Looking for a Taper turning attachment

[aljunk]

My machine didn't come (to me) with a taper attachment and i would really like to be able to cut some tapers. anyone have one for sale or know of one, I'd prefer to have a hercus part than a southbend.
al

[wannabe]

Good luck. Scarce as hens teeth and if you can find one it will cost a fortune.
The taper turning attachment doesn't just fit onto a standard lathe. For it to work you also requires a different cross slide, cross slide screw, cross slide nut and a bed clamp bracket.

[prozac]

Have you tried http://www.hercus.com.au/, and send them an email. Maybe they have some old stock sitting on a shelf.

[.RC.]

Links to pictures of plans for a taper turning attachment.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/OzRinger/taper1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/OzRinger/taper2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/OzRinger/taper3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/OzRinger/taper4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/OzRinger/taper5.jpg

[Woodlee]

Good luck. Scarce as hens teeth and if you can find one it will cost a fortune.
The taper turning attachment doesn't just fit onto a standard lathe. For it to work you also requires a different cross slide, cross slide screw, cross slide nut and a bed clamp bracket.



You just use the standard cross slide and disengage the cross slide screw .
You swivel the top slide parallel with the cross slide and use the top slide to set your depth of cut.
The base of the taper turning attachment needs to be fitted to the back of the lathe bed and the cross slide needs to fixed to the sliding part of the taper attachment.
As the feed is engaged on the saddle the taper attachment pulls the cross slide toward the work or pushes it away depending on the taper , creating the taper .

Best way would to get some detailed drawings and make your own.

[wannabe]

You just use the standard cross slide and disengage the cross slide screw .
You swivel the top slide parallel with the cross slide and use the top slide to set your depth of cut.
The base of the taper turning attachment needs to be fitted to the back of the lathe bed and the cross slide needs to fixed to the sliding part of the taper attachment.


Hi Woodlee. I didn't realise you could use the normal cross slide with it. How do you fix the fix the cross slide to the taper turning attachment?
Here's a pic of what mine looks like. Bed clamp is not attached. I think it's setup for 8 degrees at the moment as the last time I used it I was doing a taper for an ER32 collet chuck.

Aljunk: Forgot to mention before. I'm no sure if Southbend made the standard taper turning attachment. They seem to use the telescoping type as I found out when I was looking around to make a bed clamp for mine. I have never seen reference to a telescoping type for a Hercus so I'm assuming they never made one. Then again I could quite possibly be wrong.:U

[.RC.]

Hi Woodlee. I didn't realise you could use the normal cross slide with it. How do you fix the fix the cross slide to the taper turning attachment?


Two bolts usually..Well at least mine does....With fancy taper turning attachments you don't even need to disengage the cross slide screw...

[aljunk]

Thanks for all the replies!!
RC those pics could be a big help if I can fit in another project...... trying to explain to the wife that I really don't have time to work but so far she's not biting! lol
I was really hoping someone was going to say they have one they don't use and would I like me to have it for a a box a beer! Guess that was a bit optimistic eh?
I'm going to look at another 9" here in town this weekend it has the factory tray /stand but hoping for a Taper att might again be a bit optimistic. It is supposed to be in good condition except one drive gear has a broken tooth. He want $900 for it which is a bit more than I wanna pay but when u consider its only 15 mins from my house no shipping costs! I'm guessing it's about the same vintage as mine.
I'm more after it as a hobby to restore it than cuz I need it, it's kinda fun fixin up this old stuff that has some character just for the hell of it. I spent so many years fixin stuff for money or my own stuff cuz I didn;t have the money to buy new that it's nice to just putter on stuff just cuz!

So if anyone changes their mind about selling off their taper att... I will send cold beer!

[blackfrancis]

Hi Peter

I think the larger Southbend lathes had a telescopic screw just as you describe but the 9" (along with a few others) didn't. The pictures of the 9" SB taper attachments I have seen look exactly like the old Hercus ones, like yours. So do you have a different cross slide screw with your attachment or have I miss understood what you said above?

Did you get round to finishing off your steady yet?

Cheers
Steve

[wannabe]

Hi Peter

I think the larger Southbend lathes had a telescopic screw just as you describe but the 9" (along with a few others) didn't. The pictures of the 9" SB taper attachments I have seen look exactly like the old Hercus ones, like yours. So do you have a different cross slide screw with your attachment or have I miss understood what you said above?


Ok. I just didn't see too much of them when I was trying to find out what the bed clamp looked like.

I haven't compared my cross slide screw against the normal one but looking at the parts list it's listed as a different part No. It appears to be longer. Mine reaches about 6mm past the rear way. The cross slide nut I know is definitely different to the normal cross slide one.

They are great swarf collectors. I normally keep mine covered with a couple of oily rags to try and keep some of it out. If you look closely at the pic you can see the paper stuffed into one of the bolt holes to try and stop swarf collection. I think there is also a tin cover that can go over the cross slide slot to cover the cross feed screw and stop swarf too. I've still got to make one of those up.

Just took some pics of the steadyrest and will post in another thread.

[Woodlee]

Wannabe ,

Your taper turning attachment is looks as if it was made specifically for that model lathe and would not fit any other .Looks pretty solid .
I guess you have to remove the normal cross slide and replace it with the specialised one.
The Myford Taper turning attachment bracket bolts on to the end of the cross slide with two bolts .
Shop made ones like in the zip file I attached to my previous post ,the bracket is usually bolted to the top of the cross slide by way of the tee slots that are standard in the Myford lathe.My Myford has the threaded bolt holes along the back of the bed casting to mount the attachment but unfortunately I don't have it. The cross slide nut is easily disconnected on the Myford ,two socket head screws to undo at the front of the cross slide and the whole assembly comes out.
When I get my mill set up I plan to build one as per the zip file.

Kev