Compound slide riser block, P/N 1272
Steady rest riser block, P/N 1290
Lathe headstock riser block kit with riser tool post, P/N 1291. As of 8/98 the toolpost has been upgraded to the rocker design for adjusting the tool tip height.
Lathe tailstock riser block, P/N 1292
Cutoff tool riser block, P/N 1296
The mill spacer block, P/N 1297
The purpose of SHERLINE's riser blocks is to extend the capabilities of the SHERLINE Lathe and Vertical Mill. The lathe was never designed to turn metal parts of the diameters that can be accommodated with these accessories; therefore, extreme care must be taken in the form of light cuts and low RPM when turning large diameters. With the additional clearance provided by the 1-1/4" high riser block, an additional 2-1/2" is added to the diameter part that can be turned on the lathe. This means a part of up to 5-1/2" to 6" can be turned over the bed.
Another point to be considered is accuracy. When you start clamping several pieces together, alignment will suffer. In the real world of machining, spindles are aligned by indicating, not with pins or keys. This wouldn't be the best way for hobbyists to start, and I believe the methods we use give our average customer machining capabilities they could never have without experience. As your projects get more and more complex, these methods may not be good enough. We manufacture adjustable tool holders (for more information read instructions for P/N 1201, 1202, 1203) to help eliminate some of these problems caused by misalignment. If you believe alignment could be a problem, machine a piece of scrap as a test piece to get the machine lined up. Don't risk a part you may have a lot of work in.
• You may have to use a little ingenuity when turning large diameters because of the limited crosslide throw on standard machines.
• The purpose of the mill riser block (P/N 1297) is to get the spindle farther out from the column. This allows you to work farther in from the edge.
• There is no difference between the lathe and mill riser block except the lathe P/N 1291 comes with a corresponding tool post. As of 8/98, the tool post was upgraded to the "rocker" design which allows the tip of the tool bit to be adjusted up or down to match the centerline of the part being turned. Sherline tools come ground to the proper height for use with a normal tool post, but this rocker design allows reground tools which may not come perfectly to center to be adjusted without the use of shims.
The rocker riser toolpost (P/N 1288) and 3/8" riser toolpost (P/N 1289) bring tools to the proper height for use with the riser block on the lathe. Each also has a 3/8" round hole for insert tool holders. The rocker toolpost allows 1/4" cutting tools to be adjusted so their cutting tip is exactly on the lathe's centerline. The 3/8" tool holder holds round or square 3/8" cutting tools, sizes most often used for carbide insert tools.
Introduced in 6/98 is an optional riser toolpost (P/N 1289) which is designed to hold the 3/8" round or square shafts of inserted tip carbide cutting tools like those offered by Valenite™. For more information on inserted tip carbide tools, see the instructions for P/N 7600.
Remove the headstock by loosening the screw that holds it onto the lathe or mill and lift it straight off. Now install the riser block using the keyway to align it. Do this by pushing the riser block back towards the keyway without a twisting motion. Put the headstock back with or without the keyway depending on your next machining operation (taper cutting).
It is necessary to remove the handwheel at the end of the bed to remove the tailstock. Install the Tailstock Riser Block. You may have a slight problem fitting this up. It is a very difficult part to make because dovetails can't be measured or machined easily. The biggest problem we have encountered is the "tip" of the dovetail on the lathe bed may interfere with the riser block. A couple of passes with a file (see figure #1) should fix it. Riser Blocks made after 11/93 are of a two-piece design that in most cases eliminates this fitting problem.
Figure 1-Filing corners of bed dovetail for better fit of Tailstock Riser Block.
NOTE: When replacing the handwheel try and let the set screw pick up the same indentation so you don't "chew up" the end of the lead screw shaft.
This is an accessory that I was somewhat reluctant to make; however, I went ahead because it has been requested by a number of customers. The problem with Sherline making it is that it could cause customers to believe we are suggesting that you can part off large diameter (over 1.0" or 25 mm) stock with our lathe. This is not the case. You should use the riser with the following thoughts in mind:
1. The only cutoff blade we recommend is one with a width of .040" or less, and thin blades such as these tend to wander on deep cuts.
2. It is difficult to get enough coolant to the cutting edge with a narrow, deep slot.
3. The Sherline 3.5" lathe simply doesn’t have enough power for cutoff tools wider than .040".
My next consideration was getting enough rigidity, because the farther the cutting tool is raised above the machine bed, the greater the chance of "chatter." I knew the base area would have to be increased along with height, and it should have two hold-down screws rather than one. I also considered that cutoff tools work better inverted, because they have a tendency to lift rather than to dig in.
The end result of all these considerations is a simple riser block with two hold-down screws that mounts on the back side of the crosslide. The standard cutoff holder mounts on top with the blade upside down and reversed (the tip of the blade pointed down). See Figure 2.
FIGURE 2--Parting tool P/N 3002 is shown atop riser block P/N 1296. Notice that the cutting blade is placed in the holder upside down with the cutting edge down and used on the "back" side of the crosslide table.
The blade must be moved in or out to bring the tip to center in the same fashion as when it is used in a standard configuration, and a shim may be required to get the tip on center for really large diameters.
If you want to attempt to go beyond the maximum of 1 inch diameter stock I mentioned earlier, here are some suggestions. These are especially important on hard-to-machine materials.
1. Use plenty of cutting fluid.
2. Grind the cutting tip of the blade square rather than angled so it tracks straight and doesn’t cause the blade to bend or wander.
3. Align the blade accurately with the crosslide to assure a square cut.
4. Listen to your machine. It will tell you when you are working it too hard before it "strikes back."
5. Last, but not least, don’t blame me if you break a blade!
A simple riser block for the compound slide is now available as P/N 1272. It is about 1" high and allows the compound to be used on the front side of the part when the riser blocks are in place. Four longer socket head cap screws are included for mounting.
We at SHERLINE, hope you find these to be useful accessories.
Joe Martin, President and Owner
SHERLINE Products
|
NO. REQ. |
PART NO. |
DESCRIPTION |
|
1 |
1199 |
Rocker Toolpost Center |
|
1 |
1285 |
Riser Rocker Toolpost Body |
|
1 |
1288 |
Riser Rocker Toolpost Assembly |
|
1 |
1289 |
Riser 3/8" Toolpost Asby. (Use w/ 3/8" Carbide Insert Holders) |
|
1 |
1293 |
Tailstock Riser body |
|
1 |
1294 |
Tailstock Riser Clamp |
|
1 |
1295 |
Headstock Riser Block Body |
|
1 |
1298 |
1/4 x 20 x 3/8" Flat Head Machine Screw |
|
1 |
1299 |
Pivot Pin (1291, 1297) |
|
1 |
1391 |
Steady Rest Riser Body |
|
1 |
1392 |
Steady Rest Riser Clamp |
|
1 |
4025 |
Tee Nut (1291, 1297) |
|
1 |
4026 |
Head Key (1291, 1297) |
|
-- |
4033 |
10-32 x 5/8" Skt Hd Cap Screw (1290-1 Req., 1292-3 Req.) |
|
1 |
4054 |
5/16"-18 x 3/4" Cone Pt Set Screw (1291, 1297) |
|
1 |
4066 |
3/16" #10 Washer (1290, 1291) |
|
2 |
4069 |
10-32 x 3/4" Skt Hd Cap Screws (1291) |
|
1 |
4073 |
10-32 x 2" Skt Hd Cap Screw (1291) |
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