Need tips on single point threading

I told my coworker about that one and how I wanted to try it. He pulled a little aluminum casting with some magnets glued in that his buddy made for him with a dial indicator mounted. Sweet. I didn't have much time to check it out but I did make a few air passes at 14 tpi 45 rpm with the indicator and could pull out / unlock in 0.005" travel worst case.

Now where did I put my neodymium magnets, I want to make one of those for my self.....

Wes

That sounds simple enough Wes, rather than re-inventing the wheel how about some pictures of it when you get a minute.

It sounds like it would be useful to have around for various tasks.

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?PMPAGE=237&PARTPG=INLMK3&PMITEM=891-5401?pr=Magnetic_Back_For_Dial_Indicators&id=95 for some more ideas see down about 2/3 and also see cross slide travel indicator. This is good when you "snap retract" the tool out of the cut and need to go back to the propper depth for another pass.

You do know about setting the compound for 28/29 degrees and using this to set the depth so you cut only on the leading edge of the tool?

Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

jw

Lost part of it so Those partial threads are because I took my first pass and realized the last user of the lathe hand screwed the compound full forward and jamned it to take out play in the screw. When I cranked it back and reset over first pass that made the point where the indicator would hit 12 o'clock some distance back.

I had no problem stopping and pulling out < 0.005 inch travel.

I have a base of my own roughed out, need to pick up some magnets and epoxy tomorrow.

Wes

Thanks Wes.

I'll probably end up making something for myself and it is always nice to see what others have thought up first. I usually end up with something slightly different, a combination of the easiest/best ideas and some of my own input.

That is what makes it yours.

I remembered I had some round ceramic magnets that I stuck to the side of my snowblower years ago so I wouldn't loose them. I've stared at them for close to a decade wondering when am I going to yank the package off and use them. I must have got them cheap ;)

My co-workers base had hard drive magnents in it that made it way hard to bump the indicator. One ceramic magnet holds it against the indicator spring, three seemed just about right.

The only aluminum I had was a piece of previously used 2" round stock so I turned it into some flat stock. Aluminum on a bridgeport with carbide is like cutting whipped cream.

I used a two flute end mill to make pockets for the magnets.

Pardon the crappy cell phone picture but it is what I had to work with atm. Since my indicator has a lug on back and no barrel to clamp on the top I had to do it this way.

That is an Enco indicator. So old it was made in Japan back when we outsourced there. ;)

My taps and epoxy are at work so I'll finish this up during lunch or in the morning after I get back from a machine tool auction.

I need to google up info on a Kemp Smith Horizontal and a John Steptoe shaper.

Wes

I'm considering adding a ring against the shoulder to get full length engagement of threads. I'm still practicing my ID / OD threading skills since I do not want to damage the article I'm trying to fix.

Wes

This indicator idea has been working great. Thanks a bunch.

Today I did some ID threading on some scrap using the indicator to work things out. I was cutting 20tpi for an ID thread to mate with a 5C collet. I was hitting my pullout in about a one or two thou. I was thinking of going up a step on speed but why push it.

Since I had practiced a bunch doing OD threading, I was developing muscle memory of pulling out CCW as I disengaged the half nuts.

So my first thought of mounting the bar insert up facing me was discarded for insert down, backside of part. I don't want to have to do a CW pullout since my muscles just got trained to go CCW and I really hate reversing reflexes if I can.

I really don't need to see the insert to ID thread, now CCW is the way to pull out when I hit 12 o'clock on indicator and when I decided I wanted to look at insert it was easy since the bar was on an Aloris post.

The other nice thing is that the compound did not need to be changed from the angle it was at of OD threading.

Wes