Author Topic: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates  (Read 24570 times)

Online Jo

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Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« on: June 12, 2013, 05:39:18 AM »
I normally have a habit of using whatever comes to hand to clamp work on a face plate but I would like to make a set of small clamps suitable use on my Cowells. The initial purpose will be to clamp the Crosskill cylinder in place for the demonstration.

On my BCA jig borer I have some very nice small clamps which are simply 12.7mm wide strips with two holes in them the centre being clearance which mounts in the bed and a second threaded hole in line with it which is used in much the same way as the second thread on a tool maker's clamp to secure the work. These are no good for the lathe face plate as the holes in the face plate mean the second clamping screw would have no where to clamp on.

So do any members with small lathes have a favourite design of faceplate clamp they have found successful? Any chance of some photos?

Jo
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Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2013, 08:08:35 AM »
Commercially I have found some really horrible clamps and they are all too big for what I am trying to do. The first here is the Myford clamp which has never been very satisfactory in my opinion, the swan neck clamp are just as elegant.

Next up is something more akin to what I have made for my BCA except that the mounting hole in the end has been tapped and I have put a brass foot on the end of the screw.   :thinking: I wonder if a wide foot which slots in the face plate hole would work.

Still looking forward to seeing some of your clamps and faceplate mounting solutions.

Jo
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Offline tel

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2013, 09:12:09 AM »
Yes, probably something like a blank tee nut with the flange 'out', you could even add a little dimple to accept the end of the screw.
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Offline tel

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2013, 09:13:12 AM »
... tho I usually just bridge the slot with a bit of 'something handy'.
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Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2013, 09:31:44 AM »
Thanks Tel I was trying to get away from having a bunch of scrap bridging the slots if I could help it. So making up some sort of adjuster like in the attachment is an option or making some little mushroom shapes to drop into the slots might be an elegant solution.

I have been toying with the idea of an eccentric clamp, see attached. The problem is that it needs to go in a fixed hole on the face plate and the degree of adjustment is dependent on the diameter of the eccentric and the thread pitch. Still thinking about this one  :thinking:

Jo
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Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2013, 10:03:28 AM »
I have some clamps that are very small for work like that....I'll take some photo's and post.

Dave
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Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2013, 11:11:31 AM »
I found these interesting little clamps that watchmakers seem to use on their face plates to hold thin bits and piece. They are not actually clamping the work on the plate but "mid air".

Jo
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Offline Raggle

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2013, 11:12:13 AM »
I often think slots on a tiny faceplate are more decorative than useful (scale models of large lathe accessories). Lots of old fellas would recommend a sacrificial plate of aluminum screwed or glued to to the original and then tailored to the job in hand by drilling and tapping in appropriate places. Pocketing is also possible of course.

Our friend vtsteam made his Gingery lathe and used it for years without the benefit of any chuck. A thread well worth reading (if only I could find it ...)  His faceplates all come with their own spindle as I recall.

Having disposed of the slots, clamping ideas may come easier.

Ray
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Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2013, 11:21:59 AM »
Thanks Ray, I found the thread: http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,8191.0.ht ml  :shrug: Most of his machining seems to have used bolting on from the rear of the faceplate.

Jo
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Offline Jasonb

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2013, 01:48:10 PM »
Jo just put the head of the adjusting screw against the faceplate, if the slot is still to wide just use oversize hex to make the screw. That way there are no loose bits that are bound to move about while adjusting the work or worse still fly off if something comes loose.

Or even use a coach bolt like this

http://allthemods.com/project.php?id=397
« Last Edit: June 12, 2013, 01:54:46 PM by Jasonb »

Offline Mosey

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2013, 02:11:09 PM »
Jo,
I'm afraid I can't tell you where to get these, but I thought you'd like to see some that might work for your little faceplate. Mine fit the F1 (tiny) and the Sherline 3-Jaw (tinier), and might work for you. They use 10-32 studs, and as you can see, I have them on 8 mm Tee Nuts as well as the even smaller ones for Sherline. They seem to be home made, and are hardened. I got them in one of those serendipitous drawers of other junk, and I love them. I guess you will just have to make your own. As you can see, some are very small, and are the only way you can get something mounted to the Sherline or F1 table.

Mosey

Offline JimG

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2013, 03:56:57 PM »
I often think slots on a tiny faceplate are more decorative than useful (scale models of large lathe accessories). Lots of old fellas would recommend a sacrificial plate of aluminum screwed or glued to to the original and then tailored to the job in hand by drilling and tapping in appropriate places. Pocketing is also possible of course.

I think I would go with that idea.   I've just done something similar on my milling machine where I had a piece that was going to be difficult to hold properly and I used a piece of 12mm medium density fibreboard (MDF) bolted to the table,  then made up small clamping pieces to fit with the screws being wood screws with pilot holes drilled in the MDF.  This gave me so much more flexibitilty in clamping than using the three tee slots on the table.    The MDF might not be accurate enough for a faceplate setup in a lathe,  but alloy plate used instead, and a tapping drill and a plug tap for the size of clamping screw you want to use, would prove a very flexible option.

Jim.

Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2013, 03:59:26 PM »
I think I might need to explain what I mean by small..... The clamp is going to have to be under 35mm long preferably less.

I have stared looking at the idea of some sort of variation on faceplate dogs which I can get down to 10mm.

Jo
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fcheslop

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2013, 04:44:08 PM »
 :ThumbsUp:Adventures in watch making is well worth a look :ThumbsUp:
« Last Edit: June 12, 2013, 06:03:47 PM by fcheslop »

Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2013, 05:57:31 PM »
I find the best faceplates to be tapped only...no slots.

And ...with small parts, a  interstitial plate works best to mount stuff to.

Dave
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Offline Alan Haisley

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2013, 07:44:45 PM »
On the Sherline Tips site: http://www.sherline.com/tip3.htm is an example of a small surface clamp that could be scaled further. You would obviously need to fabricate appropriately sized T-nuts, but a pair, or even more, of these might suit. These are designed to expose the entire top  of the part, which could be handy.
Alan

Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2013, 07:49:28 PM »
They are cute  :ThumbsUp:

Jo
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Offline tel

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2013, 09:56:59 PM »
I have to agree that holes are better than slots in small faceplates - that's how I did the 3" one I made for the Myford.
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Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2013, 11:25:31 PM »
Well   Even the big ones.....10"   25 pounds
Pictures later.


Dave

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Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #19 on: June 13, 2013, 03:08:15 AM »
Little clamps....they are on a plate, siting on top of a 123 block
....


And big....one I made for my Logan...10" diameter.


I also have a 3C faceplate..about 4 1/2 inch diameter .....which I think is just beautiful...but with no holes or slots yet.   I'll be putting a true running 1/4" hole in the middle and 10-32 tapped holes in a similar pattern as the big faceplate

Dave
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Offline Tin Falcon

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #20 on: June 13, 2013, 12:01:33 PM »
Thanks Alan saved a copy to my shop notes file.
Tin

Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #21 on: June 14, 2013, 02:11:58 PM »
Due to the lack of space for the clamps, which meant they had to be very short, I chose to make them out of the corner of a piece of angle. a 3.2mm shoulder was left on the underside to provide the stand off and I have made two curved and two pointed clamps. They are mounted by a tee nut which is just a piece of 9.53mm stainless with a pair of flats to fit the faceplate and an M5 thread in the face:



They fit nicely around the 2.4mm end of the Crosskill cylinder:



You can see how little space I would have had for a second adjusting screw  :-\ so I gave up on that idea.



I do fancy some faceplate dogs as well  :naughty:

Jo
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Offline PeterE

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #22 on: June 14, 2013, 02:59:48 PM »
Oooohh really neat little clamps Jo  :ThumbsUp:

What size angle bar? Looks like somewhere around 35x35x4 and piece about 20 mm long?

Definately on my ToDo-list!

BR

/Peter

Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #23 on: June 14, 2013, 03:27:00 PM »
Peter, nearly spot on  :ThumbsUp: It is actually a bit of imperial 3/16" thick * 1 1/4" angle (4.76 * 31. 75mm angle)

I ended up leaving them at 25mm long.

Jo
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Offline Alan Haisley

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #24 on: June 14, 2013, 04:06:50 PM »
I would be tempted to prep a handful of blanks to keep on hand if different ends needed to be custom made.  :thinking: 
Alan

Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #25 on: June 14, 2013, 05:02:20 PM »
Strangely enough Alan I had been considering just that with the short end that is left of that piece of angle  :ThumbsUp:.

To keep from getting bored I have knocked up a set of faceplate dogs:





I have intentionally kept to the same M5 allen screws on these as for the previous clamps because it is the same size as the Cowells toolpost  ;)

Jo
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Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #26 on: June 14, 2013, 05:21:58 PM »
Thanks Jo,
I just added to my to do list.

Dan
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Offline gmac

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #27 on: June 14, 2013, 05:25:58 PM »
Gee, glad I woke up this morning! Thanks Jo, I think the Taig and 9x20 are in for some new tooling!

How wide were the clamps (version 1) looks like about 3/8"?

For the faceplate dogs could we see/explain how they are mounted to the backside of the faceplate?

I'm sitting at the computer making a CoC of the parts  ::)

Cheers  Garry

Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #28 on: June 14, 2013, 05:28:34 PM »
Jo

You might want 3 or so of those with the screw angled in towards the face of the faceplate to make sure the part is "bedded" .....just like a shaper toe clamp

Dave
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Online Jo

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #29 on: June 14, 2013, 05:39:38 PM »
Dave: I was thinking about making some brass ends to go on those screws and I was thinking that one set could be angled to provide just that type of clamping effect  :ThumbsUp: Another could be v'ed and then flat...

Garry, the clamps were made 12mm wide. The mounting for the dogs is simple they were turned round to fit through the hole and then have an M6 screw thread on the end on which is a washer and nut.

Jo
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Offline PeterE

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #30 on: June 14, 2013, 05:55:53 PM »
Thanks a lot! Very useful dimensions.

And then a handy version 2!

My ToDo-list grows even more ...  :D

BR

/Peter

Offline gmac

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #31 on: June 14, 2013, 11:52:08 PM »
Thanks again Jo !

Garry

Offline steamer

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Re: Clamps for use on small lathe faceplates
« Reply #32 on: June 17, 2013, 12:35:50 AM »
My embryonic 3C 4" faceplate...





And a faceplate I've gotten for the F1 ...it needs the bore threaded for the dividing head.


Now I think this faceplate will be a great addition to the lathe and the F1...I've decided to take a blank MT3 arbor, and turn the end in place with the spindle nose of the F1 dividing head.  Doing that, I can transfer this faceplate between the SB and the F1.   The arbor will have a accurate 1/4" bore for centering. 

It's 3 1/4" diameter.

Dave
« Last Edit: June 17, 2013, 12:40:25 AM by steamer »
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