Jay Wyant's Indexer

[pfulghum]

Looking to ask Jay Wyant some questions about HIS indexer setup that was originally posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/campshopbot/2838599810/

I really like the design....

How did you get the chuck onto the axle? Machine shop?

Which motor?
What Gearing?


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-- Pat

[ed_lang]

Hello Pat,

I'll try and answer a few of the questions as Jay is very busy in his shop and not sure when he will have time to answer.

Jay decided to use one of the motors left over from his motor upgrade. He wanted some increase in resolution so he went with the setup you see. By using all off the shelf parts. The source was McMaster if I recall right. Pillow block bearings, shaft (which was too long and was cut)toothed pulley on the motor had to be drilled to the size of the stepper which Jay did on the drill press with a new bit the right size. Larger toothed pulley was bought to fit the size of the shaft. Pulley ratio is about 1:3 if I recall right. Toothed belt was purchased with the pulley. Chuck and insert were purchased from WoodCraft, again, off the shelf parts. Spacers are pipe nipples. Some bolts, nuts and washers complete the "headstock end" The ways and tail stock were designed by Jay and cut on the ShopBot. The tailstock has a live center also from WoodCraft. Jay has only used the Indexer Virtual Tool that is already installed with the current control software. Nothing had to be written or coded. ShopBot has provided a very complete set of tools for the Indexer. The cable from the control board to the driver and the cable from the driver to the stepper motor were purchased from ShopBot.

All of this project went from Jay and I talking one day in his shop about how one could be built to having the indexer running in about 4 days. Most of that time was waiting for the UPS truck to deliver the goodies.

I hope this helps to answer at least some of your questions and sparks an interest in making your own.

Ed

[myxpykalix]

Ed,
a question i have is why did you/he set it up with gears and pulleys as opposed to a direct connection to the motor? Did this give you some type of gearing advantage?

The reason i ask is I have been thinking about rigging something up where i can take a round table that might be 6' in circumference and carve a design arount the face of the skirt and wondered if there were gearing ratio's i need to be concerned with?

[magic]

I can't stand it anymore... I NEED an indexer!

Once I have the motor and parts, how is it wired into my Alpha 96?

I'm dying to know.

[ed_lang]

John

He wanted some increase in resolution so he went with the setup you see. He is getting a 3:1 advantage. This gives him more resolution and power. Your indexer has a gearbox on the end of the stepper I bet. This is not the normal ShopBot indexer motor.

[myxpykalix]

Unless somehow the gearbox is internal here is what i have:

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comparing the 2 pix it does look like mine has a longer case maybe for gearing?

I'm sure his setup was less expensive in the longrun but when i bought my shopbot I got the indexer because i knew next to nothing about either at the time.
Magic- here is a pic of how it is wired into my box (what you can see anyway) The big black with the little tag attached is for the indexer.

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[magic]

I don't think I have the same number of those black boxes.

I have 4. your picture shows 5

So now what do I do?

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[toddmaci]

Magic,
If you don't have an indexer I dont believe you should have 5. I believe you have 2 for your x azis, 1 for y and 1 or z. If youadd the indexer you will have one more. If you have an alpha the ribbon cable get connected to slot 5. If you send me an email(in my profile) I can send you a detailed word doc with pictures of how I set mine up.

[myxpykalix]

This is why i let shopbot install mine, because i wasn't willing to take a chance burning something up with a wrong placement of wires so for what was the price of the indexer I bought peace of mind and it was worth it to me just starting out to let them do it right.

[sagreen83]

Jay,

I too have a motor left over from the 7.2 upgrade and really want to build an indexer... Any chance you could come up with a list of part numbers for what you have so others can build the same?

Thanx!
Scott...

[cncb]

Ed, thanks for your information in regards to the photos of that diy 4th axis. My main question is how is he going from a hardened drill rod to the 4 jaw chuck head which I'm assuming is something like a 1"-8tpi arbor? Is he using some kind of adapter? Also what is the diameter of the rod he used? Any parts names/suppliers would be helpful. Thanks.

[ed_lang]

The adapter from rod to chuck was gotten with the chuck from Woodcraft.

Pulley, belt, rod and bearings were from either Graingers or McMaster Carr.

Sorry I don't have part numbers, but the packages were put in the trash.

The pulley on the stepper had to be drilled. Look at the Oriental motor site for the size of your motor shaft and order the right size bit when you order the pulley.

Buy the size rod and bearings that fit the chuck adapter you can get.

[cncb]

Couldn't find that chuck or adapter at woodcraft or in their catalog. Anyone have any sources for chuck adapters? I was thinking a 1/2" arbor on the motor side with a 1/4-1/2 coupler on the motor shaft to arbor and on the other pulley for the lathe arbor shaft either 5/8 or 3/4 but not coming up good with adapter sources.

[ed_lang]

I found these on WoodCrafts site.

Search for "chuck" or just follow this link.


Oneway Chuck.
5/8" plain adapter so get a 5/8" shaft.

http://tinyurl.com/4j8f65

Nova for those who want to same some money.

http://tinyrur.com/4mx164 (http://tinyurl.com/4mx164)

[cncb]

Thanks for the links Ed. The nova is looking good; oneway is a bit pricey but I know its well made.

[jay_d_wyant]

Sorry it has taken so long for me to respond, I had no idea such an in depth conversation was going on. Just so no one has to continue to speculate as to how I did it, here is my list of items purchased to build my indexer.

1 2L521 Pulley,Gearbelt Xl 1 166 $18.24 $18.24

1 2L533 Pulley,Gearbelt Xl 1 166 $40.05 $40.05

1 1DHK3 Gearbelt,XL,130 Tee 1 166 $6.19 $6.19

1 5JZ45 Shaft,12 In,5/8 In 1 $27.70 $27.70

2 6X233 Mounted Ball Bearin 2 202 $34.60 $69.20

1 1K514 Jobber Drill,14.00m 1 3045 $25.80 $25.80

1 1DHJ7 Gearbelt,XL,105 Tee 1 166 $5.59 $5.59

1 4UM66 Silver/Deming Drill 1 3050 $14.10 $14.10

As you can see I bought two belts, as I was not sure which would be the best length until I had all the parts in my hand. I did, as Ed stated above, use a Nova Chuck with a 5/8" plain insert. The motor shaft is 14mm. If you have further questions, feel free to email me and I will help with what I can.

[cncb]

Thanks for the info Jay, appreciate the details. Hows the 3:1, plenty of torque doing turnings?

[jim_stadtlander]

With these setups using a threaded end for mounting, does anyone find that it loosens while in use? A lathe turns one way with the force applied in one direction, but when using the indexer on the shopbot it turns both ways when in use, applying force in both directions, so wouldn't it loosen up at times with a threaded end?

[myxpykalix]

jim,
here is what happened to mine when the screws worked loose

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I put some loctite on them and so far no problem.
My setup is a little different than his but the solution might work the same. Either that or drill and tap a set screw.

[ed_lang]

On every wood lathe I have owned or turned on there are locking screws (most folks don't use them) to lock the chuck on the spindle. As you can see from the pictures John posted above, the shaft is keyed and the chuck adapter is attached by a taper and three screws. This setup cannot back out as there are no threads, like found on wood lathes.

[jim_stadtlander]

Am I understanding correctly that Jack's chuck to shaft is different than Jay's? Otherwise, Jack's chuck is keyed and Jay's is threaded with set screws?

I will have to look at my lathe chuck again, but I don't think I have any set screws. It is a very old setup and may not be able to do what I was hoping for it to do.

[myxpykalix]

here is a collage of a few pics of the adapter and shaft and chuck.

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