Dividing heads

andgott

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I'm new to this- still waiting on my mill and vise to arrive. In the mean time, I've been trying to collect tools... I can see that this can turn in to an expensive hobby in a hurry!

I have run across a number of projects online that interest me that require (or are greatly helped by) a dividing head. Given the prices on them, it was something that I added to the 'maybe later' list. I have come across one that's a good deal price wise- but I wonder how much use I'm truly going to get out of it in the long run.

How useful are they? I know that they are used to make gears, which I'd like to get into at some point, as well as bolt circles, etc.

This one is a 10" swing... Bigger than what I had been looking at. It's a decent quality tool, retail online is about $770 or so on a number of different sites. I can get it for about $200.00. A great price- IF it's going to be more than just a paperweight.
 
A 10”dividing head is a big heavy accessory. What kind of mill do you have coming?
Its a Precision Mathews PM30.... I figured that 10" swing was probably on the big side for this machine...
 
When you say 10" swing, do you mean the table diameter is 10"? If so, the device is a rotary table, not a dividing head. There are subtle differences between the two but serve similar functions. Anyhow, a 10" rotary table is a little more than a paperweight... I'm guessing a typical weight of slightly over 120lbs. It won't comfortably fit on most mills because it has a diameter greater than the Y-range of anything but a very large mill.

Will you use one? Hard to say... Mine is about 35lbs and I use it about 2-3 times a year. If it weighed 120, it would just sit in the corner...


Ray
 
When you say 10" swing, do you mean the table diameter is 10"? If so, the device is a rotary table, not a dividing head. There are subtle differences between the two but serve similar functions. Anyhow, a 10" rotary table is a little more than a paperweight... I'm guessing a typical weight of slightly over 120lbs. It won't comfortably fit on most mills because it has a diameter greater than the Y-range of anything but a very large mill.

Will you use one? Hard to say... Mine is about 35lbs and I use it about 2-3 times a year. If it weighed 120, it would just sit in the corner...


Ray


It's a dividing head, this one- https://www.hhip.com/machine-tool-a...10-inch-semi-universal-dividing-head-set.html

I'm thinking it's just too big- Despite the great price.
 
It's a dividing head, this one- https://www.hhip.com/machine-tool-a...10-inch-semi-universal-dividing-head-set.html

I'm thinking it's just too big- Despite the great price.

That's pretty darn big all right and too big for a PM30 for sure. It's 75lbs which feels like 750lbs when lifting on top of the table...

I've been using a rotary table just like this one for about 6 years now. I've done light milling on it and cut a few gears and splined shafts. It's been used a few times to make dials too. Whenever I use it, I always make the last cut then, advance one more time to see if the cutter lines-up with the first cut that was made. It's never let me down.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-HORIZONT...158792?hash=item25c0f65408:g:gHkAAOSw0bJZrsI0

Ray
 
Here is one I picked up about a 10" the chuck is a 6" off my Jet 1340 that I made an adapter plate for this weighs in at about 90 lbs. Think you are getting one to big.IMG_20180408_151530.jpg This is it on my machine alot of weight.I wanted a smaller one but it did not look that big on auction site and for $125.00 I got a deal with 2 plates and tailstock.
IMG_20170909_102154.jpg
 
Think you either need a smaller dividing head or a rotary table. A 10 in wouldn't really work well on any thing less than a full size mill. Also need to remember that on that dividing head is the angle can be adjusted. As the dividing head spindle is moved to a higher angle, you need to be able to drop the table a lot to have room under the mill spindle.
 
I've been quite happy with my Vertex HV-6 6" rotary table. I think it might be about the right size for your mill. They go for a little more than 1/2 of the one you are looking at.

Stefan Gotteswinter has a nice series on YouTube regarding the Vertex HV-6.
 
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