Re: Lighted Edge finders
Posted by
John Stevenson
on 2000-10-07 02:05:00 UTC
A couple of points about these bought ones,
[1] Mind the end where you grip as it's only thin walled due to the
hole for the battery and it's easily crimped or distorted.
[2] Use them stationary as if you rotate them for some reason the light
becomes invisible. I made this mistake and kept jogging in until the light
showed - which it didn't. Due to the problems listed in [1] above I now
have a distorted edge finder that doesn't run true.
This is where hind sight becomes invaluable <g> Oh well another flat
battery in the car park of life.
The most popular method I use for edge finding I have never seen in print
but got it from an old guy and it's so simple.
Take a ordinary ball race with a diameter that's easily divisible by two.
As I'm all metric I chose a 30mm one but if your imperial choose 1.00" or
0.5 "
Mount it on a piece of drill rod / silver steel / dowel pin [ delete as
necessary ] the same diameter as the inner bore. That's it - job done.
To use:- Hold in collet or good drill chuck and spin at about 250 -
500 , it's not critical, jog the edge of the bearing up to the work and
JUST as it touches the outer race slows down by about half.
It's very easy to spot there is a definite point just as it touches.
Zero the axis , wind the bearing up clear and move in half of 30mm or 1.00"
and re zero.
Also works in bores if you can get the bearing in. I have one with a 300mm
OD and one with a 10mm OD. Anything else I use a wiggler but this bearing
is so quick I use it all the while. In fact I've even turned up an arbor
for it between centres so i don't have to use a tool holder.
--
Regards,
John Stevenson
Nottingham, England
[1] Mind the end where you grip as it's only thin walled due to the
hole for the battery and it's easily crimped or distorted.
[2] Use them stationary as if you rotate them for some reason the light
becomes invisible. I made this mistake and kept jogging in until the light
showed - which it didn't. Due to the problems listed in [1] above I now
have a distorted edge finder that doesn't run true.
This is where hind sight becomes invaluable <g> Oh well another flat
battery in the car park of life.
The most popular method I use for edge finding I have never seen in print
but got it from an old guy and it's so simple.
Take a ordinary ball race with a diameter that's easily divisible by two.
As I'm all metric I chose a 30mm one but if your imperial choose 1.00" or
0.5 "
Mount it on a piece of drill rod / silver steel / dowel pin [ delete as
necessary ] the same diameter as the inner bore. That's it - job done.
To use:- Hold in collet or good drill chuck and spin at about 250 -
500 , it's not critical, jog the edge of the bearing up to the work and
JUST as it touches the outer race slows down by about half.
It's very easy to spot there is a definite point just as it touches.
Zero the axis , wind the bearing up clear and move in half of 30mm or 1.00"
and re zero.
Also works in bores if you can get the bearing in. I have one with a 300mm
OD and one with a 10mm OD. Anything else I use a wiggler but this bearing
is so quick I use it all the while. In fact I've even turned up an arbor
for it between centres so i don't have to use a tool holder.
--
Regards,
John Stevenson
Nottingham, England