Harold Hall
Workshop Projects
Full Function Dividing Head, using lathe changewheels, Harold Hall
For the viewer who requires the capabilities of the commercial Semi Universal Dividing head but cannot justify the cost, the dividing head in this project is worth considering. In fact, as the worm wheels ( lathe change wheels) can be interchanged permitting other ratios to be set up, rather than the ratio of 40:1 which the commercial items have, there are some divisions available that are not possible with the Semi Universal head. One important one being 125 which is required for a dial for an 8tpi leadscrew. Its only real disadvantage is that it cannot be set at an angle though for many this is unlikely to be required.
With just a few very simple additional parts it can be set up for direct dividing using a changewheel or the dividing plate.
For the detail drawings for making this head see my book “Dividing”. This gives some guidance about making one and all the details regarding the divisions available, as it does for many other dividing heads.
Should the viewer require a simpler dividing head then see my
Basic Dividing Head elsewhere on my site.
All pictures can be clicked on to provide a larger view
