Indexing plate vs dividing head

[tjb]

Well, if you could have started from round stock, then the whole thing could have done pretty quickly on the lathe, in one setup, other than the notches in the O.D. Then the notches could have been done easily in a chuck mounted on the rotary table, or in a spindex.

Yes, I wish I could have started with round stock, but I didn't have anything big enough. In retrospect, it might have been more time-efficient to have driven the 60 miles to MacMaster-Carr and bought a piece of round stock.

I bought my rotary table from a guy I met recently. It is very accurate, and I've used it on several occasions with good results. What I'd like an education on is given the material I was using, is there a more efficient way to accomplish what I did? What tool (if any) that you listed could have streamlined THAT process? Other than the rotary table and the collet block, I've never used any of those, so they're a mystery to me.

Any wise counsel would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Terry

 

[tjb]

Well, if you could have started from round stock, then the whole thing could have done pretty quickly on the lathe, in one setup, other than the notches in the O.D. Then the notches could have been done easily in a chuck mounted on the rotary table, or in a spindex.

Quick follow up to my just-posted reply:
If you had to make this part in your shop with the same material I used but with your tooling, how would you have done it?

Regards,
Terry

 

[Bob Korves]

Quick follow up to my just-posted reply:
If you had to make this part in your shop with the same material I used but with your tooling, how would you have done it?

Regards,
Terry

I really do not know what I would have done differently besides starting with more suitable stock in the beginning. I would not have driven the 60 miles, but would have waited for it to be delivered.

 

[tjb]

I really do not know what I would have done differently besides starting with more suitable stock in the beginning. I would not have driven the 60 miles, but would have waited for it to be delivered.

Actually, that would be 120 miles. It's 60 one way. It sounds like my most fundamental 'rookie error' was trying to think of a nifty way to use a piece of scrap without throwing it out. I must disagree with you in one respect, however: I can think of a distinct advantage to the round trip drive. It would have significantly eliminated the state of agitation I contracted from plowing through this project. Now that it's over, I'm glad I did it, but no way will I do it that way again. Live and learn.

Thanks for reviewing my approach. It was helpful.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Bob Korves]

Actually, that would be 120 miles. It's 60 one way. It sounds like my most fundamental 'rookie error' was trying to think of a nifty way to use a piece of scrap without throwing it out. I must disagree with you in one respect, however: I can think of a distinct advantage to the round trip drive. It would have significantly eliminated the state of agitation I contracted from plowing through this project. Now that it's over, I'm glad I did it, but no way will I do it that way again. Live and learn.

Thanks for reviewing my approach. It was helpful.

Regards,
Terry

I guess what i meant to say is that I would have simply waited until I got more suitable stock. It did not sound like you were in a huge rush to get this project done because it was holding something else up where you needed it. I would never throw away a piece of leftover material bigger than chips...

 

[tjb]

I guess what i meant to say is that I would have simply waited until I got more suitable stock. It did not sound like you were in a huge rush to get this project done because it was holding something else up where you needed it. I would never throw away a piece of leftover material bigger than chips...

Yeah, but see, you're a seasoned machinist. I'm like a kid with a new toy!

Regards

P.S.: What do you have against chips?

 

[Bob Korves]

Yeah, but see, you're a seasoned machinist. I'm like a kid with a new toy!

I have way less hands on experience than you might guess, but I have been around this kind of work a lot for a long time and I am also a voracious reader with a good but worsening memory...

 

[FOMOGO]

Always beneficial to take a road trip, especially unplanned. Mike

 

[tjb]

Always beneficial to take a road trip, especially unplanned. Mike

No argument with that. Nice Mustang.

 

[Hawkeye]

I have numerous methods for dividing a circle into a specified number of divisions. My first still gets used from time to time. You can find it here:
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/quick-and-dirty-dividing-head.3075/

I used a 36-tooth sprocket, with a clamp system that lets me move it in 5 degree increments. Changing the sprocket would allow different spacings.