused by hammering roller bearings, I think everybody here has a point. It is very bad practice to hammer on any rolling bearing in a way that transmitts the impulse through the rollers or balls. This practice should always raise a red warning flag. The reason as explained to me by the SKF people is that the impulse force very easily dents the ball/roller races. The damage is usually not immediately obvious, but typically shows up in a couple of hundred hours of running. Been there , done that mounting axle couplings on a number of largish electric generators...  expensive.

The basic problem is that if you pound a pulley on to a motor or a wheel bearing in place, the mass You pound on is very small between the hammer and the bearing so the resulting force on the bearing races gets very high, enough to cause damage. BUT: if you have a massive chuck... or a wheel assembly on a vehicle, the situation is very different. Due to the impulse law of physics it is then possible to pound quite heavily on it without causing damage to the bearing races. It is a bit similar to being on the right side of a gun (the heavy side)....

I would not be concerned to hit something in my lathe with a small hammer if I use a massive chuck. But I would NEVER do that using the integral 5c collet holder. And if possible use the softest mallet that will do the job. 

Anybody here tried to restore the black graduations on matte chromed dials? 
The ones on my Weiler Condor VS2 lathe have lost all black in the groves and become quite hard to read. My concern is that getting the excess paint of the matte surface may be a problem.


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## iron man

When the people at SKF talk about hammering on a bearing they are talking about someone beating on or near it with a large hammer if you think that a slight tap with a one ounce hammer is going to do anything then things are getting blown way out of proportion... AGAIN your lathe on an interupted cut take 10 times the hammering of someone who taps on a 2mm stamp to make a mark.. Do you tap on a collet to break the tapper?? your tapping on the bearing you know..  Some people dont stop and think about the hammering the same bearing takes in wheel bearings of cars, motorcycles ect. I have seen bottle jacks used in machine shops to straighten shafts in lathes and they had been doing it that way for 75 yrs any broken bearings?????? lets see... Nope not a one. Or when someone taps on a piece to get it straight in a chuck  have I ever heard of a broken bearing from that lets see... Nope. The fact is I worked in a machine shop that has been in buisness for 100 yrs  they abused there machines in the worst of ways and I never ever heard of or saw a broken bearing even in the worse conditions . A ball bearing is so hard it will shatter before there is any even small dent unless it is over heated and if you have broken a bearing by hammering on it you will most likely break the casting before you ever break or damage a bearing. After I posted this someone else on this forum had a very similar post and project by the comments his was the next best thing since sliced bread I dont know whyI get the hell beat out of me here on such a small stupid little project.


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## itsme_Bernie

What a beautiful dial!!  Wow!  I think the hammer thing is no big deal at all with that little hammer.  Yo could always put a shaper gauge, or block, or piece of oak under it for future projects anyway, if you cared.  
Great idea with the saw blade!!  The diameter of the blade compared to accuracy of our eyes on the final marks on the dial make it scale it's accuracy perfectly.  

Bernie


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## uncle harry

itsme_Bernie said:


> What a beautiful dial!!  Wow!  I think the hammer thing is no big deal at all with that little hammer.  Yo could always put a shaper gauge, or block, or piece of oak under it for future projects anyway, if you cared.
> Great idea with the saw blade!!  The diameter of the blade compared to accuracy of our eyes on the final marks on the dial make it scale it's accuracy perfectly.
> 
> I liked the saw blade idea so much that I bought a slitting saw on ebay. Soon I will be able to enjoy my shops up here in our unseasonably cold Wisconsin weather!
> 
> Bernie


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## roadie33

That is an awesome looking Dial.
Do you plan on making any more for sale by chance?
I wouldn't mind getting some new ones for my Lathe.


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## iron man

Yes I could make some for you let me know what kind of lathe and the diameter you would like.. Ray


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## roadie33

When I get home tonight I'll measure them and let you know.
It's a Craftsman Commercial 12 x 36  101.28990


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## RJSakowski

iron man said:


> When the people at SKF talk about hammering on a bearing they are talking about someone beating on or near it with a large hammer if you think that a slight tap with a one ounce hammer is going to do anything then things are getting blown way out of proportion... AGAIN your lathe on an interupted cut take 10 times the hammering of someone who taps on a 2mm stamp to make a mark.. Do you tap on a collet to break the tapper?? your tapping on the bearing you know..  Some people dont stop and think about the hammering the same bearing takes in wheel bearings of cars, motorcycles ect. I have seen bottle jacks used in machine shops to straighten shafts in lathes and they had been doing it that way for 75 yrs any broken bearings?????? lets see... Nope not a one. Or when someone taps on a piece to get it straight in a chuck  have I ever heard of a broken bearing from that lets see... Nope. The fact is I worked in a machine shop that has been in buisness for 100 yrs  they abused there machines in the worst of ways and I never ever heard of or saw a broken bearing even in the worse conditions . A ball bearing is so hard it will shatter before there is any even small dent unless it is over heated and if you have broken a bearing by hammering on it you will most likely break the casting before you ever break or damage a bearing. After I posted this someone else on this forum had a very similar post and project by the comments his was the next best thing since sliced bread I dont know whyI get the hell beat out of me here on such a small stupid little project.


I agree with you ironman.  The impact force mentioned in previous posts deals with a sudden deceleration of the hammer.  The force transmitted to the bearings is much less.  Anyway, great thinking out of the box with your DIY dividing head and the stamping jig.  I will have to file both ideas away for future use.


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## iron man

I agree with you ironman. The impact force mentioned in previous posts deals with a sudden deceleration of the hammer. The force transmitted to the bearings is much less. Anyway, great thinking out of the box with your DIY dividing head and the stamping jig. I will have to file both ideas away for future use.






Thank You


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## iron man

When I get home tonight I'll measure them and let you know.
It's a Craftsman Commercial 12 x 36 101.28990

 You will probably want a 200 increment dial it will be about inch and a half in diameter. that will give you a direct read so when you turn the dial lets say 10,000 it will cut 10 not 20.. Ray


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## roadie33

The ones on there now are 1.73" That's both the compound and cross feed dials.


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## iron man

PM sent..


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## Round in circles

I like the idea of making my own larger dials .
But not having to stand there for ages with a slightly bent back /neck as I have disabilities in my legs arms back shoulders & neck .

I've come up with the  e idea of turning rings to slide over the existing dials  then  fix them in place with super glue and a couple of set screws .

  It's the marking of the graduations that's the problem for me.

Have any of you  dipped any spirit based cleaned metal rings in an etch resist paint , let it dry well and then used tiny chisels in a guide as shown earlier  and chopped the graduations through the paint along with the numbers  , then etched the dials deeply ?

If so do you have any tips or thoughts on this idea .


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## Round in circles

Eat your heart out guys,  this thread got me thinking and looking ... my turn has come.
I won a 7 & 1/4"  dia 100 tooth circular saw blade with a 16 mm bore off eBay UK for 99 pence ( a dollar forty ) packing & postage cost me nearly three dollars . The Postie delivered it yesterday afternoon ..it's never been used. 

 I've had a re-look at the drive stepper motor & stepper motor control unit taken off a working variable speed vibrating exercise machine & an old fire damaged workshop small table top  drill press that has the wrecked motor & electrics removed .

I think that in a few weeks , if it ever warms up enough , I should be able to make precision  90volt 1 hp lathe mounted milling  device to fit on the cross slide then use the saw blade on the lathe cross shaft as my calibration/ setting wheel so I can make my own engraved dials .

 It certainly beats the idea of deep acid etching bees waxed turned steel or aluminium blanks & finding it fails to work well in  nine out of ten cases.


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## Firebrick43

If you are worried about your headstock bearing put some steel across the ways and place a machinist jack between it and the work piece.  Force on bearings eliminated.  

I am sort of torn because the forces are low.  However i have seen precision bearings damage by straightening shafts in the lathe as the op stated 

Excellent work though.  Stamping evenly is hard to do!


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## BobbyIronsights

Hi, Ironman, I'm impressed all to hell with your fine workmanship.


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## f350ca

I tried the chemical blueing on this dial for my shaper. A light buffing with fine emery paper on the lathe left the lines and poorly stamped numbers standing out.



Greg


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## iron man

Thanks guys I have made several dials since this one they have all turned out great. No damage to the bearings at all Intermittent cuts are 100% harder on the bearings than a little hammer tap the bearings in this machine are about 70 years old and where abused far worse than you can imagine and they are still working fine everyday. Ray


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## Randall Marx

Ray
That looks like wonderful workmanship on the dials. I really like the out-of-the-box thinking on the saw blade indexing! As long as you don't mind, I may have to steal that idea for future use.
Thanks for sharing your solution with us!


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## westerner

Iron Man
Beautiful work! I may solicit your services one day! As to the bearing damage debate- I am a professional mechanic. These precision bearings will disperse the blow over 60 degrees or so of the bearing assembly, so that no one single bearing element bears the whole impact, I believe. Personally, I would not be afraid to strike them with a MUCH larger hammer.


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## Redmech

Slick work


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