Dial Carriage Stop

I've had a lot of questions about the dial carriage stop on my lathe so I made this video to show what it is and how it's used.Since I made this video, I've received a lot of email from people who have made dial carriage stops for their lathes. Clicking on the following link will take you to a gallery page showing some of them that were sent to me.
tomstechniques....

[@JumpUpNPullaco]

Your love of this profession shines brightly in the machining community. I've been doing one/two-offs for years, and I seem to have attracted a lot of work. I'm a physicist who likes to get his hands dirty, and a path from the hard slog to more efficient ways is mightily appreciated. You've saved me much time to spend with my family. Enjoy your Summer!

[@TomsTechniques]

I've spent a lot of time building things for scientists in the name of research. It must be nice to be able to do it yourself. A scientist or physicist who can use their hands is a rare commodity. Glad you are enjoying the videos and I am enjoying the summer immensely. Tom

[@Thekoolbiker]

Hi Tom! I would like to sincerely thank you for the brilliant work on You Tube. You really are an inspiration to me. As an electronics engineer, reborn machinist at the prime age of ~60, you cannot imagine how much help you are, with your no nonsense practical approach to all things mechanical. I have viewed (and liked) all your videos and every morning I look to see if there is anything new. Then, coffee and cereal in hand I spend 10, 20, 30 minutes in front of my Mac, taking in everything you say and do. Lately, it's also been great attaching a face attached to the voice we all recognise as Tom ;-) Please - please keep up the great work you are doing. With great respect, Aris P.S. I spend quite a bit of time surfing your web site too, especially when I am looking for information

[@TomsTechniques]

Thank you Aris, it's good to hear that the videos are appreciated. I'm ~60 myself, we should form a club. ;) Tom

[@keldsor]

Hi Tom ! Another project for the fast growing list of "must have" tools ! Very, very nifty little thing and I'll definitely make for my old 1962 1A616 Stanko lathe - thx !

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Keld.

[@Mewanrahnam575]

Thankyou so much.A very important and basic concept.

[@davesrepaircom]

Tom, thanks for posting this video. My ancient (1940) 10" Atlas has so many curved surfaces, indicating carriage travel has been a challenge. This video inspired me to give it another try, and I was able to fabricate a DTI mount using my original micrometer stop and some bar stock. I only have a watchmaker's micro-mill, not a "real" one yet, so the setup's nothing fancy but it works well for the small brass parts I make here in the shop. I need less than 1" of travel for those, and with this setup clamped to the way to the *right* of the carriage and touching off on a piece of bar stock held underneath the threading dial bolt, I'm in business. Many thanks! Acts 4:12

[@TomsTechniques]

Great! It's good to hear when someone gets some use out of these videos. Tom

[@rodbambauer3041]

I miss you. Hope everything is OK. I really liked your videos. Especially the fact that you didn't bore me with "viewer appreciation gifts". Just read further down and noticed that you are coming back when the snow flies...Whoopie!!

[@TomsTechniques]

Yes, I'll be back at it soon. I've been designing a clamp type knurling tool for the next project tutorial series and I just ordered a wireless microphone to help deal with the background noise in the videos. It should greatly improve sound quality. Tom

[@JumpUpNPullaco]

Tom! Love your stuff! Learned a ton from you so far! You are a huge part of my bedtime education ritual. Keep it coming if you can. Respect.

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks! I've get back to it one of these days. I just don't spend much time in the shop during the summer months. Hang in there, there are still lots of videos and project tutorials to make. Tom

[@pkav8tor]

Toms Techniques Very glad to hear you have lots to show folks. I also can not wait for more hands on from you. It is a absolute pleasure watching your tutorials. Thank you....greg

[@ArrowXDesign]

Wow, I really like that setup a lot. I got the new bench top South bend by the way. I'm currently making a cathead/spider for it to screw on the back of the spindle for barrels. This machine is dang near perfect for my uses. Thanks a million!!!!😀

[@TomsTechniques]

Great. You never know for sure if you are going to like a machine until you start using it, so I'm glad you like yours so far. Tom

[@volcom7114]

Tom I hope all is well? Myself and I'm sure I speak for many others miss your videos you are super at explaining easy common sense methods to doing something's that we beat ourselves up over.. :) Dennis

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Dennis, All is well. I just spent the weekend in the U.P. dirt biking and trap shooting and had to come and rest up a bit before getting back to work. I've been spending a bit more time in the shop lately and have the first few videos planned out when I get back to it. I'll be out of town again the next couple of weekends, but after that I should have more time. Tom

[@volcom7114]

I have a project I'm working on and I have to make a a lot of a single piece and I've been using my mighty mag base with a 1" indictor on it for doing the grooving but this is a must have and I'll be making one soon for sure! Hardinge is the best if you ask me I love them a friend has one and it's 20 years old and still works like the day he got it.. Thanks Tom for the quick over view yet another great video!! Dennis

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Dennis. I bought my Hardinge in 1988 and other than a few cosmetic issues it is still as new. Tom

[@volcom7114]

Yea they are the Cadillac of lathes very high quality and worth every penny! I will own one someday. :)

[@453421abcdefg12345]

I use one on my cross slide as well, a lot cheaper than fitting a DRO, and for small 10 off jobs it is a great way to go, but you do need at least an inch movement on the plunger. I do like your chuck! That is a gem.

[@TomsTechniques]

+Englishman French Yes, the chuck is a joy to use. Not sure how I ever got along without one. Dial indicators help, but DRO's are hard to beat. I hope to add one to the Hardinge this coming year. Tom

[@TheDucstar]

Hi Tom welcome back, I have been checking occasionally for activity on you page and had been a little concerned as to what had happened to you. Where I am in Australia we don't tend to have an off and on season, daytime temp varies from 17c winter to 40c summer so outside work never stops. Glad to hear you got a bike and had some fun, looking forward to more great info from your shop, Thanks for sharing. Regards Terry

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Terry. Temps here vary a bit more, from -10F in the winter to +100F in the summer, so we tend to spend more time inside in the winter. Tom

[@CandidZulu]

I just made one for my Sherline. Never seen this done before.Thought it was just one of my quirky ideas. But it works well, and on the Sherline there is no good way to make a normal hard stop.

[@TomsTechniques]

Excellent! I actually prefer it to a hard stop because it's easy to vary the stop point without resorting to gauge blocks or other spacers.

[@CompEdgeX2013]

Your Hardinge has a unique bedway system. I can see how that style of indicator mount would be best suited to it. My lathe has the more common v-ways and I just use a mag-back indicator (even though the magnet is stuck full of chips). Thanks for sharing! Colin

[@TomsTechniques]

Magnetic bases get in the way if they are stuck to the ways. You need to make a permanent bracket like this one to hold the indicator. It won't move either. Thanks for watching. Tom

[@fuzzy1dk]

Toms Techniques I see one advantage of the mag-back mount, you won't break the indicator when you forget about it and run into it. I guesss you could extend the holding bar past the indicator so the the bar hits the carriage before the indicator bottoms out

[@messenger8279]

Great idea. Have seen on another post that you can fix a magnet to the back of your indicator. My concern is that I may forget the fixed one is there and crash into it. Will have a go at making one.

[@TomsTechniques]

Yes, that is a problem with magnetic bases. The bad part is that sometimes you don't realize that they've been bumped. A permanent bracket is much safer. Tom

[@devster52]

I suppose there may be better lathes than a Hardinge but I have never worked with anything better. They are obviously not intended for big work but they are fabulous machines. In a perfect world I would have one in my shop but I can't justify the cost in my home hobby shop.

[@Mitchiedean]

I like using my mighty mag dial. Its extremely convenient. But i think i like the functionality of this fixed dial much better. And i suppose you could also purchase dials with larger ranges if one inch was consistently insufficient. Thanks for sharing this great tip.

[@TomsTechniques]

Mitchell, I've thought about using an indicator with more travel, but they are much more expensive and alignment (perpendicularity to the carriage) becomes more critical. The 1" indicator seems to be a good compromise. Thanks for watching. Tom

[@Newmachinist]

Hi Tom Just checking to make sure your all right - haven't seen or heard from you for a while. Rod

[@Newmachinist]

Hi Tom and thanks for the videoS. I have seen a number of lathes up here in Canada mostly SouthBend, Logan, and the Taiwanese ones. Your video was the first time I have seen a Hardinge! Interesting lathe especially the ways - never seen that style before. Perhaps, when you have time, you could do a video on it ?? Thanks Rod

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Rod. A guided tour of the Hardinge is on my list of things to do. There is a video on my channel on thread cutting about the Hardinge if you want to see how that works. Tom

[@rupertpowell]

I love the way you can change speed on those Hardinge machines whilst the spindle is running. I too use a magnetic backed clock, learnt from Abom79. I shall be making a posh one like yours though having watched your vid. Still saving for a DRO.

[@TomsTechniques]

Variable speed and quietness are advantages of a belt drive. Unfortunately them come at a cost, with lack of power as a disadvantage. Thanks for watching. Tom

[@ksb2112]

It's also just a plain beautiful lathe...

[@pierresgarage2687]

Hi Tom, These are practical, just an idea I had while watching the video... For parts longer than the travel of the indicator, why not machine precise index holes or groves in the horizontal bar, in your case it would be 1 inch or what ever the indicator can cover... Just a suggestion. Too bad for nice weather we'll miss your videos. Thanks, Pierre

[@TomsTechniques]

Pierre, That's an interesting idea, but you might have some difficulty implementing it. If you added holes or grooves to the right end of the rod, the unused part of the rod would at some point interfere with the indicator travel. Whatever indexing method you devised would have to be applied to the left end to avoid interference, unless you could live with smaller increments. I'll get back to a more regular schedule for the videos. It's just that after such a harsh winter, it's hard to resist the warm weather. Tom

[@pierresgarage2687]

Hi Tom, Agreed that winter was a cold hell here near Montreal, we are just starting to get warmer times by the last days. For the holes or notches I was meaning to make those on the left end of the bar, where like on your lathe, it would be the screw holding the bar that would do that function. Pierre

[@harleyghost]

nice looking lathe, looks brand new.

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks. It's starting to show it's age a bit, but other than a few chips in the old lacquer, it's still pretty presentable. Thanks for watching.

[@ckvasnic1]

Thanks Tom. All the best, Chuck.

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks for watching Chuck.

[@Opinionator52]

Hi Tom, that is a nice stop to have, and a really nice lathe to have it on... Sweet! :o) O,

[@ricardosuassuna]

Great idea. I will try that and let you know. Thanks for all your expertise .

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Rick!

[@rchopp]

I can definitely see the benefit of having one of those,, it's going on the list of thing to do. Thanks

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks for watching.

[@Mitchiedean]

Ahh. You bring up a good point about larger indicators. I also noticed that even with your one inch, you had difficulty keeping it perpendicular to the ways. Most likely just due to your awkward position beside the camera. I was curious though. If someone were to make one, would flat stock take out any of that angular play? As usual, im probably over complicating a simple build. Lol thanks again

[@TomsTechniques]

The round stock works fine and it's the bracket that determines position, not me. I was just having trouble lining it up on the flat because I couldn't see what I was doing and was out of position. I'm not really that clutzy. ;) Tom

[@bretthl1]

Very helpful.

[@hdoug5]

nice setup :) I'll have to get busy now and make me one of those :)

[@sdjb111]

ALRIGHT. Good news Tom. was also worried bout ya man.

[@TomsTechniques]

No worries. I'll be back at it soon. Tom

[@BigMjolnir]

Tom, thanks for showing how the dial indicator can be used like that. Looks very useful. I suspect the same idea could be used on other machines where small movements need to be measured precisely. I followed the link you posted, and got a Wordpress error about not having permission. I removed the last bit about the nonce from the URL and it worked fine though. I suspect the nonce part is being used like a cookie to tell the site which session the request is coming from, and since I'm not you, it complained. -- Mike

[@TomsTechniques]

It is very useful. Without a DRO, I use it almost every time I use the lathe. A few of these have already been made by viewers for various lathes and they have sent me pics. I put together a page for my website, but haven't figured out how to implement it yet. Until then, you can check it out at the following link for ideas: tomstechniques.com/dial-carriage-stop-examples-for-varoius-lathes/ Tom

[@michaelbrooks9923]

Where have you gone Tom? I miss your videos.

[@TomsTechniques]

I'm still here. Life has gotten in the way a bit (in a good way), but I hope to be making more videos soon. Tom

[@Travisfromoregon]

Hey tom- love the new website!!

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Travis. It's a work in progress, but I have lots of big plans for it. Tom

[@Travisfromoregon]

It's well organized and easy to access all the videos.

[@TomsTechniques]

Travisfromoregon That's good to hear because better organization was one of my major goals when building the website. It's way too hard to find videos the way KZbin has them organized. Tom

[@Travisfromoregon]

Agreed

[@IBWatchinUrVids]

I sure miss having Tom's machining videos, hope you're doing okay!

[@TomsTechniques]

I'm doing great in my second year of retirement. Working on relocating now to a place up north and enjoying my new granddaughter. Once things settle down a bit, I'll get back to the videos. Thanks, Tom

[@jesschupp9980]

Hello Tom, wouldn't it be easier to run the carriage up an inch and back the indicator up an inch. Love the videos Jess

[@TomsTechniques]

I prefer using a gauge block because there is no chance of miscounting turns of the indicator. You would be surprised at how easy that is to do, at least for me. Tom

[@marie-clairerichard4727]

Could you make one that would act as micro stop, and dial stop?

[@denisl2406]

very cool i will send you a pic of mine soon. thanks Tom Denis

[@TomsTechniques]

Thanks Denis. What kind of lathe? Tom

[@denisl2406]

Toms Techniques atlas 12/36 and a kerry 11/40 Denis

[@stephensmith8756]

Tom How would you machine the flat on the extension rod the D I is attached to ? My first thoughts would be to start with a workpiece longer than required, clamp each end to the table and mill between the clamps, then cut off the ends. Is there a better way ? Thanks and kind regards

[@TomsTechniques]

Good question, That's one way, except the center would be unsupported. I would clamp the stock to the table with multiple clamps along its length, mill the flat to size everywhere the clamps aren't, move the clamps and mill the remainder of the flat. Tom

[@carryitaround]

i have a dro pro dro i have installed on my lathe... is it as accurate as using a dial indicator?

[@TomsTechniques]

Depending on the make and model, it's probably slightly more accurate. The downside is that a digital readout is a LOT more money than a dial indicator..

[@johnnysmith2893]

why do some lathes not have a dial on the carraige handle makes no sense to me. how do they cope without a dial?

[@TomsTechniques]

They really aren't precise enough to do much good. That's why we use carriage stops or DRO's. Tom

[@kmcwhq]

Hi What size/series of quick change tool post do you recommend for the HLV-H ?

[@TomsTechniques]

An AXA works perfectly. Tom

[@kmcwhq]

Toms Techniques Thanks!

[@zmotorsports62]

Tom, thanks for the idea. I had fabricated a soft stop on my previous lathe but is was time consuming and cumbersome to use. After watching your video I fabricated one very similar to the one on your Hardinge for PM-1340GT and use it a lot. Here is a link to the video of my version of the Hardinge soft stop. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXKThZKpbrRghqs Thanks again for the idea. Mike.

[@TomsTechniques]

Nice job Mike. That's a handy accessory to have on the lathe. Tom

[@johnnym1320]

Hey what happened? I miss your videos.

[@TomsTechniques]

Hey I took the summer off. The snow will be back soon and I'll have plenty of time to make videos. Talk to you then. Tom

[@johnnym1320]

Good to hear!