Matching Dovetails Used To Create a Lathe Tailstock Offset

[@clifeddens1658]

I’m always amazed at how far in advanced you think through the OoO’s. Like the MT thumb screw on the bottom to keep the top flat available for making parallel adjustments. You really do lay awake at night!

[@DLMachineWorks]

You could use a cheap depth micrometer and drill though the base of it to mount it ,also Lee you have done a superb job on this project keep up the great work

[@dankolar6066]

Nicely done. Thank you. Once upon a time, you said that your work history included software development. I believe you. A programmer would devote this kind of time and care to creating a specialty tool.

[@johncrea9395]

Lee When you drilled and reamed the 1/2 hole in the back of the bottom piece of the dovetail block, why didn't you just lock the entire dovetail block together, and drill and ream thru both to get absolute perfect alignment between the bore in both parts of the dovetail block?? Would think it would be easier and probably more precise than doing this in 2 seperate steps since you drilled a centered 1/2 inch hole in the 2nd part of the dovetail block anyway??? John

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

You most likely have the best projects on youtube. Keep on keeping on.

[@MaturePatriot]

He does have some very good projects.

[@reideichner8597]

Nice project, Lee. That tool is going to be very useful. Love your attention to detail!

[@StefanGotteswinter]

Enjoyed! Yes, they where made as a commercial item - A swiss company made one long time ago, but I think thats a thing of the past.

[@ROBRENZ]

Very nice project Lee! Micrometer head is what you are looking for and readily available. ATB, Robin

[@tbddiy3258]

I'm from Vietnam, nice to know you're passionate about mechanics 👍👍 let's share experiences together

[@lookcreations]

Hi Lee, now I wondered why I got a few new subs overnight. Thanks for the mention. Nice job on your jig. All the best Mat

[@βασιληςκαρβουνης-υ1ο]

beautiful video very nice job good morning

[@jonedmonds1681]

Looks like a useful tool, did you say you put a ball into the locking thumbscrew hole? I would worry about that denting the bore, wouldn’t a copper slug be safer? That screw is resisting all of the cutting force from turning the assembly.

[@wnebergall]

Lee I just put a boring head on a mt2 in my case works fine I even made a threaded rod guide to keep it aligned

[@iangraham6730]

Nice!

[@ronpeck3226]

Thanks Lee for the vids, couple of thoughts, could you use an old depth mic adapted to the purpose? I think you will want the fine adjustment. MT's are in seconds. Thanks again, You make a good video.

[@rprichard8452]

Hi, no this isn’t Randy, my name is Bob. All those micrometer heads are a very light press fit. They are made to calibrate to zero. You should be able to see the spanner wrench hole to adjust it. Every micrometer comes with the spanner to adjust it. After taking the thimble out, the lock will come out. Use the spanner to turn and pull the head out. If you can’t budge it, cut the outside enough to take a chisel and (lightly) break it allowing the head to slide out. You can also put that very nice adjustable dead center on your mill, and cut aligning groves about 0.010” if you would like.

[@JamesDedmon]

Lee I haves some of the Craftsman mikes, in fact I purchased them new in the mid 80’s from sears. I believe there ST micrometers because that’s what they look like, I have some Starrett ones and there no where near the same. Good job

[@Phaedruses]

Lee you could use 1/4 20 threaded rod to remake your own adjuster, This would allow making a dial knob with 25 divisions, because 1/4 20 rod moves 25 thou every revolution. This would allow pretty precise adjustments both in and out. The in is moving the dial back and pushing up against the end of the rod, but with back lash probably would mean moving beyond the mark on the dial then turning the dial out to the mark again.

[@timothyosborne8285]

It would actually move .050 per revolution. 20 times .050 thou = 1.000

[@CMAenergy]

Not sure how much you had left in that collet But thought you could very easily recut the 1/2 inch piece, then turned it around and cut your taper

[@keithbenna1581]

Great video. On the male dove tail could you bored it to press a bearing in it, then press the dead center into bearing. That would make nice live center

[@billholt8012]

Thimbles are available on Ebay or you could just use 40 tpi on your adjustment screw to give you the same adjustment as a thimble.

[@geoffreywaldram2958]

Great project. If you wanted micrometer adjustment and were happy to sacrifice the Chinese mic it may be possible this way. Take off the plastic side plates on the mic frame and cut the frame in half. The frame being flat a slot could be cut in the body of the female block for it to fit into so the anvil sits on the end of the male dovetail. Lock the mic frame in with grub screws and mill to a nice shape.

[@ChrisB257]

This was a great way to use your matching dovetails. Nice work :) I am just starting on my tailstock offset device which is based on some plans - no dovetails but I think it will do the job. Hope to get on with it soon. Not sure what the answer is for that micrometer question.

[@oh8wingman]

So what keeps this from turning in the tail stock? We all know that Morse tapers can slip if placed under sufficient load. As soon as you move out of plane horizontally and apply the cutting tool to the work the uneven forces are going to try and make the work and the dead centre lift up and away from the cutting tool. The further you move away from centre the worse this will get. I can't see any method of controlling this twisting action. Am I missing something here?

[@sharkrivermachine]

Great project. You are correct about the Craftsman being made by Starrett. My grandfather was a tool and die maker, he would often buy Craftsman tools because they were the same high quality as Starrett and a lot less expensive. I have purchased a couple micrometer cartridges on eBay. They have barrels that appear to press into the frame but I have never taken one apart.

[@dizzolve]

32:17 Lee do you think knurling the interference fit might have made for a tighter - better fit?

[@williamjohnson2896]

Lee great project. Shars has micrometer heads for under $20. By the way I use a 2" boring head with MT 3 shank and a turned down MT 1 shank on a cheap live cneter also from Shars. Works well. Keep em coming brother.

[@MaturePatriot]

Left him a link to a Shar's on ebay for

[@rox2u]

Yes, use a boring head to offset the center is quicker and easier if you have such a tool. I have a home made dead center for mine, did not think of using a small live one. I try that next time.

[@gohuskies583]

Nice project! Did you have any trouble with the locking thumb screws creating a burr on the sliding surfaces?

[@MrPragmaticLee]

That's why I machined a gib to go between the surfaces. The thumb screws press on the gib which doesn't move.

[@malcolmtill]

Great project Lee.

[@stephentayler1414]

Nice project Lee. I would imagine once you have used it for a while you will be able to mark index marks on it for example Morse taper offset

[@dudleycornman1624]

If your pat is square and your 1-2-3 is square you don't need the adjustable parallel... just use the 1-2-3- block (on edge) as a square between the cross slide top and the part.

[@roberthaglund7835]

I love the project, I'm just concerned or curious may be more accurate...how are you going to keep heat from building in the "dead center" in the tailstock?

[@georgebliss964]

If you knurl the shaft whilst it is still in the lathe,it becomes a press fit as you wanted.

[@MaturePatriot]

Doesn't take much knurl either

[@infoanorexic]

Old tubing cutter might work as well, if you have room for it

[@lohikarhu734]

Just what I was about to suggest...I was also wondering about this 'press fit' business, whether a differential heating /cooling fit would be easier to do, fewer alignment issues and less 'heavy equipment' needed? Since the part that needs to be hot, in this kind of situation, can be heated without worries about temper, something like a propane torch would suffice, although, during /after assembly, the dead center would need to be kept below any temperature high enough to affect its hardness /temper... What say you folks with more experience than myself?

[@danvandertorre9280]

I like your idea but a live center would be better and you can press a new one in then , and you will need a fitting for your chuck so that it wont wobble and hurt your chuck , good job I hope my advise helps .just think what you can do with another one on the chuck that is also adjustable in the X Y this would completely eliminate miss alignment of the chuck and tail stock .

[@lohikarhu734]

But, sometimes, a 'half-center' is pretty useful, and hard to do with a 'live center' ;-) my impression is, as well, that a dead center does not have 'run-out', since it does not rotate, so it is limited to fixed displacement errors...

[@robertmatel8136]

When dealing with an undersized opps, I believe knurling keeps the part more concentric with the hole than locktite.

[@tonypike5785]

Thats a nice project

[@mrvolcada5355]

Hi I am a newbe to this business, but with respect to the leveling business, would a right angled threaded rod between the underside of the block and the centre point of a block mounted between the slides of the lathebed provide an accurate leveling. Feel free to shoot me down!

[@johncrea9395]

Lee For the micro-adjuster, use a 6-40 bolt to get a finer increment per turn John

[@frankherring6253]

Yes the 40 threads per inch will have a pitch of .025” exactly what a micrometer has.

[@theycallmebacon5692]

Would a magnetic dial indicator be an accurate and simpler means to level the tool you made?

[@johnnym1320]

Why don't you just use a depth mic? cut one of the legs off and drill a hole for mounting, it will also give you the proper reading as the standard mic will be backwards. Nice job on the tool!

[@dwightcarlson7136]

Regarding leveling the fixture, couldn't you use a machinist level?

[@timothyosborne8285]

The Craftsman micrometer you have was made by Central Tool Co. out of Cranston, R.I. U.S.A. for Sears. I have a bunch of the Central Tool Co. mic's and they are excellent micrometers. They are still being made today but are unfortunately made in china.

[@pacokelly5536]

You sure solved one of my problems thank you,

[@stianellefsen]

Nice tool you made there. I dont think you can use the head of a micrometer (at least i have had no luck doing so). You can buy loose micrometer heads many places.

[@diogoferreirafelipe3360]

Great job, mister!

[@iangraham6730]

Excellent work!

[@markh2322]

The sleeve (at least on the Chinese micrometer) should be a friction fit. If there's a small hole in the back (the kind that would fit a tiny pin wrench for adjusting), then this is definitely the case. Even without the hole, it's still likely a friction fit. Search ebay for "micrometer head" to find the measuring part without the frame.

[@DLMachineWorks]

You could use a dial indicator mag base on your cross slide and sweep it back and forth until it reads no movement

[@ashleyward427]

I copied this from a machinist website 1. Remove the spindles from the frames. I would avoid swapping the actual spindles and frames. 2. The spindle and barrel are attached with a threaded fastener in the end, and this could be a screw, or could be associated with a speeder or a ratchet. Loosen whatever your mic uses just a thread or two, and leave a lot of the threads engaged (don't remove it the fastener yet) 3. Gently whap the assembly on the screw you just loosened straight down onto a piece of brass or copper (to avoid scratching). Do this straight down to avoid any bending moment on the retaining screw. This should loosen the taper. If not, soak the spindle+barrel in Kroil, or 50:50 acetone and ATF (warning: the latter can remove paint). Then whap again, gently. If this works, remove the fastener completely and you have separate spindle and barrel. If that doesn't work, Pete's approach using some fabricated toolsseems like it's been proven in action. 4. If I were you, I'd pull the barrel off as well (don't loose the little friction springs), ultrasonically clean everything, lube with purified mineral oil (this is what Starrett Instrument Oilis), and reassemble. 5. Depending upon how dirty/worn everything was, you may wish to diddle with the friction adjusting nut on the spindle threads. The goal is to get smooth action with no 'lash and fairly low friction. Easiest to do with the barrel off. Make sure you check the entire range of the mic - if it's worn you can be loose at some points and tight at others. You've used mic's before, so you know what level of friction is appropriate. One thing that makes mics more easily and accurately read, and visually more pleasing involves ensuring that the barrel (the thing that you rotate to adjust zero) is reinstalled all the way and butted up against the frame. If not, your witness lines end up being visually off. The other point is during reassembly, ensure that the "zero" witness line on the barrel is where you like it. It should be in a spot pleasing to you visually when a 0-1 (or 0-25) unit is at zero (or at it's min or max reading for larger mics). Good luck,

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Nice tool, I need to make one.

[@premierd8988]

Extend the threaded rod, turn down the end to fit in the movable block .. drill and pin it so you can adjust it both ways by turning the thread in opposite directions ...

[@robertkutz]

Lee nice work.

[@ke6bnl]

if your MT had a tang would that self align the tool good enough??

[@samrodian919]

Ed KE6BNL no I don't think so as it has to be precisely parallel with the ways

[@CraigLYoung]

When all else fails, Ask Mr. Pete.

[@biggrey54]

Yes he go a vid on how to take a micrometer apart

[@ufohunter1805]

use a depth micrometer, put a screw in one side of it to hold it .

[@AlbiesProductsOnline]

They make this tool nearly identical in concept for woodworking lathes with both live and dead centres for under $100 if anyone is after inspiration or design specifications to build there’s on that’s for the great video

[@mrayco]

I appreciate you and your job but it so long processing I think boring head is good enough for job like this. Thanks for sharing

[@randelljones4002]

Go to Ebay or Amazon and search for micrometer head. You should be able to find what you need

[@samlogosz8422]

Save time and move the tail stock and zero it back in when you're done. 😁

[@funbricknj]

maybe you can use a cheap Micrometer Depth Gage from ebay just have to drill out a mounting hole on it

[@funbricknj]

its a good idea i like it and am thinking of making one

[@joshwalker5605]

Slick!

[@FrancisoDoncona]

Great work but you may want a ball tip as a point has two points contact while a ball will have a oval ring contact. Ebay, eighty bucks, ships from india.

[@MaturePatriot]

Just watched another KZbin home machinist explaining that point, and trying to silver solder balls on his turned centers

[@timmer9lives]

Maybe if you found an old inside mic... That would be just what the doctor ordered IMO.

[@maircraft4079]

To adjust... set up a dial indicator.

[@larrybester3420]

🤗

[@neptun733]

make a bolt and measure how much its progress per revolution, then make an dial on the head of the bolt

[@samrodian919]

neptun733 all you have to do is use a 40 tip thread as is used in a micrometer and you have 25 thou per revolution. I'm in the UK and I would use 5/16" x 40 ME ( model engineers ) taps and dies.

[@geoffreyward4743]

search ebay-------Precise 0-13mm Range Micrometer Head Measurement Measure Tool Flat Type----theres your dial for micrometer.geoff

[@bgupta2001]

peoples perhaps does not know , from whome life force first human and woman was created was made very bad by the great peoples , and even his mother was also beaten and de shaped and were buried and her son which was not her real son , from when humans were created and birthed was made to born her son ,

[@erikmadsen5467]

C

[@pashmina858]

Less talking more doing sheesh