Need slots on round part indexed, cannot afford indexer.

[toolholder]

This part is aluminum, only need one for now but will need to make 50 next month otherwise I'd just eyeball the one. Part is about about 0.8" diameter. They have no mechanical function, appearance only. I do not have the funds to buy an indexer. What sort of jig can I make up? If there were 16 slots I'd use a tool socket for reference but there are 20 of them.

 

[zmotorsports]

You mentioned not wanting to purchase an indexer, do you have or have access to a rotary table? That would be my suggestion but it is really not too "creative".

Mike.

 

[maker of things]

Mount your part to a piece of stock with a bolt through the bore (with a bushing if req'd). Layout the pattern by taping or glueing a printout of the part. Drill a hole to fit a pin the diameter of your cut 18 degrees to one side of top dead center. Bolt the part to the stock, make your first cut, then rotate the part until the pin can go into the hole in the cut you just made, rinse, repeat. Should look alright.

 

[toolholder]

You mentioned not wanting to purchase an indexer, do you have or have access to a rotary table? That would be my suggestion but it is really not too "creative".

Mike.

Nope, no access to rotary table or any other such equipment.

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Mount your part to a piece of stock with a bolt through the bore (with a bushing if req'd). Layout the pattern by taping or glueing a printout of the part. Drill a hole to fit a pin the diameter of your cut 18 degrees to one side of top dead center. Bolt the part to the stock, make your first cut, then rotate the part until the pin can go into the hole in the cut you just made, rinse, repeat. Should look alright.

I was thinking of gluing a printout of the pattern to the part. If I can make one good part I should be able to jig something up to use it as a pattern. I am a former carpenter and can probably get it pretty close but I'd like to get within .005 and that is probably out of my eyeball capability.

 

[Don B]

This part is aluminum, only need one for now but will need to make 50 next month otherwise I'd just eyeball the one. Part is about about 0.8" diameter. They have no mechanical function, appearance only. I do not have the funds to buy an indexer. What sort of jig can I make up? If there were 16 slots I'd use a tool socket for reference but there are 20 of them.

Do you have a lathe with change gears? A 20 tooth gear will work nicely for indexing...:thinking:

 

[toolholder]

Do you have a lathe with change gears? A 20 tooth gear will work nicely for indexing...:thinking:

No... But that is a good idea, look for something small with 10 or twenty teeth.

 

[george wilson]

Yes,find a gear. We were making a reproduction of an 18th. C. building designed by Thomas Jefferson. The columns had 24 flutes. We got a 24 flute gear and used it to index off of. Worked fine.

 

[springer]

Couldn't you just drill a 20 hole bolt pattern and then throw it in the lathe and turn the outside of the holes off until you got the tooth profile you want?

 

[lens42]

I recently saw (not sure where, maybe even here) where someone used an old circular saw blade as an index wheel. He made the mount and a pawl on an arm and got very precise results.


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[toolholder]

Couldn't you just drill a 20 hole bolt pattern and then throw it in the lathe and turn the outside of the holes off until you got the tooth profile you want?

That is probably what I will have to do. A search through my junk stack revealed no 10 or 20 tooth parts, aside from a plastic knob that had twenty slots. To small and flimsy to be of use.