# BS-0 Dividing Head Set



## MWCurl (Mar 27, 2019)

Hi Guys

I am considering buying a PM BS-0 Dividing Head Set.  Does anyone have experience with that item?  If so, please share your comments.

What is the difference in a “semi universal” and a “full universal” dividing head.  Also, I assume I can remove the chuck on the dividing head and replace it with a face plate if needed.  Is the correct?

Mike


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## tweinke (Mar 27, 2019)

I will give a shot at part of your question, universal dividing heads can be used to make spiral features they are geared to the mill with change gears. semi universal does not do the spiral features because it is not driven by the mill. I will also make the assumption that like all Matts machines it would be of decent quality and have a warranty.


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## wrmiller (Mar 27, 2019)

I have the BS-1 from PM and it works fine. Wish I'd gotten the BS-0 though, as this thing is a little bigger and heavier than I really need.


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## jbolt (Mar 28, 2019)

I have the BS-0 from PM. As wrmiller stated it works fine. The chuck is removable. Quality is decent for an import. A few areas were a little stiff so like many import tools it required some disassembly, cleaning, deburring and lubing.


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## pontiac428 (Mar 28, 2019)

I bought the BS-0 from an ebay seller.  After disassembling, cleaning, deburring, and lubing, I am very happy with it.  It's a very versatile piece of kit.


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## Enoch (Jan 26, 2022)

This is an old thread (sorry for the resurrection), but I'd like to buy the PM BS-0 before my mill ships next week, and was curious if it can be used as a rotary table too?


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## Jason812 (Jan 26, 2022)

No, and if I knew that beforehand,  I would have gotten a rotary table first.


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## jwmelvin (Jan 26, 2022)

Why not? I’ve used mine in that fashion, after making a tooling plate to hold in the chuck jaws, axis vertical. I used it a few times like that before getting a rotary table.


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## Just for fun (Jan 26, 2022)

@jwmelvin  If you had to do it over which one would you buy first?


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## WobblyHand (Jan 26, 2022)

I've used a BS-0 that way, more or less out of desperation.  It isn't super rigid, and you really run out of Z axis, but it did let me pretend I had a rotary table for a few minutes.  If you need a rotary table, buy one.  I plan to, because a BS-0 dividing head isn't a great horizontal rotary table.  However, a PM BS-0 is pretty nice for what it is.  My PM BS-0 was a lot nicer than the defective BS-0 I purchased previously on eBay.  The eBay BS-0 was a quality reject.  Was a hassle to return it, but eBay refunded all my money.  The PM unit was a lot nicer out of the box experience.  Don't regret it.


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## ttabbal (Jan 26, 2022)

I've used the dividing head more than the rotary table. I leave the dividing head on the table and find uses for it pretty frequently. I've been needing to work on round parts a fair bit lately and the chuck is great for that sort of thing.


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## jwmelvin (Jan 26, 2022)

Just for fun said:


> @jwmelvin If you had to do it over which one would you buy first?



Like [mention]ttabbal [/mention]I might say the dividing head, if only because it has a broader range. Thing is, now I have the rotary table, a spindexer, and collet blocks, along with the BS-0 and a BS-1. Most as part of other used purchases, though I bought the collet blocks new and more recently. 

Each has its own advantages, efficiencies, and challenges, in varying degrees depending on the task at hand. With my current tooling and typical jobs, I’m most likely to use the rotary table or collet blocks.


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## Enoch (Jan 27, 2022)

Thanks a bunch for the input... I added the BS-0 to my PM order, I have a need for it first... Rotary table will be purchased in a few months.


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