Alexander Master Toolmaker / Deckel FP1 copy Slotting head wanted

Hi All

I know it's not a Deckel related post but there ain't a group for Alexander Master Toolmaker bits yet , anyway I'm after a slotting head attachment for the Alexander Master Toolmaker and thought somebody might have one for sale , thought I had luck recently with one but it turned out to be a Deckel which with different pressure angle on drive gear is no use to me .
If you know of any Alexander attachments for sale for that matter please get in touch .

Regards M slater

You are on the correct forum...Alexander owners and related questions/ discussions are welcome i believe!
There is a thread for "Wanted" ...which is perhaps where your post belongs....
However i will interject here that finding an Alexander slotting head might be a bit difficult owing to lower production of those machines (as compared to Deckel).
You do understand that Deckel produced two different slotting heads.
The one intended for use on the FP1 is slightly smaller in overall construction and is made using 14 1/2* (or 15* depending on who you believe) pressure angle gear profiles.
The slightly larger FP2/FP3 slotting head is made using 20* pressure angle gearing....seems one of those would work for your Alexander and might be easier to find....

Good luck with your search
Cheers Ross

Hi Ross , I was not aware that the FP2 and Fp3 slotting heads had the same pressure angle as the Alexander which is indeed 20 degree , I will post a wanted page for such a head cheers Buddy.
Regards Mark

Hi Ross , I have managed to locate a Deckel FP2 slotting Head on eBay , how certain are you it will fit the Alexander Master Toolmaker ? I mean you said it’s bigger physically even if the PA of the gear was right ?

The dovetail mount is the same width as the FP1....Not sure about the position (front to rear) of the drive gear and how that relates to the Alexander.
On the FP2 there is a stop block at the forward end of the dovetail that sets the installed position.....
Likely one could change the gear meshed position by changing the stop position, but i have never done this....

Member Alan spent lots of time and verb-age laying out and designing a home built riser for an FP1...pretty sure he covers the spacing thing in his lengthy posting, althouth to be fair i
paid little attention as i don't have an FP1 so the discussion was of little personal interest......

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/deckel-maho-aciera-abene-mills/build-fp1-riser-budget-317447/

I can tell you the distance from the stop to the drive gear for the FP2 accessories if that helps...

In rough terms, the distance from the stop to the forward face of the driven gear is : 228mm. The gear width is aprox 19mm....

Cheers Ross

Additional thought: There is one additional thing to consider. That of the position and length of the cutout in the mounting dovetail.
Deckel and i assume Alexander made the mounting dovetail with a cutout midway between the front and the drive gear.
This cutout (window) allows dropping the accessory down on to the mounting surface, then move it to the rear to engage the dovetail....
Makes for easy fitting up ...If the length of your Alexander(gear position) requires the FP2 slotting head to be re-positioned to engage the drive gears, there might be a problem with the way the base (Alexander) and accessory
dovetails line up with each other.....

The window (cutout) on an FP2/FP3 begins roughly 90mm from the front of the slide, (start of the cutout radius) and ends at 262mm.

Cheers Ross

Mark, I have an FP2 slotting head, which is one of my favorite accessories. If you want me to photograph the bottom and measure it crudely, please ask. I could do it this weekend. Cheers, Bruce

007sparky said:

Hi All

I know it's not a Deckel related post but there ain't a group for Alexander Master Toolmaker bits yet , anyway I'm after a slotting head attachment for the Alexander Master Toolmaker and thought somebody might have one for sale , thought I had luck recently with one but it turned out to be a Deckel which with different pressure angle on drive gear is no use to me .
If you know of any Alexander attachments for sale for that matter please get in touch .

Regards M slater

Click to expand...

I have an GHA milling machine slotting head in my shop.
I might sell it for the right price. It is located in Canada.

Hi Bruce yes measurements would be fab as the seller can't be bothered by the sounds of it , probably has lots of interest so does not want to .
Anyhow I spoke to a UK Deckel engineer and he says it won't fit due to the Fp2 being a bigger Machine but I beg to differ about the fit as Deckel themselves state FP1 attachments fit FP2 but can't be used as PA is different on mesh gear .

Alexander master toolmaker is a direct copy of FP1 although PA is 20 degree as per FP2 so would this not mean FP2 accessories not only fit the Alexander but mesh correctly too ?

I understand the length is the issue as I'm sure the FP2 slotting head is around 30mm longer but I'm unsure how the extra length will affect gear mesh alignment ?

Anymore help on this is greatly appreciated

I bet the shipping alone from Canada would come near to the Uk Price a slotting head sells for but give me Price your after and I can look into it .

Regards Mark

Hi Sparky,

The simple answer to your question is to buy the FP1 slotting head and simply replace the drive gear with a 20 degree pressure angle gear. A Deckel gear will cost you a fortune as it is hardened and ground but the pragmatic solution, if the head will not be used frequently, is to buy one from HPC gears in the UK. They have a range of gears in the correct 2.0 module and offer different grades of materials and they are cheap!

Alan