According to :
Thanks everyone for the advice.
I was actually already looking for Machinery's Handbook, so I hope to
get that soon.
[ ... ]
After two days, I still can't find much info on "collet blocks" or
Try this page (assuming that it will work after I close my
browser):
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...PMT4NO=4713402
(It appears to work.)
Scroll down until you see the images. You should see a square
collet block, a hexagonal collet block, two threaded rings for closing
collets (there are no collets there, you will need to buy at least the
sizes which you expect to use), and a hand lever assembly for quickly
tightening and releasing the collets instead of having to tighten the
rings more slowly.
You can clamp the workpiece in a collet in the square block,
clamp the block in the vise on the milling attachment. and mill a flat
on the workpiece. You then loosen the vise, rotate the collet block one
flat, and mill the next flat. Repeat until you have all four sides.
The hexagonal block can be used to make hexagonal shapes (e.g.
bolt heads or nuts), or three-sided shapes. In the same way, the square
one can be used to make a simple pair of flats, instead of a square, if
that is what is needed.
This is one of the things which you *need* the MSC catalog for.
You could look it up in the index, and turn to the proper page, to at
least see what the blocks look like. That is page 1565 in the current
"Big Book". The previous page shows individual collets in the 5C size
(the ones which fit the blocks), which have hex or square holes to hold
workpieces of that shape. You have to step back to page 1562 to find
round collets, with differing prices for different grades of collets.
The "Import ones should suffice for this type of operation, at least.
The 7/16" one goes for $8.45, as do all of the other sizes in that
grade.
"draw bars".
A drawbar is a part of a milling machine, or a lathe fitted with
collets. You are unlikely to find them listed separately, and once you
have a lathe, you can make most styles as you need them.
Or enough about indexing tools to figure out what exatly
I'd need to allow me to cut gears on my (specific)lathe.
An indexing head is more often used on a milling machine than a
lathe. Most are too big for your lathe, even in milling machine mode,
though some small ones could be adapted.
There are several styles. An alternative name to look under is
"dividing head".
(Or what it
would look like for that matter).
The MSC catalog, again.
The last several hours I've been
researching Calipers and Indicators trying to figure out which ones are
best for determining the accuracy of a tube's I.D. and O.D.
Most indicators are better for showing how well centered a part
is than for measuring precisely. A plunger style dial indicator,
mounted on a proper stand, can be used to compare something to a set of
gauge blocks to get the best measurement. Normally, for measuring OD,
you want a good micrometer set of sufficient range. For ID measurement,
unless you have a mint handy, you will want to get a set of telescoping
gauges (again see the MSC catalog).
And then
taps are a whole other issue.
I lose count of how many pages dedicated to taps are in the MSC
catalog. :-)
I'm not rich enough to start buying up stuff that sounds as though it
would work for me, and eBay auctions haven't helped a whole lot outside
of showing pictures of things that are hard to see anywhere else.
One Ebayer("czodda") has been auctioning a lot of tooling, but can't
tell me the size of any of it.
I can tell you that the collets shown in that one auction are
*not* the 5C size which you would need -- and don't look to be in any
condition worth bidding on. There are actually two different sizes
there, and neither is of use to you at present.
The lot which is supposed to include a "Starrett micrometer"
does not appear to have one -- though I see an old Starrett "speed
indicator", which is no practical use to you.
I could literally walk to this seller and pick up the stuff if I won
any of the auctions, but why bid on something that may not be
compatable with my machine? I don't know enough to know what I'm
looking at.
Having looked at his auctions -- I would say skip him. He
doesn't know what he's selling. He can't provide good enough photos for
you to tell (or even me). And, given his shipping charge, I'll bet that
he would not allow you to walk over and pick up what you "won".
Leave him to the old tool collectors, who seem to be his target
market.
Enjoy,
DoN.
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