What angle do you keep your compound at?

[erikmannie]

Here is a picture where it usually is. The last operation was facing. The dial says 0°.

 

[Dabbler]

30 degrees for threading, except for Acme threads @14 1/2 deg. I never bought into the 29/29-1/2 deg. thing, was taught in high school by an excellent teacher to use 30 deg and every journeyman that I came in contact with did the same. As stated by others, 90 deg interferes with the tailstock on most lathes, and zero setting can interfere with the cross-slide crank and visibility of the cross-feed dial.

me too.

 

[f350ca]

On the Summit, I dial it in parallel to the bed. My DRO will sum the carriage and compound. The carriage probably weighs 5 hundred pounds, not easy to come up to a shoulder within a thou, but the compound can.
On the small lathe, where ever it was last set.

Greg

 

[Larry$]

Whatever angle it was last used at.

Ditto, If I've been trying to pickup a tread it will be parallel to the spindle. If I was making a long chamfer it will be at 45 or it will be at any other angle that was useful. I don't use the compound for threading, just straight in.

 

[gerritv]

I removed my compound. And a few years later added a Rocketronics ELS Pro, so no need for the compound at all now.
As Huub does, I only thread straight in, for pitches less than 12 or so it makes little difference.

 

[savarin]

Whats a compound?
I removed mine and replaced it with a solid plinth some years ago.
It only goes back to turn tapers.

 

[jackary99]

Used to use 90 but it was awkward with the tailstock sometimes so I shifted to 29 degrees and it’s stayed there ever since.

@jackary99 that’s a nice looking machine and top slide — what is it?

-frank

Thank you Frank, Its a Colchester Chipmaster, I have added tee slots to the cross slide and and made the topslide which can be moved and locked by the side lever.
Alan

 

[Just for fun]

Generally around the 30° mark.

 

[jackary99]

Yes @jackary99 that looks much fancier than most of us mortals deserve- care to enlighten us?
Especially interested in your toolpost
-Mark

Hi Mark,.
The toolpost is my version of the MLA toolpost, I have only made two toolhoders but that seems to be ok. The idea was to minimise cantilevered overhang and keep the cutting forces over the cross slide.
Alan

 

[Firstram]

Hi Mark,.
The toolpost is my version of the MLA toolpost, I have only made two toolhoders but that seems to be ok. The idea was to minimise cantilevered overhang and keep the cutting forces over the cross slide.
Alan

Could you share more details? Beautiful work!!