Free spinning feed knobs

[John Evans]

One of my pet peeves is the lack of free spinning handles/knobs on machine tools. Most European and Asian tools have free spinning handles,however rare on most smaller at least US stuff. Knee mill knee cranks are at the top of my list as hard on hands . The last few days my Clausing and SB Heavy 10 have been getting the free spinning mod.A few shoulder bolts of the correct size ,abit of drilling and tapping and presto nice free spinning handles.With a little care you can hold the handle in a 3 jaw chuck to drill and counter sink for the bolt . Just drill and tap the stub left from cutting off the knob and Done!

[pete]

That should male a real nice modification John. Something that should have been done at the factory and obviouly wasn't as a cost cutting decision.

[bill jones]

-I did a slightly different version--making mine to where they were quick release pins that turn inside of bushings or 3/8" bore needle bearings installed into the handwheel.

-I happened to have the lever operated 3/8" quick release pins and some aluminum hex bar stock that fit my hands Ok---so that is what I used.

-I made several of the handwheels that have multiple holes----so I could quickly move the handles to the most convenient positions---especially when doing repetitious cuts.

-My shop is pretty small so those handles were always in the way and hurting my bones when I'd bang into'm----so that is the main reason I made'm quickchange---so I can take'm off and have them out of the walk way areas.

-I have 3 on my 10x54mill---two on my 14x40lathe---and 3 on my bench mill.

-I have a power up & down feed for the mill table so I don't have to deal with that long swinging arm.

[whateg0]

I have always thought the same. Some PO of my 10EE had replaced the ball cranks on the crossfeed, compound, and tailstock with big, ugly, in-the-way handwheels. I decided to make new ball cranks and add spinning knobs. I tried them out first on the handwheel on the rotary table and a handle I use on the drill press for manual tapping. They look like normal handwheels, but have a 1/4" both through the middle. A shoulder bolt would be better, but this was easy and quick. I still need to make the one that is sized for the lathe, but for now the one I stole from the rotary table is working pretty well.

[spro]

Great work.

[spro]

Sure I deleted remarks about each improvement. They are all cool and nothing better than a free spinning handle or knob.

[Nelson]

Great work, makes life much easier. Thanks for sharing.

[spro]

Now that this is all done. Now that everyone agrees about knobs which spin are better.. The very first picture shows the classic tear drop. I don't mess with these. My rather oily fingers are the lube and these aren't backing out easy. Two-three fingers and thumb, very tactile. A perfect design really and they get more polished by use. The ones need spun are the horrid straight tapered knobs of other wheels.
Okay, edit to say that on carriage traverse or sliding beds, spinning knobs is the answer.

[whateg0]

Old thread, I know. But I finally got the ball crank finished for my 10ee. It bugs me that the slot in the screw head is at an angle. I tried to guess how much farther it would rotate when tightened. (I couldn't tighten it beforehand because then I wouldn't be able to get it off to cut the slot.) I'll either make a shim or take 6 thou off the back of the screw head. Oh, and the spinning knob isn't as big as it looks. The whole thing is almost perfectly balanced, with the cg roughly 50 thou toward the big end. I love the way it feels, and the knob spins smoothly.

Dave

[Harold_V]

While having floating handles is nice, there's a down side. For those of us who have used machines for a living, and have used the same machines for many years, wear of the assembly causes some serious end play. It's not easy keeping the handles clean and oiled, especially if one runs coolant (which I did). I've had to remake some of the assemblies on my Graziano, which came from the builder with floating handles on the carriage, cross slide and compound, as well as the tailstock.

I've never had an issue with the fixed handles on my Bridgeport mills. They are shaped nicely, and spin almost friction free. Seems my hands tend towards being rather oily when I'm machining. I can see where sticky hands could be a problem, though.

H

[tornitore45]

Personally I like the better feeling of control of a fixed handle on my machines. Most handles are rarely spun so fast to bother, and those that are are motorized on my mill (X and Z). Cranks that one spin fast or must put some muscle behind can certainly benefit

[whateg0]

I doubt I'll ever put enough hours on the machine to wear them out. Or, if I do, it won't happen often enough to be a huge problem. I never really disliked the fixed handles on my old lathe, or even the one on the traverse handwheel. But I do like the feel of this. If I ever get nostalgic about fixed handles, I'll make another knob for this one.

Oh, and another advantage to fixed is that there's more leeway in the shape. With a spindle through the middle, the handle has to be large enough to have some meat left.

Dave