Thread: How often do you nod your head?

Hello all, I'm planning a frankenmill conversion, grafting a J-head onto my Victoria U2. The U2 is a nice horizontal mill with power feeds on all axes but the vertical adaptor lacks a quill, a friend from another forum found a J-head needing some love so I jumped at it.
Other things keep getting in the way of actual progress on the conversion but it's been getting a fair bit of mental planning. I am in two minds about incorporating the nod adjustment into it; it will be a lot more work to do this so I am wondering what sort of use the nod might get, what sort of work it is essential for, etc. There are enough mills with tilt but no nod out there that I wonder whether it is useful enough to justify the extra work? Given the amount of time I have not had so far this year, the extra work will probably set the project back several months.
So, to nod or not to nod?

No.
Much better to have a tilting angle plate.

Robert

I nod more then I tilt.

But in saying that a big tilting angle plate would render in a lot of cases not necessary. Depends on what you have at your disposal.

Originally Posted by shedeng

No.
Much better to have a tilting angle plate.

Robert

This. I've recently done quite a lot of machining on my Vicky U2 using the horizontal spindle and a 400mm long tilting angle plate I made. Works fine.

When I made up an adaptor to fit a B/port J head to my M head machine I didn't bother with the nod feature and in 20 years I can't say that I've ever missed it. If I did I could have put the M head and knuckle back on anyway.

I'd be interested in how you're planning on fitting the B/port head to the Vicky mill because I've got a spare J head and exactly the same thought. Just need to find the time - my plan was to fit the head to the overarm to maximise Z space.

PDW

Originally Posted by Pete O

Hello all, I'm planning a frankenmill conversion, grafting a J-head onto my Victoria U2. The U2 is a nice horizontal mill with power feeds on all axes but the vertical adaptor lacks a quill, a friend from another forum found a J-head needing some love so I jumped at it.

Hi Pete, any chance of some pics of your J head, please? Just not quite sure what a Jhead is? I bought a horizontal mill that came with a vertical head attachment, that mounts onto the round overarm bar on top of the mill, running a seperate motor.
Thanks,
Kryn

Thanks for those replies, I think you have collectively talked me out of the need for nodding which is a relief, the project will be much easier without it.
I plan to mount the head to the front end of the overarm, bracing with thick bar along the sides and top of the overarm, these will provide increased frontal area on the end of the overarm. A picture would tell a thousand words but the design exists only in my head at present.
Kryn, below is about the only photo I have of my J-head at present, it's undergoing a (slow) rebuild; the link will give you a better pic from the net, it is the power head from a bridgeport series 1 mill.
http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l800...08758367_1.jpg