Help Sheets and Instructions
Throughout the years since we have been producing Sherline tools certain questions come up over and over again. To help you make the best use of your equipment and to help the new machinist become familiar with some of the details involved in learning to become good at metalworking, we have prepared instructions on the aspects of machine adjustment and use that are often sources of puzzlement for new machinists. Our FAQ section should take care of most Frequently Asked Questions, but this section allows us to go into greater detail on the subjects that require it. We hope you find it interesting and informative.
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Assembling the Headstock, Motor and Speed Control...Instructions accompanied by step-by-step photos reprinted from the 6th Edition of the Sherline Assembly and Instruction Guide that comes with each machine. |
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Aligning the Lathe Headstock and Tailstock...Taken from the Instruction Manual that comes with each lathe. |
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Gib Installation and Adjustment... If you need to adjust or replace a worn out gib, these tips will make it easy. |
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Saddle Nut Replacement... The inexpensive saddle nut is made from brass so it will wear out before the steel leadscrew. Here are the steps involved in replacing one if yours wears out. (CLICK HERE for a .pdf version of the help sheet.) |
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Preload Nut Adjustment and Pulley Adjustment... The spindle preload can be adjusted to reduce end play. Here's how. Also, proper use of the two pulley positions is illustrated. |
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Aligning a Mill... In order for any mill to be able to make accurate cuts it must be properly aligned or "indicated in." Procedures for both the 2000-series and 5000-series mills are included. |
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Adjusting Leadscrew and Handwheel Backlash...What is backlash and how is it adjusted? Find out here. |
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Mill Z-Axis Backlash Support Screw Installation... A screw added to the center of the Z-axis handwheel helps support the weight of the motor/speed control to keep excess handwheel backlash from developing. (.pdf version only) |
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Installing New Motor Brushes in the DC Motor... A few hints to make the job easy and to prevent bearing damage on older motors that don't have the externally replaceable brushes offered since 2002.. (CLICK HERE for a .pdf version of the help sheet.) |
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Lubrication... Where to lubricate your machine and what to use. Also included is where NOT to lubricate on your 2000 mill. |
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Adding a Reversing Switch to the Speed Control... Though it shortens brush life slightly and voids the motor warranty, some machinists prefer a motor that can run in either direction. Here's how to do it yourself for a few bucks in parts. |
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Straightening an Out-of-Square Motor Mount Bracket...In June, 2006 we became aware of some out-of-square cast motor mounting brackets that were shipped with machines. Here is a quick way to square up one of the brackets if you'd rather do it yourself and not deal with the time delays involved with returning it. |
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Installing Sherline Digital Readout Handwheels on Stepper Motors...Installing stepper motors for CNC requires that any installed DRO handwheels be removed. This modification makes it possible to reinstall the DRO handwheel/encoder units on the rear shaft of a dual shaft stepper motor as a cross-check to be sure the CNC system is actually moving the amount it is supposed to be. (CLICK HERE for a .pdf version of the help sheet.) |
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Changing the Direction of the X-axis Digital Readout...The Sherline DRO normally reads so the plus direction is the same as the engraved scale on the side of the table; that is, plus is from left to right. To change the readout to read the way most CNC systems work; that is, with positive movement being from right to left, see this help sheet. |
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Grinding Your Own Lathe Tools...The key to good cuts on a lathe is a properly sharpened tool. These step-by-step instructions shows you how it's done. |
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Inch vs. Metric Calibrations ...The advantages of each system and part numbers for converting a Sherline machine from one system of measurement to another. |
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Installing Stepper Motor Mounts on a Lathe... Converting your lathe to CNC? Here's how. |
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Installing Stepper Motor Mounts on a Mill... Converting your mill to CNC? Here's how. |
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Making Your Own Gravers...Watchmakers have long used a handheld tool called a graver to cut metal much like wood is cut on a wood lathe. Master watch and clock maker William R. Smith tells you how to make your own and how to use them. |
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Using a Rotary Table...One of the most useful accessories for a mill, the rotary table can help you make spoked wheels, circular hole patterns and even cut gears. These instructions will help you understand how a rotary table is used in machining. |
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Programming and Using a Sherline CNC Rotary Indexer...Based on the Sherline rotary table, this programmable indexer can make repetitive indexing tasks easy. Learn how easy it is to program it yourself even if you know nothing about G-code or CNC programming. |
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Tips from Other Sherline Machinists...Shop wisdom, modifications and shortcuts to simplify your machining projects submitted by the guys who use Sherline tools. |
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A Free RPM Gauge...Click on the "S" logo at the left, print out this .pdf file, cut out the RPM gage and glue it to your lathe or mill pulley. The flashing of 60-cycle florescent light causes the various rings to appear to stand still when your spindle is turning a particular speed. It's very "low-tech", but it indicates speeds of 100, 300, 400, 480, 600, 720, 800, 900, 1200, 1800 and 2400 RPM quite accurately. (Reprinted from the Sherline Shop and Accessories Guide.) |
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