Index Faceplate/Stops for Fluting

dillon | Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on February 14, 2005 08:52am

Have built a “sled” for my 14″ Jet midi-lathe (bed extended) in order to do some straight fluting with router on a spindle. I have some ideas about how to engineer a home-made indexed face-plate/locking pin (mount block of wood with hole for rod on top of motor housing to extend into plywood cut circle extending above housing mounted on face plate). The Conover Taunton Press book on lathes suggest that there may be aftermarket chucks available that would accomplish this task, as the Jet does not come with an indexing wheel/pin. Any thoughts on how best to accomplish my task from somebody who has done it before? Thanks, Vince

Replies

RickL | Feb 16, 2005 08:58pm | #1
http://www.cartertools.com/cipk.html

http://www.bealltool.com/lathewiz.htm

Do a google search for other ideas as well. I have an index head I scrounged from a metal surplus dealer but I've seen it covered in various turning books. You should get Packards catalog for a resource. The answers are already out there.

Edited 2/16/2005 1:02 pm ET by rick3ddd
TomHigby | Apr 23, 2005 02:27am | #2
I made a 12" plywood disk bored with 48 carefully spaced holes that I would mount on a face plate. 48 is a good number because it can be divided by 24, 16, 12, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2. I have a common sliding dead-bolt mounted on a block that fits between the halves of the lathe bed. I expect this to work but haven't had ocassion to use it yet.

Tom

dillon | Apr 23, 2005 06:16am | #3
Thanks for reply. I opted for a circle of MDF with carefully drilled holes, mounted a block on top of motor housing, through which I drilled/placed steel rod, all to the same effect. Necessity is the mother of invention!