The cost of the oem attachment for my lathe is around a grand with exchange and shipping, and the trip to the nearest machine is prolly a hundred with 2hrs of diesel oil and a case of beer. Prolly someone closer, but I don't know them...... yet.....
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Is Taper Attachment worth it?
- Thread starter Susquatch
- Start date
The cost of the oem attachment for my lathe is around a grand with exchange and shipping, and the trip to the nearest machine is prolly a hundred with 2hrs of diesel oil and a case of beer. Prolly someone closer, but I don't know them...... yet.....
Taper turning attachments will rarely be used, but you have to consider: if you didn't have one, what would that part you made cost if you had to buy it?....if it's even available?
Well I took the plunge and ordered the taper attachment for my lathe.
Grizzly is having a big sale on equipment and accessories right now. I've hummed and hawwed about getting the taper attachment for many many years now. I've always managed to do without it. I've even looked into making my own. The growing problem is that someday it won't be available anymore.....
23% off was enough to press buy and it's on its way. Might sit in the box till I need it. But at least I'll have it now so I'll never again regret not buying it.
Major discounts on most machines and accessories right now.
Grizzly is having a big sale on equipment and accessories right now. I've hummed and hawwed about getting the taper attachment for many many years now. I've always managed to do without it. I've even looked into making my own. The growing problem is that someday it won't be available anymore.....
23% off was enough to press buy and it's on its way. Might sit in the box till I need it. But at least I'll have it now so I'll never again regret not buying it.
Major discounts on most machines and accessories right now.
The only reason I never bothered with power cross feed for my South Bend is that it has a taper attachment. This came in handy when I was turning the mandrel and internal taper on the mill pulley.
My Gingery has my ELS which does tapers and with the power cross feed can then automatically thread withdraw and insert. I do that manually on the South Bend. On the Gingery I've done both R8 and MT2 tapers.
My Gingery has my ELS which does tapers and with the power cross feed can then automatically thread withdraw and insert. I do that manually on the South Bend. On the Gingery I've done both R8 and MT2 tapers.
I didn't know that Grizzly shipped to Canada. Or are you picking up in the US?
Doggggboy
Ultra Member
That is some pro-level rationalization, right there.
"I'd rather look at it than look for it."
It's not that I can't cut tapers as is John. I have cut many many tapers for all kinds of things.
It's just that my compound is limited to about 3.5 inches and I absolutely HATE offsetting my tailstock. I even made an adjustable offset for it using an old MT3 boring head I had for my mill drill that wasn't being used anymore.
But the factory taper attachment is pretty cool. The cross-slide doesn't have to be disabled to use it, and it comes with a big graduated handwheel for setting the angles.
The nicest thing about having the factory attachment on hand is that I can now finalize the design of my DRO scales for inside the cross slide. I'm quite excited about being able to do that. It's been a very long time coming.
They do. But unfortunately by UPS. Lord only knows what excitement lies before me......
That's what I like about my South Bend version. Set the taper, tighten clamp to the ways and now the carriage moves the cross slide in or out. But that's because the cross slide has a sliding drive attachment. And why parting off doesn't need to be done from the back side. Not that I can part off very well.
trlvn
Ultra Member
You're pretty close to Detroit, right? You could pickup your purchase from a cross-border service there and not be held hostage by UPS. You'll end up paying HST either way. If Grizzly's shipping within the US is cheap enough, though, it can pay for your time and hassle crossing the border.
Just as an example, I found this service that claims to be 3 minutes from the tunnel:
Pickup Location – Detroit Mailbox
detroitmailbox.com
They charge USD $6 for a parcel under 60 pounds. I'm sure there are others.
Craig
(Play it right and you can fill your tank with cheaper US fuel, too! Take your better half to Trader Joes, etc...)
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
I have had to take the unfortunate polarizing stand that if a supplier only ships to Canada via UPS, they don't get my business. I have successfully arranged alternate delivery by USPS, Fedex ground (never air), and hired carrier (Yellow or Hercules).
The few that refuse lose the sale, no loss to them, or me.
I understand with a machine-specific part there is less wiggle room.
No way. Rather deal with UPS. It's an hour and a half each way to the border plus 45 minutes dealing with empowered idiots, and then even worse going home.
I'm not even sure they will let me across anyway. I got myself blacklisted by yelling at a immigration official who went bonkers on me. It is REALLY HARD to make me lose my cool, but I did and didn't hold back at all. I don't even remember the details.
Whatever I saved I spent on getting there and back.
Well that right there was the last nail in the coffin. Take my wife shopping in the US? Ain't happening Craig! Maybe my kids will take her after I die. She would go bonkers shopping for a month and come home bitching for 2 more months about the lack of choice here in the boonies.
Ya, much as I really don't like UPS, it's a better and wiser choice......
140mower
Don
Atta boy! You realize that we are going to expect the DRO to factor in on the setting of said attachment.
You have ordered it have you not....
We have expectations. .....
Got confirmation that my order shipped last night. ETA next week. So ya, Grizzly still ships to Canada.
Atta boy! You realize that we are going to expect the DRO to factor in on the setting of said attachment.
You have ordered it have you not....
I ordered it a while back. But it's not installed yet. Planning to install the DRO, the new motor & VFD, and the taper attachment all at the same time to minimize down time. Hopefully later this summer.
I use my lathe A LOT! So I want to minimize total down time. But I can pretty much guarantee that I'll be as grumpy as a water buffalo when I do it.
I have this style on my Modern lathe, but I find i have issues getting the part circled in red to clamp tight enough to the ways. I get movement in two joints when moving the carriage . I suspect I have the gibs too tight but wanted to hear if others have issues .
Hmmmmm....... This very fear has been bothering me. When I looked at the way it all it works I realized that this reference anchor is a weakness in the design approach. I had wondered if that part could use a redesign to improve its functionality?
I'll take a better look after it arrives. Might be of benefit for all of us with similar designs.
I'm also planning some other major changes to the cross-slide to accommodate putting my DRO scale INSIDE the cross-slide. These plans will also have to modified to accommodate the scale sensor at the back of the cross-slide.
Should be fun.
Looking forward to the retrofit. Take some pics of the new/replacement feed screw assembly that facilitates taper turning before installation. I think I understand the general principle it but I've only ever seen the same catalog pictures you show & some rudimentary part schematics. Unrelated but I've been collecting ideas for better ABL nut vs the standard slit & set screw approach. Some good ideas but many of these might not be a good match to our particular layout constraints with yet more mods.
Kevin - I have problems with mine too. I think the taper attachment on the Modern 602A is really poor. It's crummy and really fussy to set. The angle gauges only get you vaguely in the right area. I don't see how that hand wheel on Susquatch's attaches but that looks pretty appealing. Anyway I tried to use mine once and gave up, went back to setting the compound and living with 3.5" of travel. This dial indicator thing John Chaychuck @Dabbler invented makes that a lot easier. https://www.printables.com/model/297110-lathe-compound-taper-angle-setting-tool .. there is a thread on here somewhere about it.
