Atlas 618 Lathe Progress - Part III: Compound Slide Handle Manufacture

Now that the cross slide handle is glued together, time to concentrate on the compound slide handle. The handle on the compound is currently two 1/4-20 nuts jammed together, which makes for slow going.

Having only online photos to go by, I just started whittling away at some hot rolled round bar stock, to see what emerges. Or, as Mr. Pete (Tubalcain) from YouTube fame says, "release the part from its molecular bonds" (molecular bonds link). Here's a start of the main body of the handle.

Semi-finished part.

It seems there is a lot of excess room on the threaded handle stud, much more than a handle needs, so I figured I'd make a collar to sit behind the handle. I'm not sure what is supposed to go behind the handle but this should work. [On later reflection, the collar should probably be threaded so when tightening the handle nut, the clamping force isn't transferred to the micrometer dial. I may make another threaded collar if I feel industrious, or just use one of the left-over 1/4-20 nuts if I don't.]

Here we are at the drill press punching some holes in the main body.

The handle is formed next.

Here are the four pieces for the handle. Upper right is the main body, middle is the handle, left is the collar, and front and center is the cinch-down nut tapped to 1/4-20. All parts were made on the 618 lathe.

I made the handle-body interface a .001 or .002 press-fit. Here it's being assembled in the Columbian #603 vise. After this process, I used a jeweler's file to make a notch in the center bore to accept the woodruff key. I didn't get a photo of that tedious process.

Here's the finished product. It works so much better than two nuts jammed together. I know the original Atlas part had two handles on it but I think one handle works great. I used a piece of scrap copper tubing left over from the drum switch project (link) for the woodruff key. I don't see there being much stress on this handle, so copper should work juuuuust fine...

Stop the presses! An update: I turned down one of the 1/4-20 nuts that came on the shaft and put it behind the handle and collar, so everything should be fine now. No more stress on the micrometer dial. Whew!