The old Hercus cross slides (or, as their parts manuals call it, the compound slide base plate?)
have a pair of zero marks – one on the front, and one on the back – to align with the nicely engraved protractor on the rotating compound casting.

If you use the compound at more than +30°, the front mark will be covered, and I never remember to use the back mark. Out of sight, out of mind?
What I needed was one facing the chuck.



1) Use a fine pen to mark the location beside 90° on the protractor:
IMG_2306.jpg


2) Remove compound slide assembly, and attach a tool, somewhere, to engrave over the mark.
A scriber (or Dremel) well clamped to the bed would do,
but I found an easier way - a boring bar in the chuck:
IMG_2308.jpg


3) Push the scribing tool into the casting with your left hand, and crank the carriage/saddle toward it a few times with your right:
IMG_2309.jpg
swinging the tool up between passes to be nice to the carbide (by turning the chuck a little).


4) Now there is a decent groove, carefully hand scrape a few times to finish it off:
IMG_2310.jpg


et voila:
IMG_2311.jpg
Attached Images




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