Thread: Making a sine plate

Hi Bruce,
The projects you did in your apprenticeship always amaze. The descriptions always include terms like ground, hardened and lapped. I always enjoy your posts on such things. I guess they don't do anything like that anymore?

Ew

Anyway, contrary to Stu's smart### comments the plate just isn't quite finished....yet(I blame having to replace the water pump gasket in SWMBO's car today) But there are plenty of pics.

Actually i'd like to case harden at least the top of the bottom plate and the top of the top plate....so, like always the domino's go on. I need the sine plate to finish my mag V block. I need an oven to finish my sine plate....What next

The guts of the machining is now done, just need to mill the plates to length and then layout, drill and tap some work holding holes and the roll fixing holes.
Pics should be pretty self explanatory. Damn its nice having a mill with a nodding head...i do miss having a quill though.

Cheers,
Ew

Originally Posted by Ueee

I had thought of something similar, but using my dial height gauge. My bigger gauge blocks are still at the Gardiner testing laboratory. The thing I don't like about doing it this way is it means removing the plate from the grinder and loosing my......no it doesn't, put it agains the back rail you moron!

Ignore all that, hey Josh, you done those gauge blocks yet?

Cheers,
Ew

Sorry Ewan, Nope, I have not pulled out the interferometer since I got them off you. Its a happy day when I do need to pull it out though. Do you need em back?

On the Omer Robbins it has two steps for the blocks with the bottom step being 2x wear blocks deeper.

-J

Originally Posted by Ueee

Damn its nice having a mill with a nodding head...i do miss having a quill though.

Cheers,
Ew

Yes nodding is a very under appreciated thing to have on a mill...

20131013_202328.jpg

Originally Posted by Brobdingnagian

Sorry Ewan, Nope, I have not pulled out the interferometer since I got them off you. Its a happy day when I do need to pull it out though. Do you need em back?

On the Omer Robbins it has two steps for the blocks with the bottom step being 2x wear blocks deeper.

-J

Thats ok, i won't need them till i have an oven made etc.....that should take at least till lunchtime tomorrow.

My little Suburban plate has a .200" step as well as the zero surface. I have seen some plates with the ends of the roll machined down instead, but since i don't have a cyl grinder it will be done as a .100" step. For anyone who hasn't used a sine plate or was wondering about the step, it means you can set really low angles by using say a .1001" or .102" etc block in the step.

Cheers,
Ew

Originally Posted by .RC.

Yes nodding is a very under appreciated thing to have on a mill...

20131013_202328.jpg

I have nodded mine far more times that i've rotated it left or right. The biggest problem it you run out of Y real quickly. I take it thats the 10EE saddle having relief put in the corners?

Ew

That is the beauty of the models where you can slide the ram that the head is on in and out, position the head where you want...

Yes it is the 10EE saddle being machined for turcite..

Originally Posted by Ueee

I have nodded mine far more times that i've rotated it left or right. The biggest problem it you run out of Y real quickly. I take it thats the 10EE saddle having relief put in the corners?

Ew

mmm....how do you get the angle correct...

I either make up a gauge or set something up at the appropriate angle, then align it with the axis I am angling, then put a DTI on the quill and run the quill up and down...

If it is rough and ready, just use the graduations on the head... depends on how accurate you want it... When I did the 10EE saddle, I actually ground a right angle triangle up using the magnetic sine plate to get it good to 32.5 degrees (the V way included angle is 65 degrees) It was probably overkill, but teaches new skills...

Originally Posted by .RC.

Yes nodding is a very under appreciated thing to have on a mill...

20131013_202328.jpg

I just tilt the mill table if I need to do something like that....

PDW

Well i have a job to do that i need the sine plate for. So back to it! At this stage hardening will have to be left, it may be nearly impossible to do it later but.......

Anyway, i have made the hinges

DSCN2416 (Large).jpgDSCN2415 (Large).jpg

Bolted and tapered pined one end on

DSCN2418 (Large).jpg

Then set up the DTI to ensure the roll is parallel to the bottom plate, ready for taper pins

DSCN2421 (Large).jpg

Cheers,
Ew

Looks good Ewan, any thoughts on what you will do for the top as far as fixture holding goes? Lots of tapped holes? T slots?

Ray

PS I see the grinder is getting a workout.. Incidentally I did a pic based downfeed controller for slotting mode on the SG last week, If you can rig up a solenoid to kick the downfeed wheel, it's a piece of cake.

Originally Posted by RayG

Looks good Ewan, any thoughts on what you will do for the top as far as fixture holding goes? Lots of tapped holes? T slots?

Ray

PS I see the grinder is getting a workout.. Incidentally I did a pic based downfeed controller for slotting mode on the SG last week, If you can rig up a solenoid to kick the downfeed wheel, it's a piece of cake.

Thanks Ray,
I have tapped maybe 27? M8 holes for mounting, plus i bought a 450x150 mag chuck cheap from Grays some time back for it.

The mounting spot is there for a solenoid, i would like to add one but it's not a huge priority right now. I'll need to find a way to signal the PIC when the cross feed changes direction, i should be able to piggy back of the existing switches for that. It would be really nice if i could find a wiring diagram and see how it was done factory. As you saw all the blank spaces are there on the pendant for the controls.

Ew

Well i set up and ground the top plate for the rolls today. I carefully sparked out each one at exactly 5" on the cross dial. On to the rock and with the master gauge and DTI i checked the distance, but it is .0055" small. Now that has me scratching my head! I might have to pull the gauge apart and lay it on the grinder so i can use it to position the wheel.

Ew