Is it Possible to Make a 1mm Diameter Pinion on a Vintage Watchmaker's Lathe?

[@NDidarth]

Hello, nice exercise, what i can see, there are two problems in the setup at the base, the first came on is the clock on the lathe’s bed which is set an angle in almost one direction and this cause sine/cosine error , basically you are not direct measuring the cross slide movement; another problem is the indexing system which is made using a worm gear reducer which isn’t made for this application (mechanics and electronic), in the mechanical side you need more rigidity, you need a way to hold the spindle during the cut, some kind os brake, the worm inside the ger reducer isn’t sufficient, vibration caused by the cut can rotate the spindle, another problem is inside the electronic which there isn’t a closed loop in between the steps made by the stepper motor and the real movement of the spindle. Another suggestion could be: don’t go full deep of cut at the first pass, because this can generate too much cutting pressure and this cause deflection of the workpiece, so, the workpiece rejects the cutter.

[@IMakeWatches]

Best comment ever! Thank you for your time! I understand every point you've made, and, as you know, every one of them is spot-on. I note most of these points and how I plan to address them starting at 59:39. I woke up this morning thinking about why I approach everything I do from the point of view of welcoming my own mistakes when starting out and it boils down to learning "why" instead of learning "how." In particular, why one should NOT do things the wrong way. Not just the rote lesson "don't do it," but the why behind that. If you read and study and are taught only the "how", or the "learned way" one must be very disciplined to understand the why behind the how. If you make mistakes the "why" gets etched in memory and then cross-translates to other domains. And if you make mistakes naively - by not even trying to learn the book-way first (or limiting it in any case), you can also avoid falling victim to hubris because you end up having to own your own mistakes, which also translates across domains. Regardless of that theory however, my aim is not to purposely make mistakes, it's to test tolerances and find the solutions that do work and learn why they work in the process. Specifically about the worm gear and stepper motor, my aim with that system is to solve the hobbyist division head / index driver as inexpensively as possible. That's why I went for the 0.97mm pinion first, to discover where that system broke down and then solve that for high tolerance parts as best I can -- with a band-aid - a better brake and a better flexible coupler and slower cutting speeds and more careful measuring. Anyway - I'm rambling on... But again, I absolutely appreciate your comment. It's more than I deserve! 😂😂😂

[@jeffanderson4979]

I am a hobby machinist with some large, expensive tooling and machine tools. Looking at your shop, it’s pretty clear you also have some nice expensive tools of the trade. I appreciate the commitment and the investment you have made to practice in your field. Very impressive sir. I enjoy your videos very much.

[@IMakeWatches]

Very nice! Thanks a lot!

[@cooocooo3880]

student and teacher at the same time, thanks for sharing

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks!

[@edceniceros2453]

Great video Dylan! All the way from New Mexico

[@IMakeWatches]

Hi Ed! Thanks! I'll email you to catch up on our project!

[@stanWorkshop]

Absolutely terrific! So inspiring, thank you

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! I looked at the case machining shorts on your channel. Very interesting! I'd love to see more!

[@stanWorkshop]

@@IMakeWatches bless you. I'm quite obsessed with the adventure so there will be plenty more.

[@IMakeWatches]

@@stanWorkshop Great! I added your channel to the Maker Channels links on my home page! I'm very interested in case making! Can't wait to see more!

[@stanWorkshop]

@@IMakeWatches thank you, I am just working it out but I am finding delight in pursuing a greater understanding and improving my results.

[@vascovisser]

Great video! I love seeing your journey into watchmaking!

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks!

[@ekaeo]

So interesting, I loved watching your video, your whole vibe in fact, very cool to see vinyl in the back as well, props!

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! Swiss made Thorens TD 160 turntable as well! (found in the garbage!)

[@PBB-pq6mq]

Oh my, things have accelerated quickly!!

[@IMakeWatches]

Yes and no. I took a long time setting up these lathes and they're still not even close to being ready! By the way, my lathes have nicknames, the smaller B8 Boley on the Rolex bench is Magnum and the W12 is Hansel. 😂😂😂

[@PBB-pq6mq]

@@IMakeWatches no Blue Steel??

[@IMakeWatches]

@@PBB-pq6mq Blue Steel is my main desk! 😂😂😂

[@dougmacqueen1679]

Famous quote. "I don't expect this to work". 😂😂😂

[@IMakeWatches]

The corollary to that is, "If it works you're not challenging yourself enough." 😂😂😂

[@ElderPinto254]

you look great in white Dayton!! darn i am not in die schweis i love some watch markets we have cheese markets

[@IMakeWatches]

Ha ha! I appreciate that! But the truth is simply that I don't want my wife finding stainless steel splinters in her clothing that migrated from mine in the wash! 😂😂😂

[@fredflintstone8048]

When cutting a small diameter shaft on the lathe from larger diameter stock it's always best to cut the finished diameter to size on the first pass. That way you have the support of the large diameter of the material while you're making the cut.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks for this comment. I pretty much arrived at this same conclusion. I don't think I want to be turning down gear teeth that have already been shaped. On the other hand I don't want to try to cut the workpiece all the way down to the pivots before cutting the teeth either - so it's a matter of planning what makes the most sense in terms of workpiece stability throughout the process.

[@matthewmcdonald8624]

Thanks for mentioning that you used pcbway to get that adapter made. That’s useful information.

[@IMakeWatches]

Sure! I talk a bit more about that and show the invoice in the Index Driver video.

[@samnova450]

Good luck, got more patience than me.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! It only took me an hour (plus maybe 40 minutes of repetition sped up). I'm sure I'll get faster with experience as well! 😂😂😂

[@bobuilt10]

You need to work on your lathe tool geometry. You have too much tool pressure for the size of pinion. Try 5 degrees negative rake on the top and 10 on the front. Get a nice sharp point and stone a very small radius around the front cutting point. Set the tool very slightly below centre. Another technique would be to support the tailstock end with a rotating chuck and machine a dogbone between the two chucks. You could then cut the piece out of the middle.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! I'm going to try this again and I will certainly take your advice on all of the above!

[@dougmacqueen1679]

You may never need this advice but I will tell you anyway. On that little lathe it doesnt make much difference, however wearing long sleeves and reaching across over top is bad practice. On large lathes if the lathe is running that can be deadly. I have seen some pictures of unfortunate men who did that. Not pretty at all.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! Great comment! That layout unfortunately is very common for watchmaker's lathes but your advice is nevertheless well taken! I should be able to reach around the side rather than over the top but I've built a little plexi barrier to keep metal chips and oil out of my Mac Mini.

[@timdiver53]

@@IMakeWatches HIS ADVICE WASN'T WELL TAKEN. YOU JUST TALKED YOURSELF OUT OF IT.

[@IMakeWatches]

@@timdiver53 What about pony tails? Are pony tails over the lathe okay? 😂😂😂