On Apr 5, 12:02*am, F. George McDuffee gmcduf...@mcduffee-
associates.us wrote:
...
Other posters have indicated using tool makers buttons to
accurately locate hole and other features, but these can be a
pain if you don't need "toolmaker" accuracy. *
...
Unka' George [George McDuffee]

Lathe faceplate work with toolmaker's buttons etc was the practice in
the late 1800's before the vertical milling machine became common. It
hung on with amateurs because until recently a small vertical mill was
harder to find than small lathe, and boring on a horizontal mill is
about as difficult and limited as milling on a lathe. It's still a
nice technique to know about but unless the holes are too large for a
boring head, the vertical mill is much better for drilling an accurate
hole pattern.

I think the only job I've done on a faceplate in the last 10 years was
recutting solid rubber tires to fit the rims on my 1950's lawnmower.
Sometimes I use a faceplate with a protruding bolt to drive a pulley
on an arbor between centers.

Jim Wilkins