April 21st, 2000, Contents ©James Eckman
I recently purchased and index plate from Nick Carter along with a new head for my lathe. I made up a dividing head for my mill using the riser blocks, the old lathe head and if needed, the lathe tailstock. Total construction time including sawing up the raw material and the like was a leisurely 4 hours.
Here's the basic plug used to center the plate, note the rounded ends!
The plug should fit snugly in the back of the pulley. I had a spare pulley so I could use it as a gage.
I made a simple transfer punch, I tempered it and labeled it.
I now use the transfer punch to mark were the screws are inserted. I marked and tapped one hole and then screwed the plate on to the pulley with the plug gage in place. This guarantees that the wholes will all line up. This is slightly different than the instructions Nick gives.
I then took my headstock and tailstock risers and drilled a 5/16 hole through them with a counterbore to allow the bolt head to be under the top of the block. Note the homemade T nut. When you use the risers, tighten the gib screws up all the way. Smaller holes and hardware can be used if your planning on mounting this on another type of mill.
All dressed up and ready to rock!