Dividing head tailstock extension plate

[Suzuki4evr]

Hi guys
A few years back I helped a guy with a project,I reffur to him as a guy,because friends we are certainly not anymore as I reffured to him in my post back then,cutting splines in a shaft.Here is a link to that post https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/living-on-the-edge-literally.79259/.

I had let the tailstock of the dividing head hang right on the edge. Well I have a job now that is also a bit too long for my mill bed,but I didn't want do it like back then so I made an extension base plate for my dividing head/s tailstocks, I have a BS-0 and universal dividing head.

I had a piece of 12mm plate that was lying around and was perfect for this purpose. I did all the holes,milled a slot for two T-nuts and gave ot a light flycut,leaving a nice mirror finish, on the bottom side so it could lay nice and flat,didn't do the top side because I do not think it is necessary. I now have 250mm extra I can use.

It is bolted down with three bolts,but even with two it is rock solid. I know this is possibly not preferable, but somtimes you have to improvise to get the job done.

Thanks for viewing.
-Michael-

 

[Jake P]

I just got a BS-0 for my RF-45 mill and once I put it on the table and saw how short the distance between the chuck and the tailstock was this was my first thought! I imagine you could go out both ways if needed with mounts under both in order to gain the ability to machine your full table travel.

 

[benmychree]

I had a job years ago to cut splines on an axle shaft for a Doane low bed truck, these were used on the San Francisco waterfront for carrying around break bulk cargo before the age of containers, the truck was used here to move wine grapes from the vineyards to the wineries. Anyway, I used 5" channel iron to mount both the head and tailstocks of the dividing head on pieces of 1/2" steel plate welded onto the leg up channel iron, it worked just fine! The trucks used a internal gear and pinion to do the driving of the rear wheels, the axle that I made drove the pinion gear, so it was not a particularly high stressed item.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

I just got a BS-0 for my RF-45 mill and once I put it on the table and saw how short the distance between the chuck and the tailstock was this was my first thought! I imagine you could go out both ways if needed with mounts under both in order to gain the ability to machine your full table travel.

I guess you could. I would consider it with my BS-0 but would think twice putting the universal BS-1 on an extension, because ir is HEAVY and I don't like the idea of the bed being out to the far end on the dividing head side,but the BS-0 would be fine.