Your top slide a discussion

[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