What's new
What's new

Van Norman 10" divding head

raven007

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Location
georgia, usa
When I acquired the Hendey I have been posting about, I also acquired a Van Norman 10" dividing head. I had been searching for one for my VN26 project mill for awhile. It needs a little bit of love, but overall it will be a nice addition. I will need to reweld the lock for the index plate, but I have the broken piece. My plan is to shim the gap where it clamps and bolt it down then groove the break and have my brother who is a way more talented than me weld it back. I still need to source more index plates and a tailstock.

20200223_115357_resized.jpg

20200223_115406_resized.jpg

20200223_120542_resized.jpg

20200223_120625_resized.jpg

20200208_144132_resized.jpg
 
Congrats on the DH. They are quite substantial. I don't think that I have ever seen one of those direct mount chucks for sale - extra congrats on that. The tailstocks and index plates do show up from time to time on e-bay, or you could always make the index plates and adapt a tailstock from a different manufacturer. The 50 NMTB to VN2 (50V) collet adapter can be a nice accessory for smaller work, but rarely do you see those for sale separately.
 
The chuck has two piece jaws and maybe great when cleansed. I had to think about the #50 taper until saw it was for a Van Norman 26 mill! Good score.
 
The chuck moves freely still and really doesn't look beat up. Its a Skinner brand chuck. I think I will grab a NMTB50 -> morse taper adapter so I can do a dead center in the head. Hopefully the tolerances won't stack up.

The seller also had the outboard arbor support for a 26. Now I just need the inboard "sleeve" support. (I think its the "A" support, the one I got is the most critical "B" support with a center for the arbor to ride in). Maybe in like five years I will get all this stuff working and can cut a gear or two.

On a side note, does anyone else have one of these that would be willing to pull the index crank off and make a tracing on graph paper for me? I have a few pieces and could make a functional one, but would like to make it look as close to the original as I can. I have the sector arms, one index plate, and the "pin" mechanism. The index crank arm is broken into several pieces and I don't have enough pieces to get the profile.

I have grabbed this publication: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2109/22841.pdf which is fantastic.
 
Its definitely 1.250 body dia and 1.120 thread major, so maybe useful. No collets, just the solid center.

Exceedingly nasty, would have to have major clean up

20200227_124639.jpg20200227_124725.jpg
 
does anyone else have one of these that would be willing to pull the index crank off and make a tracing on graph paper for me?
My free time in the shop has been sort of crushed, but if you keep nagging me, I will dig mine out of the storage area and do that. Ironically, my VN 10" tilting dividing head (the more conventional design) is sitting on the corner of my workbench right now.
 
Its definitely 1.250 body dia and 1.120 thread major, so maybe useful. No collets, just the solid center.

Exceedingly nasty, would have to have major clean up

View attachment 280185View attachment 280186

I would like to acquire this if you decide to part ways with it. It has four holes like the spindle on the head.

I'm interested in the end mill holders if I score the adapter.

Odd nmtb 50 stuff is interesting to me also because a have a makino cm 40 clone tool and cutter grinder with a 50 nmtb on the backside of the work head that it came with.
 
My free time in the shop has been sort of crushed, but if you keep nagging me, I will dig mine out of the storage area and do that. Ironically, my VN 10" tilting dividing head (the more conventional design) is sitting on the corner of my workbench right now.

Will do :)
 
This is quick & dirty - I didn't have any graph paper.

John Oder's "doo dad" looks like a winner.



On a side note, does anyone else have one of these that would be willing to pull the index crank off and make a tracing on graph paper for me? I have a few pieces and could make a functional one, but would like to make it look as close to the original as I can. I have the sector arms, one index plate, and the "pin" mechanism. The index crank arm is broken into several pieces and I don't have enough pieces to get the profile.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1365.jpg
    IMG_1365.jpg
    8 KB · Views: 63
  • IMG_1363.jpg
    IMG_1363.jpg
    16.4 KB · Views: 61
  • IMG_1362.jpg
    IMG_1362.jpg
    17.8 KB · Views: 59
  • IMG_1361.jpg
    IMG_1361.jpg
    16.1 KB · Views: 56
What do i put in this thing to lubricate? light grease on the gears? oil like goes in the knee of a VN? I have a good bit of vacation coming this December and I plan to repair this guy and put it on my brother's Index until I have my VN up and going.
 
Congrats on the DH. They are quite substantial. I don't think that I have ever seen one of those direct mount chucks for sale - extra congrats on that. The tailstocks and index plates do show up from time to time on e-bay, or you could always make the index plates and adapt a tailstock from a different manufacturer. The 50 NMTB to VN2 (50V) collet adapter can be a nice accessory for smaller work, but rarely do you see those for sale separately.

I have a model H and a model K Kearney and Trecker dividing head neither one has a chuck.. They are scarce it seems.. Cheers; Ramsay 1:)
 
Did you ever find index plates or a tail stock? I might have an extra index plate (37-39-41-43-47-49). But I am also looking for a tail stock, or one compatible, doesn't have to be a Van Norman.
 








 
Back
Top