Mounting a Sherline 4400 Lathe on 80/20

[bradells]

I never thought of putting steel strips alongside the lathe to attach the indicator stand to. I've just relied on the weight of the stand to keep it in place, which luckily on projects that fit the Sherline has been adequate if occasionally frustrating.


It looks like you have the extended tool post and riser blocks?

I do have the riser kits. For small work, I don’t use them, but I’ve dialed in the tailstock with the riser blocks installed, so anything that requires centers or drilling work, it goes on the blocks.

I brazed on a wrench and it slides in and out nicely on it as well.

The steel strip is a pice of 3’ from the big box store of choice. Drill and countersink some holes and attach. I haven’t found much use for a strip in the front (but then, I haven’t used one in the front!). Most of my indicator work is either from the backside or top...

As I mentioned, next version, i’m hoping to put the lathe bed on risers to get more room between the lathe and base (give more room for indicators, larger handwheels, etc)

Brad

 

[Aaron_W]

I do have the riser kits. For small work, I don’t use them, but I’ve dialed in the tailstock with the riser blocks installed, so anything that requires centers or drilling work, it goes on the blocks.

I brazed on a wrench and it slides in and out nicely on it as well.

The steel strip is a pice of 3’ from the big box store of choice. Drill and countersink some holes and attach. I haven’t found much use for a strip in the front (but then, I haven’t used one in the front!). Most of my indicator work is either from the backside or top...

As I mentioned, next version, i’m hoping to put the lathe bed on risers to get more room between the lathe and base (give more room for indicators, larger handwheels, etc)

Brad

I had contemplated the riser blocks when I started to run into size issues. By then I had moved down to the basement so I ended up just getting a larger lathe which hadn't been an option for me before. Now I do the bigger stuff on the 11x24" and the little stuff on the Sherline.

I am frequently amazed at some of the stuff done on Sherlines. There is a guy on another site who made a new headstock for his Sherline with something like a 1" spindle bore.

I picked up some 3"x 1/8" stock, so I can mount a strip on the base for the mill and lathe.

 

[mikey]

There is a guy on another site who made a new headstock for his Sherline with something like a 1" spindle bore.

If you can bore accurately then enlarging the Sherline headstock to accept larger bearings to fit a larger spindle is not difficult. You also have to be able to turn that spindle accurately so as to minimize run out in the final assembly. All doable by a hobby guy but your skills need to be up to it.

 

[Aaron_W]

If you can bore accurately then enlarging the Sherline headstock to accept larger bearings to fit a larger spindle is not difficult. You also have to be able to turn that spindle accurately so as to minimize run out in the final assembly. All doable by a hobby guy but your skills need to be up to it.

I don't think making the headstock was even much of a challenge for this guy, he is always making kind of wild stuff. I found the post where he showed the headstock, the spindle bore is 0.937". His current project is reverse engineering and building a Deckel tool and cutter grinder.

Honestly I think some of these guys use a Sherline just to be ornery because people said you can't do that kind of work on a mini-lathe.

 

[Karl A]

I have a 80/20 frame design in mind for my Sherline 5400 mill. I don't know, though whether to include steel bars along the sides of the mill for my magnetic dial indicator holder. Is a magnetic dial indicator used with mills?

 

[bradells]

I have a 80/20 frame design in mind for my Sherline 5400 mill. I don't know, though whether to include steel bars along the sides of the mill for my magnetic dial indicator holder. Is a magnetic dial indicator used with mills?

Not as frequent as on lathes...

But, you may want to use a mag base to use as a vice stop, indicate bed movement (if you don’t have a DRO... and not the sherline version which ignores bed movement), a light/magnifier/third hand/coolant/air/etc holder......

If you put it in, you might find a use for it...

I’m building a small plate to mount to the t track once my replacement belts come in, and debating on a plate on the spindle as well...

Brad

 

[Karl A]

Brad,
Thanks. I'll include steel bars along the side of the mill.

Chipsky,
I found a document that gives strength values for the different types of 80/20 fasteners. It is attached.

Karl

 

[Chipsky]

Chipsky,
I found a document that gives strength values for the different types of 80/20 fasteners. It is attached.

Nice, thank you for the reference material.

 

[Karl A]

Nice, thank you for the reference material.

You are welcome.
I received the 80/20 product catalog today in the mail. It, with my new Sherline mill, will help me install stronger fasteners in frame that I made for my lathe. I used hidden corner connectors, which the document shows are among the weakest fasteners. It isn't necessary for me to replace the connectors, but replacing them will help me learn.

 

[Karl A]

Studying my frame and the profiles (bars) that I used, I conclude that the only other internal connector that will work at the corners (where the feet are) is the standard anchor fastener. It provides a significantly stronger connection than the inside-outside hidden corner connectors that I used. Also, the anchor fastener does not have a disadvantage that I found with the hidden corner connectors: Adjusting the position slightly after the set screws have been set is difficult, in that the set screws tend to reset into the original positions.

The anchor fastener requires one of the T-slot profiles to be machined: a hole 0.563" diameter x 0.425" deep. 8020.net sells an anchor fastener counterbore cutter for the 10-series profiles: part no. 6160, mill diameter 9/16", $55. A photo of the cutter is attached.

In the photo, the cutter appears to be pointed at the end. Would an ordinary two-flute end mill work OK to machine the hole with a Sherline 5400 mill? I have read about end mills. It seems that two-flute end mills are generally center cutting (capable of drilling or plunge cutting). I found that littlemachineshop.com is selling a 9/16" dia two-flute HSS end mill for $9.

Sept 3, 2020 addition: A image from amazon.com of the "counterbore cutter" that 8020.net sells is attached, to the right of the first image. In this image, the cutter is not pointed at the end. I ended up buying the $9 end mill from littlemachineshop.com