Thank you sir for the kind words.
I thought I'd try to be helpful by providing some item numbers from McMaster-Carr for the parts I used
on this set-up. Of course, there are many ways to skin this cat.
Clamp-on Framing Fitting (aluminum) ($31)
MC #9578T32
Aluminum Plate: ½" x 2.5" x 6" ($7.75)
MC #8975K477
Motor Windings Cable; 16 GA, 5 wire (10 feet @ $2.25 a foot)
MC #7081K87
Cord Grips, ½" knockout size, ($9.50 ea)
MC #7529K303
(Pay attn to cord diameter size!)
SB 9" Gear cover guard door mount hinge bracket; about 30 bucks on Ebay
These are GREAT for mounting lights, accessory/collet trays, etc. to your lathe.
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Clearly, you'll need to turn down some aluminum stock for the vertical shaft; Delrin would
work too. You'll need .75" diameter on one end for the flange, and .5" diameter on the other for the ways bracket.
Of course, you determine your own preferences for height.
(It was always my intention to add a bit of design to this shaft, perhaps some long tapers that met
in the middle, aka "hourglass" shape. Or perhaps a few spaced bands of knurl or maybe some groups of slits.
I don't have a taper attachment, so would have had to offset the tailstock to cut the tapers. I got lazy and blew it off.)
The switch and rear flange mount to the aluminum plate via machine screws; say #10-32's. I didn't
have any alum plate stock this size, so it was just as easy to order a small piece from MC, then trim the length
to about 3.75". A threaded knob would be better on the door hinge bracket instead of the square-head screw;
quicker and easier to loosen and move.
I ran the cable from the motor to the back of the cabinet (where my drawers are), then through the cabinet interior across to the tail end, and out
the backside where they come up to the switch. (see photos). There are two other lines for 110v in my case. One is for wall power to an outlet
junction box inside my cabinet, the other for power to the switch itself.
I remember a hassle with tightening the ½" knockout nuts to the INSIDE (bottom) of the Dayton switch.
There was very little room for the nuts to spin freely. I would suggest you first tighten these knockout
nuts, then attach the switch to the alum plate, then make final wiring connections to the switch contacts.
Moving this switch was very high on my list of changes to make next time I refreshed the lathe. It was right
in line with the chuck and always got nasty from swarf and oil slinging onto it, and it made clean-up that much more difficult.
Although in theory, reaching over the spinning work is about the worse thing you can do, I never recall any close calls as a result.
I never liked the South Bend options of the switch being mounted on the cone pulley guard, nor down on the ways very close to the lead screw.
Having this switch near the bed end (and adjustable) has been great!
I think that just about covers it...not rocket science (a good thing for me).
PMc
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