Page 1 of 1
Bench Tube Maintenance
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:31 pm
by dusty
I decided I wanted to cut down on the time needed whenever I did do work that altered Bench Tubes in any way. With that in mind, I cobbled this together this morning.
[ATTACH]17998[/ATTACH]
I've got one that is similar for the Way Tubes.
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:42 pm
by beeg
Sorry, but I'm at a loss as to what this is for. 
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:07 pm
by dusty
It's only useful if you suspect that your tubes are somehow not right or you are in the process of assembling a Mark V or Mark 7.
It is best to use two identical tools and in some cases three might be helpful.
What it does for you can be done with story sticks or a framing square and combination square used together.
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:39 pm
by algale
dusty wrote:It's only useful if you suspect that your tubes are somehow not right or you are in the process of assembling a Mark V or Mark 7.
It is best to use two identical tools and in some cases three might be helpful.
What it does for you can be done with story sticks or a framing square and combination square used together.
I for one still do not understand what exactly it does or how it is used.
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:27 pm
by fredsheldon
It might have something to do with what I think is a pencil line drawn from the center of one tube to the other. I would think there is a mark on the tubes where the line mates up. That would be a register of the twist in the tubes when you replace them if you removed them for any reason. That's my guess and I'm sticking to it
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:03 pm
by robinson46176
Looks like a dial indicator to me.
Actually when I first saw it I thought that two of them attached to the bottom side of a tray or shallow box would make a great quick mount for a temporary place for accessories or lathe tools.
.
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:15 pm
by dusty
OKAY, this wasn't intended to be a guessing game. I will carry it no further.
All that it does, in a quick and dirty manner, is confirm for me that the spacing between the Bench Tubes is correct (6 3/4") and consistent the entire length of the tubes.
If the tubes are positioned incorrectly and/or are bent, moving this jig along the length of the tubes will telling you that very quickly.
I also have two of these that are dimensioned for the Way Tubes.
Why you ask do I care? Maybe it is because I don't have anything important or pressing to do but it may be because I am bugged by alignment inconsistencies. I believe that some of these inconsistencies might be due to the tubes.
I am especially bugged by the fact that an extension table aligned on one end of the Mark V is only marginally serviceable if moved to the other end.
Why?
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:20 pm
by dusty
robinson46176 wrote:Looks like a dial indicator to me.
Actually when I first saw it I thought that two of them attached to the bottom side of a tray or shallow box would make a great quick mount for a temporary place for accessories or lathe tools.
.
I just might give you full credit for those answers.
It would take very small changes to convert this "design" (I use that term very loosely) into brackets that lock onto the bench or way tubes to support something like a box or rack for chisels or a remote OFF switch for the Mark V.
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:23 pm
by dusty
fredsheldon wrote:It might have something to do with what I think is a pencil line drawn from the center of one tube to the other. I would think there is a mark on the tubes where the line mates up. That would be a register of the twist in the tubes when you replace them if you removed them for any reason. That's my guess and I'm sticking to it
That line is the center line for the two holes. It is 6 3/4" long (circle to circle). This should probably be written on the jig.
On the jig for the Way Tubes, the separation is 5 1/4".