My First Attempt at Making a Watch Wheel

[@csspinner]

What a fun project and excellent talent and creativity needed to get it all set up! Thanks for walking us through it!

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks Chris. You and your channel are a huge inspiration to me as you regularly show why watchmaking is called watchmaking (as opposed to "watch repair"). It has always been the "making" aspect of it that interested me. I should note to others reading this that many of the great watch movement designers began by doing restorations of complex movements for which parts were not available and they had to make them themselves (like Chris regularly does on his channel). Very few other watchmaking channels do that. If you haven't watched Chris' videos I highly recommend them!

[@WatchRestorationCottage]

This is crazy skill. Look at that setup with the lathe and cameras! Bravo Dayton.

[@IMakeWatches]

Ha ha! Thanks Jimmy! I'm still just bashing out my first attempts. It's going to get much more interesting soon as I try to actually make replacement parts on some project watches! I can hardly wait to be honest. Setting up the lathes was a task!

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

Brilliant, fascinating. Making different parts occasionally makes the use of universal tools seem the right direction. Favourite bit was when you expressed the need for 5 lathes. Right on!

[@IMakeWatches]

Technically I already have seven, but that's including a Jacot tool, a topping tool, and a screw polishing tool. They are technically lathes but so specialized that they don't count. 😂😂😂 Three more are three B8 lathes that I bought for parts. They all contributed parts to the Boley in this video so they are counted as just one. And then I have the larger W12 on the table. So really only the two in this video! 😂😂😂

[@GentlemensWatchServices]

@@IMakeWatches Superb! Like the re-brand BTW.

[@IMakeWatches]

@@GentlemensWatchServices Thanks! Yeah I got worried about the word “shoot” in terms of KZbin community rules and the videography meaning getting lost in translation. Now the challenge for me will be to make good on making watches rather than destroying them! I also plan to eventually turn my cameras on local watchmakers and in those videos the subjective “I” will refer to them not me. Thanks again for your comments and your excellent videos!

[@khronosbest9448]

One gains a serious appreciation for watchmakers of the past when "by hand" was the only option. Appreciate you allowing us to view your work ! Stay well

[@IMakeWatches]

And I'm cheating with the stepper motor! It's even crazier with a dividing head!

[@khronosbest9448]

@@IMakeWatches Much to your credit to undertake the labor. Now i know who to call if i cant allocate a part 😉🫵🍻

[@lightbread4767]

I just found you again after I shoot Watches went dark. I thought the youtube police had shut you down! I was not aware of this account.

[@IMakeWatches]

Yeah that rebrand was painful but better to get it over with sooner than later! I'm glad that you found me again! Thanks!

[@NaNByZero]

Man, this is a crazy setup. Congratulations on this one! 🕐⚙️🍸

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks!

[@NaNByZero]

@@IMakeWatches :)

[@elibster8794]

Wonderful project! I've been on the lookout for a CNC indexer for my Sherline rotary table, and I think this will fit the bill exactly - especially since I've already got all the pieces I need laying around. I went all in on Sherline for micro-machining, and think that I'll use that as my watchmaker's lathe when I get to the point of making my own wheels. I love your work, and you've been an inspiration. Looking forward to seeing more!

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks for this comment Eugene. Please let me know if you need any help with it here in the comments so that others benefit from the questions and answers. Today I received the flexible Z axis coupling (see parts list on the project page) that replaces the blue coupling in the video. This allows the motor to be locked down while also eliminating the backlash and binding that caused me problems in the video. I'll make another video that's specifically about this project in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I have some gears to make for an actual restoration and I'm excited to do that first! imakewatches.com/projects/CNCIndexDriver.html

[@PBB-pq6mq]

Genius build!! New name, new web site. You’ve been busy I see. I like it. Enjoy.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks!

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

honestly, this is fantastic. yove now done what ive been wanting to try,

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks Sonny! Check out the CNC Index Driver project on my web page if you want to give it a try with a watchmaker's lathe that isn't "indexable." imakewatches.com

[@samnova450]

Very impressive setup, have used raspberry as a computer geek. First time seeing raspberry being used in watch making, very cool.

[@IMakeWatches]

Yeah, I kept looking at how complicated it is to do the indexing with a dividing head and I saw some videos by @ChronovaEngineering that used a stepper motor -- and then I realized that I had all the parts I needed sitting around already so it was a no-brainer to try to make one myself. Thanks for your comment! I'm always happy to know that computer geeks like myself are watching because watchmaking is pretty much the antithesis of computers, even though like everything it all converges in manufacturing processes.

[@samnova450]

@@IMakeWatches Oh yeah, I’m still amazed how chronographs and perpetual calendars are made at the mechanical level. Enjoy!

[@stanWorkshop]

Beautiful set up! Very impressive.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! It's a lot of fun. I can't wait to get better at making gears!

[@ElderPinto254]

awesome setup very nice Dayton...i love it !!i just got my AVM lathe ......building a clock now so i needed a big lathe.... wauw wauw love the setup cameras to!!! have a nice play time lol..

[@IMakeWatches]

Wow! I googled AVM lathe. Is yours gigantic like the pictures that come up? That's insane! The scary thing for me is I have 130 m2 and 400V three phase power in my studio so nothing is stopping me. I just have to look away! 😂😂😂

[@ElderPinto254]

@@IMakeWatches hahahaha i have a AVM AM 125 its very compact i can walk around it . yess its three phase and i have that at home in holland you can cook on it to three phase. i am making all kind of tools and things very cool... my mind is clutterd with your setup its so cool...

[@ElderPinto254]

@@IMakeWatches Dayton next time pls show your little glass case with cool stuff in it you skip it but i pauzed it and it looks very cool !!!

[@IMakeWatches]

​@@ElderPinto254 Thanks ElderPinto!

[@DRONIXAR]

Wonderful 🔄⭕🔄

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! I'm getting closer! 😂😂😂

[@nathanhays1746]

Use the stepper to make an index plate. Use the plate to make teeth. That way you only deal with the finicky servo interface once for each tooth count.

[@IMakeWatches]

I love that idea. In the end I think it will be easier with the stepper but the whole idea of using tools to make other tools to solve second order problems is a great way of thinking. If you go to the Index Drive project page on my website there's a flexible shaft coupling on there that I haven't received yet that should help the stepper motor turn without binding. After I have that I should be able to clamp the motor to the bed more aggressively to take out the play in the rotation. In any case thanks for your comment. I do agree that making your own index plates is a great idea if you have a way of attaching and pinning them.

[@souravpradhan7190]

иι¢є ʝσв

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks!

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

problem is with precision. look at the sherline gear cutting attachments. ive been looking into this

[@IMakeWatches]

Precision starts and ends with being able to measure everything. I'll do a whole video about this at some point. It's one of my favorite topics because it's impossible to see 1/1000th of a millimeter positional differences without a micrometer.

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

my goodness !!!!! youve not shared some great work

[@IMakeWatches]

I've been really focussed on building up these capabilities with the lathes. I was afraid if I covered that in realtime I'd attract a bunch of lathe viewers and loose a bunch of watch enthusiasts. I did shoot a lot that I can go back to as it relates to future watch videos.

[@sonnymoorehouse1941]

@@IMakeWatches I dont see you loosing viewers from lathe content.

[@IMakeWatches]

@@sonnymoorehouse1941 Stop saying the word "lathe"! The algorithm is listening! 😂😂😂

[@elibster8794]

@@IMakeWatches You'd be amazed at how much overlap there is between machining and watchmaking youtube! (I even managed to avoid the L word ;))

[@IMakeWatches]

@@elibster8794 Oh, I totally get that! The issue with my channel is that my sense is that I'm pushing a lot of people that are into collecting and appreciating vintage watches towards watchmaking. They're okay with it if the focus remains on watches, but perhaps not so much if the focus becomes all about the L word! That's why I feel that I need to use my Ls on an actual vintage watch restorations before I publish the detailed video about how to make the index driver. I think if they see how I use it first then it will be okay to talk for an hour about how I made it.

[@tweedrhino]

Suggest you let the device count for you. I know you want to be conscious about the tooth count you are on, but when you get to 72 teeth it will not be fun typing the next number each time. If you want positive confirmation enter a consistent arbitrary number (e.g., 1) then enter. You’ll know you have done it because the wheel will advance. Also, you don’t mention it but I assume you have accounted for the modulus error when a remainder exists for tooth count into 6400 count.

[@IMakeWatches]

Thanks! The device is counting for the user and the rounding error is accumulated and corrected for each tooth. The Python script is annotated and can easily be changed to accept the entry of a single character for each slot if that's one's preference. The script with line numbers and syntax highlighting is on the bottom of the page linked below if you'd like to check how easy that would be. For the explanation of the rounding error correction see my comment starting at line 268 of the Python script. To always accept the number 1 to advance the motor change "int(n)" in lines 348 and 403 to "1". imakewatches.com/projects/CNCIndexDriver_LN.html The script can also easily be changed to add an on-screen prompt to ask the user which input requirement they would prefer to advance the motor. I may add that prompt myself if I end up agreeing with your suggestion but I did try it both ways and decided that the mindful approach worked best for me, at least while starting out. I'll post a detailed video about the development of the project and how to modify the code in the next week or two. In that video I'll mention your suggestion as an example of how nice it is to have complete control over the software.

[@PietroCozziTinin]

Ear protection.

[@IMakeWatches]

I did bring the volume down in the mix but I probably should have gone further or replaced it with music! 😂😂😂

[@PietroCozziTinin]

@@IMakeWatches No what I meant is that you should wear ear protection.

[@IMakeWatches]

Oh, thanks! It's actually not as loud as it sounds.