Myford style saddle stop.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I have made a saddle stop for the museum’s Atlas 12 x 24 which is not easy to use. It locks and is fully adjustable, but I think that the designs used on Myford lathes which have the same type of bed as the Atlas would be an improvement. Hopefully, some kind members could show me their designs for inspiraion.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

..to clamp across a shear?.. ..I made one similar to Harold Hall’s –

http://www.homews.co.uk/page152.html

– but instead of using a separate ‘jaw plate’ and pin, simply drilled a hole & made a cut to leave a little ‘tongue’ to stop the point of the locking screw chewing the side of the shear.

Obviously you can adapt the ‘body’ design to hold a simple stop, clock, or turret. I use a plain rod with a collar on it so that I can use a gauge piece between that and the body to set depths etc..

 

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

As an observation, which might help when you search for ideas, the term ‘carriage stop’ seems to be used almost as frequently as ‘saddle stop’.

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

I did make one some time ago . The idea was not to drill any holes in the lathe, which i did manage to acheive. In my tuby vids somewhere. Probably under Myford.

Steve.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I like that clamping tongue idea!

..

For a single-depth saddle-stop  on my Myford ML7, I simply use a short piece of steel or aluminium bar, about 25 X 6mm, held down to the flat areas of the bed by borrowing the clamp and its nut from the fixed steady.

The points to watch is that nothing revolving can catch on it, and to keep the swarf clear so it does not give false short-stopping. Also to ensure clamping the bar down does not trap swarf under it, potentially damaging the bed.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Probably only for a Myford without a gear-box, but the Martin Cleeve design which utilises a clamped rod is very convenient to use. If you put a lockable collar on the rod and put a compression spring between it and the clamping block, by leaving the clamp loose and setting the desired travel by the collar, you can use it for screw-cutting. The end of the rod marks the length of travel and the spring absorbs any slight over-run as you dis-engage the half-nuts. When the rod is clamped the saddle is just arrested at the desired travel. I have had this accessory on my lathe for years now and wouldn’t be without it, in fact I made one for the rear of the lathe which uses the tapped holes for the taper-turning attachment. Using both, you can traverse the saddle to fixed stops in either direction.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I like the simplicity of Diogenes design, the locking is so much simpler than mine and quicker setting. I will be looking for a bit of metal to make one from tomorrow. I will be able to use the rods that I have already made.

[John PurdyParticipant @johnpurdy78347]

I use one like Nigel, 1″ x3/8″ BMS, also borrowing the clamp assembly from the fixed steady. Noting the same caveats about swarf.

John

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I have almost finished the saddle (carriage) stop for the Atlas. Here are some pictures, the centre screw will need shortening. It locks to the bed very well, and id so much easier to set up than my wedge design.

 

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

That’s neat! I like the recessed screws. Do they share a key with a QCTP with square-headed tool-clamping screws?

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

The screws were spares left over from dumping the SHCS swarf trapping screws in a four way toolpost. They weren’t long enough without an added pin, so as there was enough metal to mill back and put a 9/16″ slot drill in to clear the 1/4 drive double square socket , I did that. The Atlas and the Smart & Brown both use 5/16 square screws on toolposts, stops, compounds, saddle (carriage) locks and the Atlas thread dial. One tool fits lots of things, makes life simpler.

The adjustable rod just clears the Norton gearbox on the Atlas, so I could fit a longer one if needed. The stop could move about 3/4″ further to the left on the bed if a chamfer was taken out of the left hand rear of the stop.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

The stop works so well that I will be making a slightly smaller one to go the other side. The downside of this is the lathe bed design, the Smart & Brown has a prismatic bed with the saddle (carriage) running on the front one and the tailstock running on the rear one. Both stops run on the front one and always miss the tailstock. A stop on the Atlas could interfere with the tailstock and will have to be designed or used with this in mind.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thank you for that!

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I have just finished the stop for the right hand side, it is similar to the first one, both made from a bit of odd aluminium offcut. The picture shows it outboard of the tailstock, probably the commonest position.

 

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