Lathe Cutter Height Gage
Transcript of Lathe Cutter Height Gage
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 1/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 1 of 12
Lathe Cutter Height Gage, version 1
By R. G. Sparber
Copyleft protects this document.1
One common procedure on a lathe is setting the cutter at the same height as thecenter of rotation. There are many ways to do this that work just fine. Well, here is
another one.
This height gage has two subtle features. First, it beeps when the cutter contacts theunderside of the puck. That is certainly nothing all that new.
1 You are free to copy and distribute this document but not change it.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 2/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 2 of 12
The other feature is that the underside of the puck is not flat. It has a taper. This
taper lets me quickly detect if the cutter has been set right. What you see here is an
exaggerated taper. The real one rises onlya few thou from center to perimeter.
To use the height gage, I
first move the tip of thecutter about half way
between the post and the perimeter of the puck.
Then I raise or lower thecutter until the beeping
just starts to cut out. I thenslide the gage away from
the cutter. Since this
underside is tapered, the
distance from cutter tip tothe tapered surface
increases. If the tool has been set correctly, a small
movement of the gage
stops the beeping. If it was set too high, the beeping will not stop until the cutter clears the puck.
This is a prototype so I made the puck out of aluminum. A better choice for a final
design would be to use at least mild steel. Ideally, the puck would be hardened sothe cutter would not dig into it.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 3/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 3 of 12
The puck slides on a ¾” aluminum rod. A flat has been cut in the side of the rod so burrs generated by the set screw do not jam the movement.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 4/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 4 of 12
The beeper is contained in an old Altoids® box.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 5/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 5 of 12
Inside the box is a 9 volt battery and a piezoelectric beeper from Radio Shack ®.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 6/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 6 of 12
The black wire from the beeper connects to the metal of the base. The red wiregoes to the positive terminal of the battery. The negative terminal of the battery
connects to the insulated bolt that anchors the post.
Note the insulating washer under the ¼-20 bolt.
There is no need for a power switch. The
beeper only sounds when a circuit iscompleted between the puck and the
cutter by way of the tool post, lathe
apron, and lathe ways.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 7/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 7 of 12
Here you see the other insulating washers. They isolate the puck and post from the base.
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 8/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 8 of 12
Shop Drawings
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 9/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 9 of 12
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 10/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 10 of 12
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 11/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 11 of 12
7/27/2019 Lathe Cutter Height Gage
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/lathe-cutter-height-gage 12/12
R. G. Sparber March 22, 2012 Page 12 of 12
You will also need one ¼-20 set screw, a ¼-20 x 1” bolt, and a 6-32 x ¼” screw.
I welcome your comments and questions.
Rick Sparber
[email protected] Rick.Sparber.org