A centering gauge for a BCA

[Jo]

I picked up this centering gauge last weekend:



What is nice about it other than the Mercer guage is that it is much shorter than your normal dialator centering gauge (but Eric you know I won't say no to that one you were tempting me with  ).  The way it works is very simple with a lever that presses against the end of a standard dial:





She came with a 1MT adaptor and a clarkson adaptor, so all it required was an adapter to be made up (Yes Phil I made some extras whilst I was at it, can't have too many BCA arbors  )



And here it is fitted on the BCA:



There is about 65mm of spare head room for any work piece  .

Jo

[pgp001]

Jo

That looks to be a natty little gadget, I am sure I have seen something like it before maybe in kit form.
I am planning to use a pair of dead length stop bars to centre both the X & Y axis under the spindle, these will be manually held in position whilst the slides are set.

I am currently in the final stages of fitting the DRO onto my Boley, it has taken a little longer due to the fact I am also adding some wedge type table locks while I have it apart.

What grade of steel did you use for making your BCA collet blanks, I have just oredered some EN8 to make a batch for mine.
It was a toss up between that or EN24T.

Phil

[Jo]

Phil,

I have not made any true collets as I have two sets of imperial 1/32" ones. So I have been using what ever comes to hand off the scrap pile to make various reamed holders which lock what they are holding using a grubscrew.

I would like a set of metric collets but not at the price wanted by Tenga 

Jo

[steamer]

Nice rig Jo!.....I need a dedicated indicator mount for the Clausing...the Aciera is difficult...it's so small...you don't have much head room...will probably make something that grabs the bottom dovetail...but has a link to allow it to be placed radially with respect to the spindle.......I've been cobbling things for a long time...so I may rectify this issue this winter....but too much to do now.

Dave

[Mosey]

Dave,
Will you still need it as much if you fit some DRO's to the F1?
Of course, we both want that factory microscopic centering device, don't we. How about we buy some cheap optics and make them? Seems to me that we have recently seen something like that, on the Aciera/Schaublin forum?
Mosey

[steamer]

Sounds very interesting....gotta link?

I have a centering microscope  I think it's a Skoda...definitely not an Aciera or Shaublin...but that's only good for a target....it's harder to get good results with a hole

Dave

[Jo]

I have a centering scope with a 12.7mm shaft that can be fitted to a chuck but the mirrors mean that it is quite tall and then you need a mount into the quill. I don't use it that much.

I do use the zeroing facility on the DRO's and of course the BCA has one fitted 

Jo

[steamer]

The one I have is a Skoal.  It has a 3/8 shank and is quite small.

Dave

[steamer]

Here's the Skoal

[bp]

I too have a Skoal and find it really helpful, even for setting lathe tool heights by putting it in the tailstock chuck.
cheers
Bill
ps one of my "waking up in a cold sweat" moments is when I missed a BCA moderately well equipped for AU$450!!

[Mosey]

Very nice Skoal! 
How does that compare with missing an equiped Aciera F3 in nice condition for $3500.00?
Mosey