hightower deluxe lathe
- Thread starter whammo57
- Start date
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The picture suck but you can get the idea. This 3rd taper bar makes points a lot easier. It's mounted with the bolts that hold the shaft taper bar. I have one on each lathe so I can cut different angles without changing anything.
Saving time setting up steps makes the difference between living in the shop having a life.
Get more routers and set them up on a quick change tool post so you don't have to change the bits. Some of the bits don't matter but the important ones like your point cutter should never change. After realizing how much time I saved having a dedicated point router I set up 7 routers with different cutters in each. You'd be surprised how much time this saves me.
The picture suck but you can get the idea. This 3rd taper bar makes points a lot easier. It's mounted with the bolts that hold the shaft taper bar. I have one on each lathe so I can cut different angles without changing anything.
Saving time setting up steps makes the difference between living in the shop having a life.
Get more routers and set them up on a quick change tool post so you don't have to change the bits. Some of the bits don't matter but the important ones like your point cutter should never change. After realizing how much time I saved having a dedicated point router I set up 7 routers with different cutters in each. You'd be surprised how much time this saves me.
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I just was asking Chris about how to do the 3rd taper bar today. I need to get a sharper angle for shorter points. Good Idea... I take it that the 3rd taper bar is a 3/4 aluminum angle???
I am including a couple pics.
One is a holder for a spur driver. I drilled and bored the 1 in hex aluminum to receive the spur driver and hold it with a 1/4 20 set screw. There is a ***** punch mark on the hex aluminum and a matching one on the chuck jaw. There are 2 file marks on spur driver. I can break down the set up for points or butterflies and use the lathe for other operations then put it back the same way it was.
The other pic is a smaller diameter taper bar follower. It has 4 rc car wheel bearings. 7mm id and 11mm od. It lets me get more angle on the short taper bar. I put the bearings on a the shank of a 3/8 bolt turned down to just under 7mm.
Kim
I am including a couple pics.
One is a holder for a spur driver. I drilled and bored the 1 in hex aluminum to receive the spur driver and hold it with a 1/4 20 set screw. There is a ***** punch mark on the hex aluminum and a matching one on the chuck jaw. There are 2 file marks on spur driver. I can break down the set up for points or butterflies and use the lathe for other operations then put it back the same way it was.
The other pic is a smaller diameter taper bar follower. It has 4 rc car wheel bearings. 7mm id and 11mm od. It lets me get more angle on the short taper bar. I put the bearings on a the shank of a 3/8 bolt turned down to just under 7mm.
Kim
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The stock shaft is long enough.
Coring Suggestions
For those with DC motors and you want to core. Instead of putting the DC motor through more than its electronics are designed for. Pick up a 1/2 HP AC 1725 RPM motor and mount it right behind the lathe on a hinge in line with the headstock motor. When you want to core just hook a belt up from that AC motor up to your DC motor and just use the DC motor like an idler pulley. Unplugging the DC motor will eliminate the magnet drag also. This will make coring a breeze without losing the instant variable speed functions for the rest of your work.
For those with DC motors and you want to core. Instead of putting the DC motor through more than its electronics are designed for. Pick up a 1/2 HP AC 1725 RPM motor and mount it right behind the lathe on a hinge in line with the headstock motor. When you want to core just hook a belt up from that AC motor up to your DC motor and just use the DC motor like an idler pulley. Unplugging the DC motor will eliminate the magnet drag also. This will make coring a breeze without losing the instant variable speed functions for the rest of your work.
A few modifications
I mounted a simple 1 inch travel dial indicator with a angle bracket from a hardware store and some small screws with nuts small enough to fit into the slots on the side of the cross slide. Makes my work way more repeatable.
I mounted a simple 1 inch travel dial indicator with a angle bracket from a hardware store and some small screws with nuts small enough to fit into the slots on the side of the cross slide. Makes my work way more repeatable.
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I used to break pinion gears
Until I made a retainer strap to hold in the crank handle and it also works smoother now! I never use the power feed, or do tapers on shafts with my Deluxe, so I removed the shaft taper bar and now use it as an adjustable taper bar on my Unique Taper Shaper, and mounted a reverse direction butt taper bar in its place on the Deluxe. Now I can do a butt taper in either direction, which I find handy when doing repairs on my Hightower Deluxe.
Until I made a retainer strap to hold in the crank handle and it also works smoother now! I never use the power feed, or do tapers on shafts with my Deluxe, so I removed the shaft taper bar and now use it as an adjustable taper bar on my Unique Taper Shaper, and mounted a reverse direction butt taper bar in its place on the Deluxe. Now I can do a butt taper in either direction, which I find handy when doing repairs on my Hightower Deluxe.
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indicator
The dial indicator on the cross slide looks very handy. I will try that.
If you have tried to use a magnetic mount for a dial indicator, you already know that there is nothing to stick it to on a cue smith lathe. If you look in my pic you will see an electrical box cover screwed to the wooden lathe base. That is so I can stick my magnetic base indicator down to easily indicate what ever is in the chuck.
thanks
Kim
The dial indicator on the cross slide looks very handy. I will try that.
If you have tried to use a magnetic mount for a dial indicator, you already know that there is nothing to stick it to on a cue smith lathe. If you look in my pic you will see an electrical box cover screwed to the wooden lathe base. That is so I can stick my magnetic base indicator down to easily indicate what ever is in the chuck.
thanks
Kim
Yeah I did try a mag mounted indicator
But once in awhile it can move a little and there goes the accuracy! Now it remains totally rigid and very accurate. What a pleasure to use! With the indicator on a 45 deg angle it clears the speed handles on the carriage and crosslide quite easily.
I do have a few more tricks: one is to remove the rub bearing for the taper bar, slip a 6 inch long rod into that mount. Use a dial indicator on a swivel onto that rod to read runout when checking a shaft before cutting a ferrule, or installing a pin in a butt. The indicator can face the operator, and be vertical. That works very nifty, I can take a pic if needed.
But once in awhile it can move a little and there goes the accuracy! Now it remains totally rigid and very accurate. What a pleasure to use! With the indicator on a 45 deg angle it clears the speed handles on the carriage and crosslide quite easily.
I do have a few more tricks: one is to remove the rub bearing for the taper bar, slip a 6 inch long rod into that mount. Use a dial indicator on a swivel onto that rod to read runout when checking a shaft before cutting a ferrule, or installing a pin in a butt. The indicator can face the operator, and be vertical. That works very nifty, I can take a pic if needed.
Never thought of that one. The rod is 3/8, the same as the indicator rod.
I have put a reversing switch on the feed motor so I can feed both ways on multiple cuts. I always go from right to left on final cuts. I can give a schematic and pic if anyone is interested. I have the latest ver with the DC feed motor on the right end of the lead screw, so it might be different than yours.
Kim
dead center
I experience some wobble of any spur center or dead center I put in the chuck. I have to wiggle, spin, or push it back and forth to get it to run true. It's like the chuck jaws don't grab it right.
The actual runout of the chuck is within 1 to 2 thou when checked with a 1/2 in ground pin.
Does anyone else have this problem??? Have you found any fix??
Kim
I experience some wobble of any spur center or dead center I put in the chuck. I have to wiggle, spin, or push it back and forth to get it to run true. It's like the chuck jaws don't grab it right.
The actual runout of the chuck is within 1 to 2 thou when checked with a 1/2 in ground pin.
Does anyone else have this problem??? Have you found any fix??
Kim
Fixing chuck runout
It is better to use a longer dead center to avoid "swash" from an out of line center line.
But, I suggest you bore your chucks to get things closer in line. It is tedious because you must cut the jaws with the slowest feed you can control. But it does wonders for the kind of problems mentioned. You do have to clamp the jaws onto something about the diameter you wish to be most accurate, and bore to that diameter as well. Your chuck will only be near perfect for that chosen diameter, and just close for other sizes. This task is not only used for the Deluxe, but all your lathes. And yes I gave you a simple, quick explanation, and you will have to plod through little details to do this job correctly.
It is better to use a longer dead center to avoid "swash" from an out of line center line.
But, I suggest you bore your chucks to get things closer in line. It is tedious because you must cut the jaws with the slowest feed you can control. But it does wonders for the kind of problems mentioned. You do have to clamp the jaws onto something about the diameter you wish to be most accurate, and bore to that diameter as well. Your chuck will only be near perfect for that chosen diameter, and just close for other sizes. This task is not only used for the Deluxe, but all your lathes. And yes I gave you a simple, quick explanation, and you will have to plod through little details to do this job correctly.
I agree with what you are saying, but want to add that if someone takes their chuck jaws down onto a 3/8" rod or even a 1/2 and bores them with that small of a radius it will do really good for that size, but the jaws can be almost useless for other size work. That is why we bore to large diameter pieces to give the best use through the full range.
If holding a perfect dead center is something you feel must be done, get a compound slide to cut 60 degree angles. Make a double ended dead center out of brass and put it in and true it up in place. Then do this each time you want to use it. It will not matter if your chuck has a couple of thousandths of run out, it will perfect. Or you could go with the long piece of brass as mentioned so you can grab it in two chucks and just turn the end to 60 degrees. Because brass is soft you can get a real sharp file and just touch it to it for a few seconds with the lathe on high speed each time you use it and you won't have to recut the angle everytime.
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I'd like to add I never bother using a lathe dog on my dead center when routering. Get it running true and you are good to go. I can stop my shafts, butts, or even squares from turning with two fingers but they still router fine. If your work piece stalls you are cutting too much too fast. Just my opinion.
Someone mentioned in an earlier post they tighten their chuck on the same jaw every time because they have noticed a difference in run out. These are the little idiosyncrasies your need to look for and build on.
Someone mentioned in an earlier post they tighten their chuck on the same jaw every time because they have noticed a difference in run out. These are the little idiosyncrasies your need to look for and build on.
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