Author Topic: Levin TS tooling  (Read 1261 times)

Offline steamer

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Levin TS tooling
« on: January 06, 2020, 01:27:44 AM »
making up centers and associated tooling to make them.   Taper is 2.43 degrees per side

Last picture is a nearly completed D bit to make an in situ female socket for the headstock.    With that I can finish the other blanks by mounting them by their tapers, and machine male and female centers and harden them.

Dave
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Offline Dan Rowe

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Re: Levin TS tooling
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2020, 02:13:49 PM »
Taper is 2.43 degrees per side

Dave, where did you find that info? If you measured one what was your method to precisely measure the taper?

My Levin has a D collet tailstock but I also have a Derbyshire Magnus and it has the same style of tailstock as your Levin.

Cheers Dan
ShaylocoDan

Offline steamer

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Re: Levin TS tooling
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2020, 04:29:34 PM »
Taper is 2.43 degrees per side

Dave, where did you find that info? If you measured one what was your method to precisely measure the taper?

My Levin has a D collet tailstock but I also have a Derbyshire Magnus and it has the same style of tailstock as your Levin.

Cheers Dan

My Levin came with 1 ONE TS center which fit nicely enough.   I searched in vain for the spec online.  I even called Levin!   They wouldn't tell me..    So I measured the small end of the center.... measured the big end... measured the distance apart.    and determined the half angle using Trig.   I then set the compound to that dimension as close as I could, and made a cut on a piece.   When I got those dimensions, I marked the side of the piece with a sharpy, and did a fit check against the TS spindle, which is hardened.     It showed that the taper was just a bit steep, so I made another small adjustment and that got.    I also had to take up on the gibs as the tool was sticking out a bit.   I also found that you can "nudge" the compound by putting a piece of smoking paper under 1 side of the cross slide shoe between it and the lathe bed.     ZigZag brand smoking papers are a very consistent 0.0008" thick....comes in handy!

The only other thing to pay attention to, is length.   The Levin uses a cross hole with a taper pin to knock the center out, but you can make the center long enough that it occludes the knock out....so pay attention!   

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline steamer

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Re: Levin TS tooling
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2020, 04:36:53 PM »
The other thing that I was told is there is no standard for the WW TS tapers....so you may have to "Go fish".   Thinking about it, you know it probably has to be less than 6 degrees to be effectively self locking....so you could sneak up on it slowly and keep checking until you're there.   It would be a tedious weekend...but you'd get there!

Once you're there, make a bunch!...I made 5 blanks in O-1 and 1 in brass....plus I made a D bit with that taper and a tapered shank as per above.

The other way to measure enough to get you into the ballpark would be take two different sized ground pins with no chamfers.    Insert the small one and measure how far in it goes.    Then insert the large one and measure how far that one goes.     From there you have two diameters.   The difference in insertion depth is the distance apart.   Do the trig and you have the approximate half angle...minus measurement error....but it should be a good jumping off point and then tweek it.

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline steamer

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Re: Levin TS tooling
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2020, 04:39:57 PM »
You would think that your could do this very easily with two different sized ball bearings and a depth mic or a test indicator....but I'd be scared of getting the ball stuck in the taper!!!

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Mcgyver

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Re: Levin TS tooling
« Reply #5 on: January 07, 2020, 09:54:02 PM »
that would be the best way.....isn't there a through hole in the quill?  The ball is going to have a small ring of contact, and if there's a through hole it should be push-out-able. 

edit...I see your remark about the cross hole...so I guess there is no through hole.   
« Last Edit: January 07, 2020, 10:02:14 PM by Mcgyver »

 

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