Your top slide a discussion

[Stuart]

A simple question for you all to ponder about

Where do you park your top slide and why?

Eg is it parallel to the lathe axis or not?

At what angle do you have it at ( whilst in your neck of the woods the half angle of your threads may dictate a different angle )

Stuart

[Jo]

I always park it parallel to the lathe bed because I normally want to do slight adjustments on the length being turned.

If it is parallel to the saddle the handle gets in the way of the saddle handle or the power feed engagement levers  .

Jo

[Brian Rupnow]

I always park it at a 30 degree angle, because the bed on my lathe, at 18" long, doesn't leave enough free room between the tailstock and headstock.---Brian

[John Hill]

I park mine at 30 degrees, otherwise the top slide handle fouls on the tail stock or the cross slide handle.

[wagnmkr]

Mine is usually at 30 degrees as well, for the same reason as Brian ... short (20") lathe.

Cheers,

Tom

[wheeltapper]

I've made a solid block that fits on the cross slide of my mini lathe and the toolpost fits on that to stiffen the whole thing up so unless I'm cutting a taper my topslide is parked in the cupboard.

Roy.

[Stilldrillin]

Wot Roy just said....... 

David D

[tangler]

Normally parallel for the reason Jo gives but if I'm using tailstock support the I move it to 30 degrees or so.  Also, I tend to cut threads in the parallel position rather than at the half angle.

Cheers,

Rod

[Jasonb]

Like Jo I have mine parallel to the lathe axis as its easier to put a small cut on with the topslide than the carrage handwheel. Also if doing a part with several steps or grooves the topslide handwheel scale can be used to size them.

J

[Dave Otto]

I seem to be the odd ball, 45 degrees for most general turning. Quick and easy to drop a boring bar in the tool post to do I.D. and O.D. chamfering.

Dave

[cfellows]

I guess Dave and I are both oddballs, I just leave it wherever I last set it.  I only move it as necessary.

Chuck

[Jo]

If you have a three channel DRO fitted to your Lathe, you need to leave the top slide parallel to be able to use the combined Z axis facility (or if it is not parallel, say cutting a taper, you mustn't touch the top slide until all the lengths are done as it will your Z measurement. ) 

If you are doing very accurate work then moving the Top slide to 5 degrees is handy to give really fine adjustment on the depth of cut

As for lathes that are designed so the hand wheel hits the tailstock: you get what you pay for 

Jo

[kev]

Parallel, on small work, ie nearly everything, I like to lock the cross slide down and use the scale on the top slide I find it more accurate and more rigid.

[mklotz]

Mine remains parallel.  My lathe is rigid enough that most of the threads I turn can be done using only the cross slide.

With the top slide parallel turning shoulders to a length is particularly easy.  Touch off the tool on the end of the stock using the carriage traverse, lock the carriage stop in place, back off carriage, wind in shoulder length on top slide.  Now the shoulder can be cut to the required length by simply traversing the carriage until it hits the stop.  This approach obviates the need for an adjustable carriage stop.

[cfellows]

....As for lathes that are designed so the hand wheel hits the tailstock: you get what you pay for 

Jo

Hmmm, spoken like someone who is the family's chief financial officer, rather than married to her...

Chuck

[Jo]

Hmmm, spoken like someone who is the family's chief financial officer

[Xldevil]

Hello.
My top slide is parked inside the lathe's cabinet.
I wanted to use an Axa QCT in size A,which is more versatile than the Aa.
You can use bigger chissels and the whole set up is more solid.
The A size is meant for bigger lathes than my S7.
I had to remove the top slide.Otherwise it wouldn't fit.
In combination with my DRO I don't miss the fine feed.
In the rare cases when I need the top slide,it is installed in minutes.







Cheers,Ralph

[Doc]

aprox 29.5 degrees I like it at that for threading the only time I change it it if I have a short taper I want to turn. I do my threading as I learned as an apprentice many years ago. Never plunge straight it and always use the compound slide so that tools leading edge does the majority of the cutting. It's set at 29.5 so that the trailing edge of the tool just cleans up the back side of the thread on each pass.
  When I set up to do threads I turn the compound all the way in till it bottoms out at the end of the travel. I then approach the part being threaded with the cross slide and touch off on the od. Then I back off the compound a turn or so and the advance the cross slide in the double thread depth value of the thread being cut. I then begin threading using only the compound to advance tool into part once you reach the bottom of compound travel you will be at the correct depth. In this fashion you never have to keep track of where you are on depth of thread it is already being kept track of by the bottom of the travel.
  Anyway that is why it is set where it is and in 40 years of doing machine work this method has worked for me so I am probably set in my ways 

[BaronJ]

I usually set mine at about 15 degrees.  So that I can put on a cut that is a fraction of a thou.  About a tenth of a division of the cross slide dial setting.

[sco]

I guess Dave and I are both oddballs, I just leave it wherever I last set it.  I only move it as necessary.

Chuck

Another oddball here - generally only move it when it's necessary!

Simon.

[Stuart]

Well that made an interesting read

It would seem we are split
Parallel, set to your threading angle, last used, chuck it in the cupboard and some other angle

Stuart

[Arbalest]

Parallel for me. Also the five lathes where I used to work were set that way as well.

[John Hill]

As for lathes that are designed so the hand wheel hits the tailstock: you get what you pay for 

Jo

Dang Jo that really hurt,   now I must design an extension for the compound slide handle!

[steamer]

29.5...and I leave it there.    I always set the face of the QCTP square and parallel to the spindle too.   

Dave

[Maryak]

29.5...and I leave it there.    I always set the face of the QCTP square and parallel to the spindle too.   

Dave

2/3 ain't bad 

Best Regards
Bob