Compound Slide

The compound slide offers a way to turn tapers and cut angles on a lathe without rotating the headstock. Four mounting holes are provided in the base for solid positioning on the crosslide. The fixed base has a red anodized finish with laser engraved angle scales to make setting an angle easy. It utilizes a highly efficient locking ring design to lock the rotating portion in position without having to over-tighten the locking screws. A 1/4" cutting tool can be mounted across the front or on either side of the head.

A 3-D rendering of the compound slide.

Unlike compounds used on full-size, conventional lathes, this one was designed to be used from the "back" side of the table. This allows it to be designed in a more compact size and used without interference from the crosslide handwheel. The lathe tool is inserted in the holder "upside down" so the cutting tip faces downward. Because of the small size of the miniature lathe, operating the crosslide handwheel in this position causes no inconvenience.

Travel of the slide block is up to 1.75" when square to the base or angled slightly. When angled 45° the handwheel will hit the corner of the base, shortening travel to about 1.25".  At angles between about 20° and 45° travel is restricted between the two dimensions depending on angle.

The Sherline compound slide is available in both inch and metric versions. On the inch version, the handwheel is calibrated in .001" increments driving a 20 TPI leadscrew. On the metric version, the handwheel is calibrated in .01 mm increments driving a 1 mm pitch leadscrew. The inch handwheels have 50 marks (one revolution = 0.050"). The metric handwheels have 100 marks (one revolution = 1.0 mm).

READ INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING A COMPOUND SLIDE (Click on your choice.)

.html Version (Web site version)

.pdf Version (The same as our printed instructions. Requires Adobe Acrobat program to view.)

Compound Slide Riser Block, P/N 1272

(Click on photo for larger image.)

Now it is possible to use your compound slide with the riser blocks in place on your lathe. In normal use, the Sherline compound slide is attached to the crosslide table on the "back" side of the the part and the tool is placed in the holder "upside down" with the cutting edge facing downward.. With the riser block in place, there is now enough clearance for the compound to clear the handwheel, so the compound/riser block combination is used on the "front" side with the tool facing upward. The riser includes the necessary T-nuts and hold-down bolts. Price is $30.00.