Got an order yesterday from one of our favorite suppliers , hadda spend more than I really wanted to get the free shipping ... but it's all stuff I'm going to need , so I went ahead . Among the items I got was a 5X5 milling vise . It's really a bit too big , but I'm sure that I'll need the capacity eventually . Also got some parallels , a clamp kit , and an edge finder . Already got a decent assortment of calipers , mikes , and dial indicators . The next major need is going to be rotary indexing , and I'm a bit baffled . Spin indexers , rotary tables , index wheels , what's good for which task ? I expect to cut a few gears (some for the lathe , couple are missing teeth) and maybe a drive pulley for a cog belt (Harley final drive belt) . Be nice to be able to index and drill or mill a bolt circle ... or mill an eccentric slot for a cam . So , what do I need , and how big ? I'm kinda thinking a 4" or maybe a 6" rotary table ? I'm a bit leery of going too big , this thing doesn't have quite the spindle/table distance (18" max) a full sized knee mill has . Another question , I have been reading up on hobbing gears . I have a keyed mandrel , apparently used by a former owner of my lathe to drive a
1/8" slitting saw . The shank is 3/4" diameter where the collet (or holder) grips and 1" at the end the hobs would mount , about 4" overall length . I'm concerned about rigidity and flex in the cutter . Should I be ?- posted
15 years ago