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Hardinge Cataract lathe with metric compound slide dials!!??!!

Technical Ted

Cast Iron
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Just wondered how common these are. I never dreamed that a piece of equipment made in the USA in the 1940's??? would have metric dials, but I'm convinced this one does. Dang! Maybe the slide is a lot newer than that???

When if first checked it out with a dial indicator, I thought one full revolution moved the slide 0.040" but now I'm convinced it's actually 1 millimeter. Going with the later, the numbers/divisions on the dials make sense. The longitudinal slide moves 2x the division that the cross slide moves.

Pictures of the machine, slide, cross feed dial, longitudinal dial and stamping on unit attached.

Ted

IMG_20200102_184752.jpgIMG_20200102_184807.jpgIMG_20200102_184824.jpgIMG_20200102_184835.jpgIMG_20191231_081231.jpg
 
As I mentioned before, that is a 1946 model Hardinge slide rest, which was made until 1960. From about 1955 to 1960, the dial scales were white nylon with black markings. The earlier dials were solid steel. The upper feed screw is 1/2-10 LH square thread and the lower feed screw is 1/2-20 RH square thread. Both the upper and lower dials have 100 divisions. The lower dial reads diameter change in thousandths of an inch rather than tool travel. The upper dial reads tool travel in thousandths of an inch.

These slide rests can be rebuilt, and I have done a few. Hardinge sold (no longer) new feed screws and blank feed nuts. There is a tap kit with the special taps for the feed nuts, bushings and drills to allow drilling and tapping the nuts in position after re-doing the slide dovetails, which moves the position of the nuts and screws, forcing one to fit new nuts.

I have never seen a metric screw version of these slide rests and do not know if Hardinge made one. You should measure the feed screw thread diameters and pitches and thread form and state how many divisions are on your upper and lower dials.

Here are some pictures of the 1946 slide rest ad, original and late dials, new nuts and screws.

Larry

DV59 slide rest 1946 brochure 1.JPG DSC02229.jpg DSC02231.jpg DSC02232.jpg DSC02234.jpg
 
As I mentioned before, that is a 1946 model Hardinge slide rest, which was made until 1960. From about 1955 to 1960, the dial scales were white nylon with black markings. The earlier dials were solid steel. The upper feed screw is 1/2-10 LH square thread and the lower feed screw is 1/2-20 RH square thread. Both the upper and lower dials have 100 divisions. The lower dial reads diameter change in thousandths of an inch rather than tool travel. The upper dial reads tool travel in thousandths of an inch.

These slide rests can be rebuilt, and I have done a few. Hardinge sold (no longer) new feed screws and blank feed nuts. There is a tap kit with the special taps for the feed nuts, bushings and drills to allow drilling and tapping the nuts in position after re-doing the slide dovetails, which moves the position of the nuts and screws, forcing one to fit new nuts.

I have never seen a metric screw version of these slide rests and do not know if Hardinge made one. You should measure the feed screw thread diameters and pitches and thread form and state how many divisions are on your upper and lower dials.

Here are some pictures of the 1946 slide rest ad, original and late dials, new nuts and screws.

Larry

View attachment 274282 View attachment 274283 View attachment 274284 View attachment 274285 View attachment 274286

Thanks for the reply Larry. I was hoping you would do so.

I didn't post the number of divisions on the dials, because they are shown in the pictures, but the dials have 200 divisions. The numbered lines are marked 0-19. They are solid, unfinished steel. Lines are not numbered 1-90 as in the photos you posted.

I'll measure the screws later this morning or afternoon. I can see on the bottom that the cross screw is very fine. The attached picture is of the cross screw.

Thanks! I really appreciate the help.
Ted

Cross screw.jpg
 
1) put a fine sharpie pen mark on the slide parallel to the lathe ways.

2) turn the feed crank exactly ten turns, starting at zero, ending at zero.

3) put another fine sharpie marke on the slide.

4) measure that distance with a scale. Report the results.
 
1) put a fine sharpie pen mark on the slide parallel to the lathe ways.

2) turn the feed crank exactly ten turns, starting at zero, ending at zero.

3) put another fine sharpie marke on the slide.

4) measure that distance with a scale. Report the results.

Thanks for the reply!

I'll do that and post results when I post the screw measurements later today. But, as I posted in my first post, I put a dial indicator on the slide and one full rotation of the dial moved the slide ~0.040" I said around (~) because now I'm thinking it is actually 1mm (0.0394").

Based on using 0.040" travel for 1 full rotation of the dial, on a dial marked with 200 divisions, would mean that 1 division would equal 0.0002" for movement Each long line would equal 0.001" of movement Each numbered line would equal 0.002" of movement. I've seen quite a few dials on machine tools and this makes no sense whatsoever to me!

But, if you use 1mm for one full revolution of the dial this makes perfect sense. Then one line = 0.005mm Each long line = 0.025mm and each numbered line equals 0.05mm and this makes perfect sense (at least to my old brain).

Thanks for the help,
Ted
 
Here are the requested measurements: I measured threads per inch as close as I could with a good scale. 10 turn distance traveled measured by depth mics for accuracy.

Top Slide:
Screw = 12-3/4 TPI; pitch = 0.07843" (2mm); LH square; 10 turn travel = 0.788" (20mm)

Bottom slide (cross slide):
Screw = a hair under 25-1/2 TPI; pitch = 0.0392" (1mm); RH square (had to use a magnifying glass to tell)

See attached pictures; 2 of each screw. First two bottom slide (cross slide). Last two top slide.

Ted

IMG_20200103_115930.jpgIMG_20200103_115942.jpgIMG_20200103_120336.jpgIMG_20200103_120351.jpg
 








 
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