- Joined
- Dec 24, 2020
- Messages
- 1,155
I recently bought a Victor 1640 and it didn't come with a follower (the manual showed it as an optional accessory unlike the steady which was a standard accessory). Yesterday I stopped in a place that sells machinery supplies and a few machines, but mostly just supplies. They used to sell more machines and just happened to have an NOS follower of the right style for my Victor. It was literally on the back of a shelf hidden behind other stuff and I just got lucky and saw it. The center height is absolutely perfect, but it's not as wide as the bolt spacing on the saddle. The problem is it's close to the bolt spacing so I can't just drill new holes in the saddle....they'd overlap one another. If it was off in height I'd make an adapter plate to go between them, but why mess with the height being perfect, right?
I took a picture showing where the follower sits when it's centered between the two saddle bolt holes to help illustrate the scenario.
I'm thinking of opening up the follower bolt holes so that they're U-shaped slots. Then make a hold-down that's essentially a T-shape that fits into the slot as well as goes over the top of the slot. I'd add a vertical hole to line up with the factory saddle hole and be a couple of thousandths shorter than the follower so it would be able to compress down and keep the follower snug. I'd probably make it a snug fit and epoxy the T-inserts in place so they don't get lost.
Thoughts? Better idea? I paid $40 for the follower so I don't have much tied up in it no matter what happens.
![fullsizeoutput_65e.jpeg fullsizeoutput_65e.jpeg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/454/454714-ed62ffca8ae1b7dbffc57ae972e11ac3.jpg)
I took a picture showing where the follower sits when it's centered between the two saddle bolt holes to help illustrate the scenario.
I'm thinking of opening up the follower bolt holes so that they're U-shaped slots. Then make a hold-down that's essentially a T-shape that fits into the slot as well as goes over the top of the slot. I'd add a vertical hole to line up with the factory saddle hole and be a couple of thousandths shorter than the follower so it would be able to compress down and keep the follower snug. I'd probably make it a snug fit and epoxy the T-inserts in place so they don't get lost.
Thoughts? Better idea? I paid $40 for the follower so I don't have much tied up in it no matter what happens.
![fullsizeoutput_65e.jpeg fullsizeoutput_65e.jpeg](https://www.hobby-machinist.com/data/attachments/454/454714-ed62ffca8ae1b7dbffc57ae972e11ac3.jpg)