shop built dividing head help

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stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

shop built dividing head help

Post by stephenc »

hello

i need some help .

i want to build a dividing head , and i have no real idea where to start .

what i do know is this , i have neither the skills or knowledge to design one myself . and i want to build one that is sized correctly to use on my 8 inch shaper . simplicity and economy is key . my goal is to be able to cut gears on my shaper .

i have seen quite a few shop built dividing heads online , but as i am a little computer illiterate i haven't come across any free plans or material lists .
hopefully someone can point me in the right direction .

thank you
Russ Hanscom
Posts: 1955
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Farmington, NM

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by Russ Hanscom »

Two sources for plans that come to mind; check Home Shop Machinist, and Model Engineers Workshop. Both have had articles in the past plus both probably have separate publications for sale that cover one as a standalone project.

There are endless versions of the project depending on complexity and features.

Good luck.
SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by SteveM »

I would start with this book:

Image

https://www.amazon.com/Dividing-Deluxe- ... iding+head

Steve
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by stephenc »

Thanks for the help guys , I've wanted the gingery books for quite awhile , finances on the other hand say I don't need them that bad lol

I have looked at the home shop machinist ... yet again find the roadblock to be having to purchase plans .
Call it cheap if you must , but I live on aproxx $826 a month so frugal is a word to live by .
SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by SteveM »

stephenc wrote:Thanks for the help guys , I've wanted the gingery books for quite awhile , finances on the other hand say I don't need them that bad lol.
Amazon has the book used for as little as $5, which is more than you will spend in materials if you make a single design error, so I think it would be money well spent.

Good luck with the project.

Steve
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by stephenc »

Sometimes what seems like a little to one person is a lot to another person .. as an example my current net worth you'll see in the picture .
So obviously buying books and or plans isn't an option

I am not complaining here just explaining . One without the means to buy must make and scrounge .
The materials needed to build a dividing head will be procured threw salvage and barter . And other then a worm and gear should be rather easy to find without spending anything but Some time and effort .
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Russ Hanscom
Posts: 1955
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Farmington, NM

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by Russ Hanscom »

Any idea of the size worm and pinion you need? What sized unit are you trying to build? I have at least one set gathering dust here.
hammermill
Posts: 2938
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 10:43 pm
Location: pendleton or

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by hammermill »

Sometimes one needs to use a little poorcraft to find parts. most angle head gear boxes start out as a complete assembly. look in industrial junk yards.

For books consider the public libraries a little bit of courtesy and a reference librarian can get a copy of most anything.

Last the internet. Learn to use a search engine. Tons of info quickly becomes available.
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by stephenc »

russ
the beginnings of my plan are pretty simple , i'd like to build a dividing head with a center height of about 4 inches this size would fit the working envelope of both the shaper and lathe . my shaper doesn't have a very large table about 8 inches square .
but the handy thing is it does have t slots on the one side . so i plan on mounting the dividing head / tail stock on a master plate and supporting one end on an angle block bolted to the side of the table if need be .

as to the worm and gear ,.. of course smaller would be better . but i think within reason size can be worked around and ratio's might be a better aspect to worry about as i can be mathematically challenged but even that can be over come , 30-1, 40-1 ,60-1 90-1 ,100-1 would be the easiest i think to work with .

i use my library quite frequently , while it is a small library in a small town they do have a pretty fair amount of useful material when it comes to basic machine use . but once it gets past the basics things fall short .

the internet ... i have done a fair amount of searching , and have found quite a large amount of information . then inexperience leads me astray .
trying to process everything and make an informed decision when you have never used or even seen a dividing head first hand things get overwhelming very quickly .

over at the hobby machinist member mark f built a very nice dividing head that looks to be roughly the size i think would be a good fit for me , but unfortunately he is having some health issues so his plans are unavailable for the time being .
and without at least basic plans i am in way over my head .
spro
Posts: 8016
Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 11:04 pm
Location: mid atlantic

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by spro »

When looking at dividing heads, it may be best to see designs specific to small shapers. Imho spur gears are best done with a small horizontal mill. My shaper is 7" stroke and I've pondered this. These small shapers are pretty good about adjusting the stoke distance and working position but there are issues with the clapper returning to cut mode, over a confined space. There is the pressure unlike a milling wheel. The ram pressure is right severe and intermittent. That would seem to place the main head at the outer reach of the knee block/table. However, the worse thing is a crash against the head, especially since normal tailstocks are milled tightly flat above the center. They would be at the stroke extension, so the clapper tool could pass above and regenerate the power stroke.
These thoughts require considering a separate unit with a cast base to fit the shaper. The base can be secured by many bolts into the shaper T slots and the components arranged to fit the operation before that. There is also the question about dividing when simple indexing upon any gear of useable size could be used. All of this could be worked out on a separate platform.
stephenc
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:13 pm
Location: youngstown ohio

Re: shop built dividing head help

Post by stephenc »

Spro
You bring up a few points that I have been thinking about .
One of my concerns was the "banging " of the tool starting into the work .
The actual cutting force while it definitely needs taken into consideration isn't as worrisome as the initial hit when the cutter hits the work piece . At least in my mind anyway .
And is one of the reasons why I would like to have it on a master plate .
Castings are way out of my reach . But making weldments are not .

And while making spur gears might be best on a mill , we can come back to simple economics , gear cutters are expensive. Not a little expensive in my realm
But very very expensive .
Will I be able to make gears as accurately on a shaper ... maybe or maybe not .
But $3-4 each for a couple of sticks of hss to grind a rougher and finish tool is a lot easier to afford .
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