Tool grinding jig

Hi Bazyle, actually on closer inspection the Shars does seem to have degree calibrations on all swivels and so does look to me the preferred choice although unfortunately I have already dealt on the AMA-WEA! Maybe I will buy a Shars as well if mine looks a bit ropey in real life. Adam

Looks like Trevor was first off the mark on the Shars unit while I was still writing. Importing one would be way more than £85 as they would ship by 'extorsionmail' though I have seen reference to a new system of using a 3rd party consolidation shipper.

Bog's unit is a (home made?) 'universal head' common for most tool and cutter grinders eg Clarkson (this is a great site by the way if you have a clarkson fetish). These are horribly expensive when they come up alone hence need for nice casting to be produced. Ok you can make something out of a bit of big angle iron section or cast angle plate but it's not the same and nobody seems ot make a cheap unslotted 3in angle plate casting.

The AMA is pretty cheap for a universal vice but Harry on ebay is actually our friendly 'shopping partner' on this site Amadeal who also support the Briston show and are very good value.

You could try one these. As cheap as a casting and ground on 2 faces

www.axminster.co.uk/ground-angle-plates

The one I bought was nice quality cast iron

Rod

Bazyle do you by any chance know a supplier of thin strips of steel plate with engraved graduation degree marks such that could be wrapped and pinned around a swivelling collar (a supplier would presumably produce different strips corresponding to different diameter collars)?

Hi Adam,

It's very easy to make your own using a milling machine and a pointed lathe tool as an engraver.

Neil

Hi Neil, I am afraid that I might be able to accurately place the graduation marks (I repeat might!) but I think engraving nice numbers is way beyond my flight range! I was thinking I could use the dividing attachment to place the graduations but I would never be able to draw nice numbers like you have done in that photo. Kind regards,

Adam

The AMA-WEA arrived this morning within 24 hours which is very impressive. The vice feels nicely precise, as does the swivel, but the two tilts are rather loose fitting when unclamped, the paint job is awful (keeps coming off in your hands), and although there are graduation marks on both tilts and on the swivel, the marks are very feint and needless to say bear no resemblance at all to reality of actual degrees of movement. Typical chinese quality I suppose. Checking Alibaba I see this is a popular design made by a number of firms both in China and in India so maybe there are better examples out there. Anyway at £59 all in serves my purpose for sharpening cutting tools more accurately and comfortably than I could ever do by hand. Adam

Adam. For setting angles apart from the swivle it will be easlier to use a wixey electronic angle gauge.

Stick on scales are available. I'm sure I saw a thread on another foum in the last week by somone finding such for his topslide angle setting . Just got to find it again.

Thanks Rod, might look into that.

My numbers were stamped. i could have done better now with a simple stamp guide I have made.

If I was re-doing that job, I would use photo etching.

Note, I had to mark a flat piece of brass, bend it to size, then measure the elongation of the scale and use that to calculate sizes for the final one in order to get an accurate result.

Neil

Thisis the other thread I mentioned

Hi Bazyle, many thanks. That Wixey looks absolutely brilliant! Are they accurate? Certainly better than bending down and squinting at small engraved graduation marks with a bright torch however well etched.

Jason, Many thanks. Adam

Neil, Many thanks, Adam

John (Bogstandard2), that is a fantastically useful site for printing graduations of every sort adjustable to every scale. Perfect. Many thanks indeed. Adam

Hi Bazyle, just bought a Wixey now on ebay for £22.50 incl postage - looks like the best value gadget I've bought in years! Says it is accurate to 0.1 degree and has magnetic base and zeros to set to reference level. Many thanks again, Adam

I tested my wixey against the sine bar and it was correct. Remember that readings to 0.1 mean it is in the range 0.1 to 0.19 so it has a range of 0.1 not spot on. Easily good enough for tool girnding and far better than you can do with a plain degree scale and equal to one with a vernier. You can more confidently undo a set-up and go back again

For those that missed Neil's post mentioning a cheaper version of these gauges here is the link.
I suspect that these are exactly the same design. Note they are in the "Big spring sale" leaflet so this price is only valid until 18/4/14

Les.

Edited By Les Jones 1 on 19/03/2014 08:46:13

Bazyle, may I suggest with regard to your quest for a small angle plate that you search the site of WDS Components, they do Cast Iron flat, round, angle, channel & tee sections in various sizes, I'm sorry that I cant tell you their pricing, but when I worked in a toolroom these were incorporated into all manner of jigs & fixtures, there were of course offcuts all over the show so I pigged out in those days. Have made the raising block that Mr. Warco sold for his lathe/ mills out of a piece that was exactly the same size & added the tee slots & plain/ tapped holes as & when, there is the off chance you may be able to "aquire" some the same way. robjon44