Index ring for Jet mini

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johnnycnc

johnnycnc

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Feb 27, 2006
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Location
columbus, IN, USA.
I took a look at existing index jigs,
and decided to make one myself.Yes,I'm frugal.[:p]
I do cnc work at my job and drew this up on Mastercam
at home,transferred the cad file to Unigraphics
at work,tweaked the design and programmed it for
one of our cnc mills.We got a little slack time at
work,and I got it machined today.
It is aluminum,6061 alloy. Ø 7.0" o.d.,72 outer index locations
at 5° spacing.Cut and filled engraving.
Now I have to figure out what I want to do with it!![:0]
Here is the index pin bracket;

20079423301_index001.jpg


the index wheel;

200794233059_index002.jpg


mounted wheel;

200794233248_index003%20b.jpg


closeup of index pin in place;

200794233321_index004.jpg


And the assembly ready to go;

200794233544_indexready.jpg


Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed making it,
And thanks for looking.
 
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Thanks for the kind words.
I have considered limited quantities,if enough interest.
Truthfully,I don't really want to put a
$$ figure on mfg. cost at this time.Still crunching numbers.[;)]
I would have to prototype a few more and get my time way down
to be competitive with what is already on the market.
I think mine is better,but it would not be cheaper.

Originally posted by jkoehler
<br />that looks great.
are you taking orders?
what do you figure it cost you to make?
Click to expand...
 
I too like the design. It is large enough to be easy to handle and get in position. If you do come up with a price be ure to post it here and let us know what you think the turn-around time would be. [:)]
 
Greg: I just took a peek at my JET mini and it appears that both of those holes are existing. On mine the lower hole has a Phillips head machine screw in it and is what the return spring of the access door is attached to. My headstock casting has a threaded hole in it about where the upper cap screw is located. On my machine the hole is threaded; but has nothing in it. The parts diagram seems to indicate that there should be a screw in the upper hole, too; but it is missing on mine and I can't imagine what it would be used for in any case??
 
Johnny: I have a couple of questions for you.

1. Does the index pin interfere with opening the belt access door?

2. What are the four holes at the 90° spacing for? They appear to be a little larger than the other holes and there does not seem to be a way for the index pin to engage them.

3. Why didn't you align a hole in the inner ring with the 0° index mark?

4. What was your thinking in choosing rings of 72 and 20 holes? I know this seems to be a standard on commercially manufactured plates; but you can achieve nearly the same functionality with about half of the holes which would save some on machine time and tooling and make it a little easier on the user.

Overall, it looks like a very nicely done project and I especially like the bold engraving; but must admit that after using a compass on and off on a regular basis for my entire life, I find the reverse numbering a little unusual.

BTW, this might be your toughest competition: http://alisam.com/page/14g9e/Woodworking_turning.html
 
Originally posted by Randy_
<br />Johnny: I have a couple of questions for you.

1. Does the index pin interfere with opening the belt access door?
Yes,you unscrew it to open door.

2. What are the four holes at the 90° spacing for? They appear to be a little larger than the other holes and there does not seem to be a way for the index pin to engage them.
They are construction holes to locate the wheel on a machining
fixture,face down as a secondary operation,to machine chamfer the
backside of holes and the o.d.
two would suffice,but four look more even!

3. Why didn't you align a hole in the inner ring with the 0° index mark?
I could have,but the outer ring is primary,and this is just
a prototype.[:)]

4. What was your thinking in choosing rings of 72 and 20 holes? I know this seems to be a standard on commercially manufactured plates; but you can achieve nearly the same functionality with about half of the holes which would save some on machine time and tooling and make it a little easier on the user.
Better to have it and not need it,than to want/need it and not
have it was the thinking here.But,yes,less would suffice.

Overall, it looks like a very nicely done project and I especially like the bold engraving; but must admit that after using a compass on and off on a regular basis for my entire life, I find the reverse numbering a little unusual.
The numbering could be reversed to match lathe rotation,
I suppose.But since it is indexed sans power,I didn't care.

BTW, this might be your toughest competition: http://alisam.com/page/14g9e/Woodworking_turning.html

I have seen it.not too bad for the $$.I believe I could
refine mine to offer a bit more for the user,if I chose
to produce these.In particular,the amount of index location
marking.Mine is just a prototype that was fun to make just
for the sake of making one,for now.[:D]
Click to expand...
Thanks for looking and taking time to respond.[:)][:)]
 
Originally posted by johnnycnc
<br />BTW,Randy,I just noticed your post time..
the hoot-owls are looking for you!![:p]
Click to expand...

The dog was barking at something and woke me up. You wouldn't think so much noise could be generated by eleven pounds of fur??[:(!] Couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to spend a little extra time here.
 
Another source would be:
http://www.ironfirellc.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3
Their's is made of plastic though, and doesn't come with the pin holder. Haven't tried or purchased it, just recall seeing it in Woodturning Design magazine.
 
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