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Headstock Tachometer

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ChrisH22/05/2011 21:09:45
1023 forum posts
30 photos
Was thinking earlier that it would be useful to have a tachometer giving me a readout of the actual headstock (chuck) speed, as opposed to believing what the adjusting handle of the stepless drive pullys was indicating would likely be the speed, all things being hunky dory. I would need to have some sort of pick up (mechanical or more probable electrical) on the headstock output shaft, linked to a digital or analogue readout in some way. I could use my handheld techo, but a permanently fixed one would be more useful as it would be, well, permanently displaying the info. OK, it's 'nice-to-have', not 'need-to-have', but would be useful all the same.
 
And that is as far as I have got.
 
Not got far researching this on the 'net', totally devoid of ideas from there.
 
Anyone got any bright idea/s to point me in a useful direction?
 
ChrisH 

Edited By ChrisH on 22/05/2011 21:11:06

Steve Garnett22/05/2011 21:14:01
837 forum posts
27 photos
We had a huge great thread about this ages ago - you might well get some useful ideas from it. It's here.
John Coates22/05/2011 21:23:15
avatar
558 forum posts
28 photos
Sigma (or other make) bicycle speedometer. Magnet on chuck or mandrel or backplate and small bracket for the magnetic pickup . Isn't there something on this in next month's MEW?
The Merry Miller22/05/2011 21:23:31
avatar
484 forum posts
97 photos
Chris, you may not be aware that in next month's issue of MEW (no.178) there will be an article on building a rev. counter using a bicycle computer, something I'm looking forward to making.
Steve Withnell22/05/2011 21:53:36
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858 forum posts
215 photos
Not sure it's worth the effort to be honest. I've a variable speed lathe so built a tacho onto the spindle. Never completed the display, bought an optical tacho off eBay cheap as chips and calibrated the dial with a permanent marker, job done. You really don't need to know the spindle speed to +/- 10 rpm and probably not even +/- 50rpm. (At 50rpm you can count the revs!)
 
 
 
My tuppence worth.
 
Steve
Dennis22/05/2011 22:18:43
13 forum posts
1 photos
hi Chris I made a rev counter four years ago out the £5 bicycle computer its still works today,look forward to see it in MEW next month . Dennis
mgj22/05/2011 22:26:22
1017 forum posts
14 photos
Hardly worth the trouble to build anything special. A dab of white paint and hand held impulse/optical tacho and you have your answer. You don't want to put any effort into it, because once you have a reading and mark as Steve has implied, you never need the tacho again. Not that one ever really needed it in the first place, because the tool is either cutting properly or its not, and it won't take long to get oneself sorted.
 
At the end of the day, does one actually need to know revs at all - I have a geared head on one lathe, and pulleys on the other, and I have no idea what each ratio provides, but I know what settings cut right at what diameters.
 
But, if you really want to find out, they do them for testing the speed of electric motors. (and all sorts of other ranges) so Scrrewfix might well stock. The model aircraft ones with a digital readout (available from most model shops) are about £15 -£20, and they will give you a reading at 600 rpm on a 2 blade prob. 4 or 8 bits of reflective tape on your chuck and you are well in the range of one of those at lathe speeds.
 
Calibrate against 50hz.
 
But are you sure that it is time or money usefully spent?

Edited By mgj on 22/05/2011 22:27:50

Les Jones 122/05/2011 22:41:06
2292 forum posts
159 photos
Hi Chris,
The Design that Steve Garnett refers to was submitted to MEW about February 2010. As so much time has elapsed I do not think it will be published. If you are interested the design is on my website.
 
Les.
harold22/05/2011 23:16:25
35 forum posts
Hi Les
I'm very surprised that evidently it's not being published. The two that I have built have given impeccable service. It's a lot less electonically complicated than many recently-published devices and the call for a workshop-friendly tach is a frequent one.
 
Regards,
 
John
David Clark 123/05/2011 08:26:33
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3357 forum posts
112 photos
10 articles
Hi There
I am going through all the old articles.
Occasionally some get overlooked.
The Tachometer one was due to email problems.
I have now found it, it was forwarded to myself and has not been sorted until I saw the post on here.
Some get published after two or more years although most are sooner than that.
I still have some passed on to me by Dave Fenner and the odd one submitted to Geoff Sheppard.
regards David
 
ChrisH23/05/2011 16:09:34
1023 forum posts
30 photos
N\
ChrisH23/05/2011 17:27:03
1023 forum posts
30 photos
Thanks to all who replied, and thanks to Les for his link to his tacho design.
 
I had not thought of using a bike speed computer - not thinking sideways enough - but now await next months MEW with added interest.
 
I can of course use my hand-held tacho, but it seemed like a nice idea to not have to do this and still get the speed reading.
 
Chris.

Edited By ChrisH on 23/05/2011 17:42:28

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