Need slots on round part indexed, cannot afford indexer.

I have to admit I've made hundreds of 1 time tools and fixtures over the last 40 years. I still have a great number of them, which if necessary can be modified into another tool or fixture for another 1 time job. However when I do make a tool or fixture it it's because I can save many times what it costs to build.

Case and point is a set of fixtures built to build a decorative railing for our deck. Originally I was just going to have the railing built. ( Well actually I was going to reuse the original railing until the building inspector informed me it didn't conform to the "revised" building code, and if I did reuse it he wouldn't approve the structure.) When I sent out the specs for quotes for a railing that did conform to the code I got a rude awakening. The cheapest quote was $2,600.00 and the most expensive was $3,700.00. I was able to build the fixtures, buy the material for the railing, and build the finished product for less than $600.00 including paint and installation.

Another example is a set of fixtures I built to make replacement deck sections for a pier. The pier manufacturer wanted over $1,500.00 for 12 replacement deck sections. I was able to build the necessary fixtures, buy the material and fabricate all 12 sections for less than $300.00. Again well worth the time and money invested in the fixtures since the overall price for the replacement parts was 1/3 the cost of those available from the original manufacturer.

The point is that for me building a tool or fixture has to make economic sense. I do it to save money over what a commercially available product would cost, or when a commercial product isn't available. Even though I'm not paid an hourly wage to create a tool, fixture or end product, the end result has to be a balance of my time and money spent.
 
Face down on a Bridgeport. Map out the x and y. Then drill out with an n·Mill
 
projectnut said:
Why not just go to e bay and buy a cheap spin indexer. You can purchase one for next to nothing. There are several that use 5C collets for less than it would cost to make a fixture. There's one out there right now with a "buy it now" price of $33.95. There are many others with prices ranging from $35.00 to over $600.00.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5C-PRECISIO...6?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item519988c20c

I've had a Phase II spin indexer for years and used it successfully for dozens of operations just like what you are proposing. I'm all for making jigs and fixtures. But why go through the expense and time to make a specialized tool when you can buy something that can be used for a number of operations for less.
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How does one use this to divide by 20? Is there some trick with subtracting angles with the 36 division plate this device features? Maybe one could install a substitute plate, but that would have to be fabricated.
 
ericc said:
How does one use this to divide by 20? Is there some trick with subtracting angles with the 36 division plate this device features? Maybe one could install a substitute plate, but that would have to be fabricated.
Click to expand...

It has vernier holes that work like the vernier lines on a vernier scale. Clever. The principle is applicable to all sorts of indexing.
 
After thinking about it I can't do the single pin system as accumulated errors would likely be a serious problem. Anything beyond a 1/10th of a degree error would mess me up. That got me to thinking why not just scratch out 18 degree marks using a small circular protractor. I think that is going to work, waiting on the ball end mill to find out.
 
A vernier! Silly me. So you can get all 360 degrees by using the multiplicative effect of 10. It is all very clear from reading the description.

The accuracy is quoted as 4'. This is 1/15 of a degree and should be pretty accurate for many uses.

Yours,
Eric
 
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