Dividing head indexing tool

[tonyorlo]

I am looking for some help or advice. I purchased an entire shop from a local gentleman who was a retired mold maker. One of the tools I got was a Dividing head indexer. I am not a machinist, but I would eventually like to learn more about that trade and get equipment to do it myself.

My question is, would this indexing tool be something I should hang on to? 98% of anything I plan to do will be automotive related. If I decide to sell it, what is something like that worth? I’ve seen new ones on eBay, but this appears to be an American made tool. I have a handful of (indexing plates?) for it also. Carroll is the manufacture of the tool.

 

[DocsMachine]

Okay, that particular unit is set up as a sort of "bench center"- you put a shaft on the centers (those "points", using the drilled centers on any typical shaft) and rotate it for various reasons.

Typically, on bench centers it's to check things like any bend in the shaft- you don't really need a dividing head for that.

I'm also not sure what the previous owner might have been doing with the flat plate and surface gage- the little tower thing in the middle. Marking center for cutting keyways, maybe?

Either way, that dividing head and it's tailstock can be removed from that frame (which looks somewhat homemade) and bolted to a mill table. There, it can be used to mill any number of regularly-spaced features, like gear teeth, shaft splines, multiple keyways, holes (like for a strainer or muzzle brake) or what have you.

I personally find them to be very helpful, and would suggest you keep it.

Doc.

 

[tonyorlo]

Doc, thank you very much for the reply!

The previous owner was a mold maker for fostoria glass, (57-89ish). He was a very talented sculpter.

I’ve been researching about this tool, and it does sound much more useful on a mill. I do plan to buy a mill and lathe in the future. For indexing, I could see this tk be very useful drilling bolt patterns on axles and rotors if this tool can measure something like that? Making gears could be very helpful too. It doesn’t hurt to have too many tools. I guess I will hang in to it. It’s in very good condition, and he had other parts for it that I am sure will be useful in the future.

 

[Indexmill]

Jus wonderin...

How did you purchase "...an entire shop from a local gentleman who was a retired mold maker..." and not get a mill and a lathe in the deal? What did you get?

 

[tonyorlo]

Good question. He actually did have a lathe, a old Dewalt one. No mill though, but he had a very nice Powermatic 1150 drill press. He would use a fly cutter on it from what I understand. The drill press was the main reason I went. His shop wasn’t very big, when he retired I think he was just doing small contracting jobs for other glass companies.