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Thread: Dividing Head

  1. #1
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    Default Dividing Head

    I have just cleaned up a universal dividing head [ I have never used one ] the front of the spindle has an MT4 taper but the taper in the rear is neither MT3 or 4 , what is it for ?

  2. #2
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    It may be for driving the spindle via gears, hofman heads work like that if you want to do indirect dividing. Photos would help

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    It has an input shaft on the back as well , this is the rear of the hollow spindle .
    Sorry , not good with photos , I'm a bit of a dinosaur , and woefully bad internet here .

  4. #4
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    OK next question .
    If using a collet chuck in the MT4 taper , would you just rely on the taper or use some kind of draw bar to hold it in ?

  5. #5
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    The only time you would not use a draw bar is if the cutter forces were pushing the tooling into the taper (for example, on a drill press). All other times, you should use a draw bar.

    Michael

  6. #6
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    Default

    20220522_113051.jpg I cant seem to rotate pic with what I have . This is the rear taper .

  7. #7
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    I still have no idea what the taper is for , or the 2 hex head screws . Maybe together they hold & support the geared drive setup ?

  8. #8
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    Dero it is for differential indexing. If you google "differential indexing using a dividing head" there are youtube clips that explain better than I can.

    Robert

  9. #9
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    Got it .
    Thanks to all .

  10. #10
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    That looks like the back of a No. 2 Universal dividing head. There is usually a mandrel that fits in the hole at the back of the spindle so that it can be geared when the head is used for differential indexing. Not used often as most dividing heads only need that for a few numbers greater than about 50, but it is there. The two bolts are to hold banjos onto the back of the DH; these take various gears so that the spindle motion can be geared up or down. They also hold the banjos when the DH is used in conjuction with a universal mill and driven by the table.
    I did a video on cutting helical gears https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TJ6sn-oGgk which might give you a bit more of an idea

    Michael

  11. #11
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    Default

    Michael thanks for the vid, could/would you please explain how you find the centre of the job in relation to the centre of the cutter when you have table slewed around at 45 deg?

  12. #12
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    I use the steel rule trick. You've probably seen that done with a lathe tool on a cylindrical piece of stock; it will work for milling cutters on round stock too. I balance the steel rule on my blank and then pin it down with the cutter. A point on the cutter works just as well as the point on a lathe tool.

    Michael

  13. #13
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    haha...thanks Michael....the ruler trick does work well but i thought i was about to learn a new magical measurement technique

  14. #14
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    Doesn't make it not magical...

    'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistiguishable from magic'

    (Arthur C Clarke)


    Michael

  15. #15
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    Pic corrected.
    Attached Images Attached Images

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