Thread: Tailstock Turret

BT, I dig your attention to detail coupled with your appreciation of the aesthetics. Sometimes its just the the vibe of the thing.

Hi BT,
How about you drill it out with a nice slot drill, 18 or 18.5mm. Then increase it to 19, then ream to 3/4"? The step up to the 19 should be a nice small cut so the slot drill doesn't want to center itself on the old hole too much.

Cheers
Ew

What am I missing Robert? Can you not make a drawbar for your boring head? I have that tiny Deckel head which you could likely mount in a collet if you wished. Let me know and I'll post it.

GQ

Hi BT,

First thing, about the droop test you did(and any boring for that matter)
Won't any testing/machining need to be done with the turret in the position it will be used in?(something closer to the first picture than 11,12 and 13). Unless your tailstock taper is dead on(which I think you are saying it isnt).

Stuart

Thank you for the replies Boys.

Ew,

I could creep up to a hair under 3/4" with the boring head then ream with a reamer I don't yet possess. I need to ensure that there is no movement in the indexer which will entail a revision of its design, before I tackle reboring.

Gregory,

Draw bars abound at No.8 but nothing that suits the Hercus/Kaiser combo. If I had a suitable bolt or a length of allthread, I probably wouldn't be in my present predicament.
Thank's for the offer of the kleine bohrkopf.

Stu,

The initial photos show the turret in an inconvenient position. The indexer is underneath and to the rear. The later photos have the turret better placed. The tools swing out of the way with less chance of snagging flesh. That is the position any future boring would take place in. I do have a problem with tailstock alignment, a problem discussed ad nauseum.
Measurement influenced by indicator droop was the problem. Still is along with bed wear.

BT

A tail stock turret is one of those things that I think would be cool to have until I start thinking about what I'd actually do with it - then I decide that it is in the "later" list of things to get. I'll be interested to see what you use it for.

A couple of thoughts in the mean time -

• Is it worth annealing the turret so that you at least get consistent cuts from it? A soft condition should not influence the function greatly but would certainly help with machining.
• Is it worth trying to drill/ ream with a D bit cutter? Cheap and I'm told slow but accurate may be able to size the hole for you without buying an expensive reamer
• I can't say that I'm greatly taken with the indexing pin. For an application like this spring loaded only means that provided the forces are low enough the pin will stay in place. My thoughts at the moment are drifting to something like a toggle clamp mechanism where the lock is positive.

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

A tail stock turret is one of those things that I think would be cool to have until I start thinking about what I'd actually do with it - then I decide that it is in the "later" list of things to get. I'll be interested to see what you use it for.

A couple of thoughts in the mean time -

• Is it worth annealing the turret so that you at least get consistent cuts from it? A soft condition should not influence the function greatly but would certainly help with machining.
• Is it worth trying to drill/ ream with a D bit cutter? Cheap and I'm told slow but accurate may be able to size the hole for you without buying an expensive reamer
• I can't say that I'm greatly taken with the indexing pin. For an application like this spring loaded only means that provided the forces are low enough the pin will stay in place. My thoughts at the moment are drifting to something like a toggle clamp mechanism where the lock is positive.

Michael

Well Michael,

Cool to have, even better when it's a gift.

I've never used my Hercus attachment whereas Bruce has his mounted permanently on his 260 with his tailstock clamp modified so that the tailstock can be dropped and locked in place when required. I've never had multiples in a quantity that warrant the fiddling around setting up the attachment. The T/S turret is, I imagine, more readily usable. Drilling, countersinking, counterboring, tapping and threading. I have plans I bought years ago for some turret tooling including releasing tap and die holders. Maybe I'll get around to making the things.

Heat treatment is still a bit like magic for me and the idea of annealing cast iron more than daunting.

I know nothing about D bits. Probably time for some Google education.

I agree with your thoughts on the indexing.

Bob.

Bob
My Hercus 260 is the long bed version.
Its convenient to have the Turret Attachment sitting on the end of the bed at all times,& quickly remove the tailstock as needed.
Every so often its handy for drilling operations & the like on repetitive jobs.
Also, I don't know if others have noticed, but things seem to get heavier as one gets older, is earths gravitational pull changing? The Turret seem to have got heavier !!!!
Regarding Michaels note, about D Bits, they are very easily made & convenient for all of those "special" jobs requiring reamers or special diameter tools.
I recall making one to produce a resizing die for my .218 Bee calibre, it worked well, & was one of those one off jobs.
Best wishes to all for 2015 & beyond.
Bruce