Deviding head $311.99

[SmithDoor]

Here email on a is new deviding head
This has free shipping per add.
It is $311.99

Dave

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/10050...6917741094d72aacf5e81df6d24fc&ck=in_edm_other

 

[Vietti]

Been thinking about getting one of these. Whats wrong with the cheaper version?

 

[SmithDoor]

The retailer has not mark up the price.
The one have is Chinese made from 1980's still working great

Dave

Been thinking about getting one of these. Whats wrong with the cheaper version?

8th

 

[traction engine]

Be very careful! I've bought 2 Chinese dividing heads - one from Ali and one from Amazon. Both garbage due to appalling condition of worms and gears resulting in as much as 3⁰ rotational error. Okay for crude layout work, useless for gears or other precision work. I now have one from the California company whose name escapes me presently and it's a joy to use.

 

[SmithDoor]

Was one from California made in California.
I found a lot are sold in the USA but made in China.

Dave

Be very careful! I've bought 2 Chinese dividing heads - one from Ali and one from Amazon. Both garbage due to appalling condition of worms and gears resulting in as much as 3⁰ rotational error. Okay for crude layout work, useless for gears or other precision work. I now have one from the California company whose name escapes me presently and it's a joy to use.

 

[ChazzC]

eBay has numerous Chinese dividing heads listed, all with the same photos as the ones on Ali. While they don't have a 4", they do have multiple listings for a 5" with a price of $US275 with free shipping within the US from US locations (shipping to Canada is $US130) and free returns. Amazon Prime has the 5" dividing head for $US308; the extra $30 may be worth it since it comes with free returns, which I have found to be easy to use with fast refunds. I couldn't find any 4" dividing heads from Amazon Prime, but they do list 65mm ($180), 80mm ($265) and 100mm ($290) CNC 4th axis units.

While a dividing head is on my wish list, it's pretty far down. I have a 4" Sherline rotary rable mounted on an adjustable angle plate that is a good size for my mini mill. It has a 4" 3-jaw chuck, a 5-3/8" fixture plate and a tailstock. I just bought a an ER32 collet chuck on a 100mm backplate that fits the table perfectly for more accurate holding of small items. Although not as flexible as a dividing head, I can locate the rotary table accurately to 0.1° (and with reasonable accuracy to 0.05°), which is good enough for my occasional, non-production needs.

 

[Courierdog]

not to rain on the parade, I have been reading a lot of the forums on this very subject. The findings seem to support the real issue being three things.
1. the Parts are not fully demurred prior to assembly
2. the unit as a whole is not clean and wash out to remove all debris
3. the quality and quantity of the grease use in the assembly is inconsistent.
It certainly not that the Chinese cannot produce mechanical gears within required tolerances.
I would suggest a complete tear down, clean & degrease and debar each component reassemble carefully and inspect for fit and function prior to filling with a good quality grease.
Just a suggestion. As I have found the exact same issues with my Lathe and Mill as well as other Chinese mechanical items produced at a low retail direct to home price. The other thing to keep in mind, the exact same item supplied to a high tier supplier receives the essentially the same item that has been sent through quality control which requires the full treatment then labeled with the end vendor's name and designations.
Note the individual parts are made to the same specs,
What is done with the part post production is the key to the quality is the next phase of treatment.
Give this some serious though prior to dismissing the product as low quality and worthless.
Thanks for Listening

 

[GrahamJTaylor49]

Be very careful! I've bought 2 Chinese dividing heads - one from Ali and one from Amazon. Both garbage due to appalling condition of worms and gears resulting in as much as 3⁰ rotational error. Okay for crude layout work, useless for gears or other precision work. I now have one from the California company whose name escapes me presently and it's a joy to use.

Bought one from a scrap yard many years ago, a Cincinatti unit with all the drive gears on it. The guy in the scrap yard said it was useless as it had an enormous amount of backlash and the company who owned it said it had had it's day.
I said that I'd take the risk and paid him the princely sum of £10 for it. Got it home, turned it upside down, took off the bottom plate and did up the backlash adjuster nut and put the plate back on. No backlash at all now. Fitted a 3 jaw chuck to it and can now swivel it to any angle that I want. Well worth the money I paid for it. One of my great joys is raking through some of my clients scrap bins for old fittings and bar ends. Havn't bought any materials for well over 10 years, just have to take pot luck on what is available..

 

[Courierdog]

Don't you just love it what that happens.
I would love to find an old flat belt driven Lathe, that has been thrown out because it is old, worn out only to find out the new people did not understand belts and broke the belt the first time they turn it on and tried to change speeds.
There are some fantastic one out there just waiting to be stumbled upon. Sitting gathering dust and debris in a dark corner.
Some like that have been found here, and all that was needed was a complete tear down, remove the original dried upon grease, buff some of the cosmetic painted surfaces repaint, reassemble replace the missing belts and mount properly on a rigid base, re-level, and voila a like new lathe. Yes they are out there still waiting for the right person to discover them.

 

[SmithDoor]

Here a small 3" rotary table for $90.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D2BMCDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GW2KDJPSGA6AS9TY0SJP
Dave

 

[GrahamJTaylor49]

Don't you just love it what that happens.
I would love to find an old flat belt driven Lathe, that has been thrown out because it is old, worn out only to find out the new people did not understand belts and broke the belt the first time they turn it on and tried to change speeds.
There are some fantastic one out there just waiting to be stumbled upon. Sitting gathering dust and debris in a dark corner.
Some like that have been found here, and all that was needed was a complete tear down, remove the original dried upon grease, buff some of the cosmetic painted surfaces repaint, reassemble replace the missing belts and mount properly on a rigid base, re-level, and voila a like new lathe. Yes they are out there still waiting for the right person to discover them.

I have been very lucky over the years and have found some very useful bits and bobs. One of my clients was moving his production facility to China and had to vacate the factory he had in Poole, Dorset. One of the items he had was a Colchester Bantam 2000 lathe. I asked him what he wanted for it and he said that all offers had to go before the board. I put in an offer of £650 for the lathe and a couple of weeks later I got a phone call telling me that I had got the lathes. I said "lathes"? He replied yes the lathes, the Bantam 2000 and the two Colchester Triumph 2000 long beds with DRO's. All for £650. I sold the two Triumph 2000 lathes to a friend who deals in second hand machinery for £650 and had the Bantam 2000 for the cost of moving them. The Bantam came with the standard tail stock plus a capstan tail stock, a face plate, a three jaw chuck, a three jaw soft jaw chuck, a four jaw chuck, a Dickson quick change tool post and all the change gears. I thought that I had got a bargain and have been using the lathe ever since. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. The bargains are out there.

 

[dazz]

Hi
The reason that the Chinese make poor quality stuff is that is what people buy. If they could only sell good quality, that is all they would make. So when you buy a cheap machine tool, you get what you pay for and lose credibility by complaining.

I buy a lot of stuff off Aliexpress. I aim to pay for higher priced versions of what I want. I find there is a close correlation between price and quality. In that respect, Chinese sellers are price honest.

 

[ShopShoe]

More Info on Rotary Table overhaul:

The late Chuck Fellows tuned up a rotary table and posted it here:

https://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/threads/rotary-table-fix.20719/#post-218871
I went through mine after chuck's post and made it a lot better, too.

--ShopShoe

 

[rmd55]

I bought a 6" 3 jaw chuck from the same manufacture Sanou. It was well made and the finish was good. The first I did with the chuck was take it apart and clean it. I got about an eighth of a teaspoon of grit out of the chuck. I re-lubed the chuck and it works great. I planned before I bought it that the first thing the chuck was going to get was a bath even before I machined the back plate for it.
Richard

 

[L98fiero]

Don't you just love it what that happens.
I would love to find an old flat belt driven Lathe, that has been thrown out because it is old, worn out only to find out the new people did not understand belts and broke the belt the first time they turn it on and tried to change speeds.

Not a personal experience but a friend bought an essentially new 14" lathe for $1000, the shop bought the lathe and the first person to run it, obviously untrained, ran it into the chuck so it sat for 5 or 6 years, they just wanted to get rid of it because everyone was afraid to use it and it was taking up space.

 

[Courierdog]

Having a Colchester Bantam 2000 lathe at that price, I am very sure, you can afford just to have it site there, look pretty, polish it occasionally. Ha Ha
Must be an absolute to use as well. I am very happy for you and extremely jealous. Ha Ha
My latest efforts have been in finding documented evidence of many latest tool developments are in fact of Victorian Era Developments which have been published then forgotten only to be found again and put into service as a new device. The world is full of imitations.

 

[tim9lives]

I purchased one of the Chinese dividing heads and kind of agree with Courier Dog. The first thing I had to do is a tear down and deburr . Then the main thing in which vastly improved its behavior was adjusting of the backlash. The gears on my unit are acceptable in my opinion. Not perfect but I think most dividing heads will have the same amount of backlash as I now have. As long as one always turns the unit one direction and locks it after each segment turn, I think you will be okay. I doubt anything with a 90 to one worm gear won’t end up with a backlash issue.
that said…. Kind of like a milling machine. Always turn the dial in one direction. If you turn the dial in reverse, then make sure you correct by turning clockwise again to take up that backlash.

 

[OrangeAlpine]

I purchased a 5" Sanou 3 jaw chuck. Took it apart, expecting to find gobs of grit and dirt. It was very clean and lightly lubed.

Bill

 

[SmithDoor]

I purchased a 5" Sanou 3 jaw chuck. Took it apart, expecting to find gobs of grit and dirt. It was very clean and lightly lubed.

Bill

Here type lub for lathe chucks

https://www.mcmaster.com/2293N11/
Dave

 

[Vietti]

Also look at Amazon, chuck grease. 16 oz $25.39