I'm working on something, want to guess what?

idcook · Post by **idcook** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 6:55 pm

reible wrote:This is it:

[ATTACH]24081[/ATTACH]

Just for reference this is an assembly.

Ed

I’m still too green to know quite what to call it, but it seems to be intended to give the user ability ‘extend’ something or other.

In fact, it looks somewhat similar to the ‘Stern’ extender discussed in another thread.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:50 pm

Kind of confused by the duplicitous center dowel. And yes I did mean duplicitous since one dowel is pointy, yet the one shown in the initial rendering is not! Me thinks thou is leaving out a critical if not crucial key.

Okay, so I truly have not a clue!:D I do wonder why the one cylinder has a stop collar and the inner dowel is presumedly allowed to turn and move freely (pointy ended or not).

If the inner dowel "is" driven, maybe by a drill chuck or chuck I have less of an idea.

Hmmm, if I have no clue nor idea could I have less than that? Who on the forum has a Piled higher and Deeper in Philosophy that could shed some light on that question.

Do we get dimensions, or would that give it away? To others that is, since I'd still be clueless!

crosscreekcraig · Post by **crosscreekcraig** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 6:47 pm

A mandrel of some sort for wood turning... ??

Live center?

The "collar" with what appears to be a set screw makes me think it's meant to have an adjustable depth/length. But the center "pin" appears to be free floating. hmmmm...

Can we get dimensions?

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:29 pm

The truth be told JPG got it some posts back but I was hoping that a few more of you would try and imaging what it was, and that did work.

Thank you for having a look, and now is the time where I give you the background and more details. And yes you will get to see of of these in a week or two, I mean an actual part and not just a drawing.

First let me say this is lathe related. It is also related to the shopsmith faceplates.

By way of an example the following pictures show a chunk of wood that I wish to center before I put it on the lathe. I have a square piece of Baltic plywood but this could just as well be a bowl blank or anything else that could be mounted with a face plate. I have also pictured the 3-3/4" shopsmith aluminum faceplate.

The first picture is the blank with diagonal corner to corner lines drawn. This should come out to be the center or very close. If this were round to start with then other methods would be need to locate the geometric center.

[ATTACH]24093[/ATTACH]

This next image show using an auto center punch to physical locate the center. Some other means might be to drill a hole or even do nothing. I'm using the center punch because I want the point to be a physical place.

[ATTACH]24094[/ATTACH]

Now with either the hole or just the lines it is time to put the faceplate on the center point. I found it difficult to visually locate the spot looking through the hole and trying to get it right on. Some people are going to be better at this then others.

[ATTACH]24095[/ATTACH]

Since this was an issue for me I addressed this with a bar ground to a tip as can be seen here. The bar needs to fit the shaft and that is about it. The angle could have a large range and is not critical.

[ATTACH]24096[/ATTACH]

This is certainly something most of us here can make. While you do need to grind to get the center on center getting it close on a grinder by hand can be done but I like to do the finishing touches with the lathe which will require additional tooling. If you set up the grinder with a angled edge I think you can just do it that way... I've not tried. The result is to have a center point that is centered to the faceplate as shown.

[ATTACH]24097[/ATTACH]

Another post to follow

Ed

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:36 pm

I should mention another reason for the physical center punched hole is in case the faceplate is removed and another say tail stock were to be used the hole will be for location of that point.

This next image is the use of the center to find the center punched hole thus centering the faceplate and workpiece.

[ATTACH]24098[/ATTACH]

To this point I already have what I need to locate the faceplate.

Next steps in my new issue. And for that I'll start another post

Ed

Mike907 · Post by **Mike907** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:09 pm

How about a compass set to the radius of the faceplate? It would work nicely on your smooth plywood, and it would be easy to center the faceplate in the circle. Or you could make something like this - http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/5/-/19/88/-/2238/Craft-Supplies-USA-Layout-Template. One of the local club members made one from the plastic cone his dog wore after surgery that keeps the dog from licking stitches.

Or, for a lot more money, you can buy your device pre-made. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=49734&cat=1,330,49238&ap=1

Mike

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:19 pm

Back on Aug 11th I posted a thread on the Carter AccuRight Circle Band saw jig.

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=13140

You can go read it or not, the next part of this post is dealing with the addition of a 1/4" hole to the centering of the shopsmith faceplate and is independent of the carter jig unless you like me have one. In that case please read that thread as it will become relevant later.

If we go back to the shopsmith faceplates they can be useful for a lot of projects. In some cases direct mounting to them or by adding a wood facing and mounting you projects to that. Back when I was first introduced to wood lathes chucks were not around, at least not in home shops or in the high school workshop. Most of my lathe work on the shopsmith was with faceplates until I got a Nova chuck not so many years ago. I still see certain projects a faceplate projects even now. So to me I want to keep this aspect as part of my woodworking.

Without getting into too much detail it is nice to have a small hole to use as a locator. When using the circle cutter I fond that a 1/4" works better then the pointed end when cutting the circle. This is also true when using a router to round a shape, the 1/4" pin helps the circle cutting and provide a common point for lathe work.

When I started this design I wanted to make use of a 1/4" rod that would use the 1/4" hole that was there from the creation of the rounded piece. It also made since to have a pointed version for center punched times. It also made since to have a shaft that would fit the hole in the faceplate, the same 5/8" of the shopsmith shaft. I though it well to provide a stop collar because of the differences in faceplates. Better to have a fixed place to stop then an unknown one. The stop collar also works well to have something to hold on to when using it.

[ATTACH]24099[/ATTACH]

The image show how this works. No rocket science here. Like I said I have one to experiment with in a week or so. If I like it then I will be willing to provide dimensions in case someone wants to build one like it.

Now for those of you with eyes on the carter system they make an attachment called a Center Master™ Blank Creation System. It makes it easier to cut a round blank for turning. It uses a 1/4" hole and then they sell a new plate and a either a 1x8 or a 1-1/4 x 8 adapter to center the hole on the face plates of those sizes. Either of these are true shopsmith sizes and while one could adapt them I'm not so inclined.

http://www.carterproducts.com/band-saw- ... /accuright

I think I can save the $40 and shipping with the changes I have made to the original version I have and this new centering part. Testing will tell for sure.

I'm also getting the green wood blade from Highland hardware (I have this for my other bandsaw and want one for the shopsmith. Big teeth and deep gullets work really well on wet wood.

So that is the most of this tale unless you have questions or comments.

Ed

reible · Post by **reible** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:44 pm

Mike907 wrote:How about a compass set to the radius of the faceplate? It would work nicely on your smooth plywood, and it would be easy to center the faceplate in the circle. Or you could make something like this - http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/5/-/19/88/-/2238/Craft-Supplies-USA-Layout-Template. One of the local club members made one from the plastic cone his dog wore after surgery that keeps the dog from licking stitches.

Or, for a lot more money, you can buy your device pre-made. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=49734&cat=1,330,49238&ap=1

Mike

Again keep in mind the plywood was used as an example. This could just as well have been a the side of a tree. The point taken is yes there is many ways to accomplish the same goal and you have some good examples of them.

Yes I have seen the circle guide and I think somewhere in the shop is one one I made out of some plastic. It is quite simple to make and as I recall I used a nail to scratch the lines in on the lathe. Haven't seen it in years but I have no reason to believe I would have thrown it out. This is the same sort of idea that we used to make gauges for .22 group shooting when I was in that program as a youth.

Now that I think of it I believe the 5/8" rod that I showed is from Don. It was with some of the faceplates in one of my tool boxes. I was thinking when I got it out that it was looking kind of dull, I was thinking I had use CRS for mine so it would be nicer looking. It was also shorter. Now I have to start checking around for my version. Wonder where I have that stored.

Speaking of Don, the last time I was out to his site he had no shopsmith faceplates listed. Have to check again as Lee Valley is showing them. MMMM?

Ed

RonKlein · Post by **RonKlein** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 12:41 am

A 5/8" brad point bit works pretty well for centering the faceplates, too.

Ron

crosscreekcraig · Post by **crosscreekcraig** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 6:07 am

RonKlein wrote:A 5/8" brad point bit works pretty well for centering the faceplates, too.

Ron

Sure, but that takes all the fun out of fabricating your own!