Lathe Dial Drop Indicator Holder
On the left, under the hand-wheel and Allen wrench, the Dial Drop Indicator rest against the carriage saddle to reflect the relative longitudinal position of the cutting tool. This eliminates the effects of backlash in the carriage gears and inaccuracies in the carriage graduated dial. With the setup pictured I am able to repeatedly position a tool and relatively locate other cuts.
The awkward setup with the magnetic base holder for the Dial Drop Indicator is the motivation for this modification. The green drip pan by the chip brush moves. The cast iron bed, below the longitudinal leadscrew, isn't flat enough to stably mount the holder. Mounted on the bed, as in the photo, mounting is stable but not solid. And, I bumped things twice making the first part and the magnetic base restricts tailstock travel.
At left is an end view of the front bed rail. The tailstock sits on the right flat section, leaving the left half free. It should be possible to mill a clamp to "ride" on the left half, clearing the tailstock on the right, and clamp under the bottom lip. The clamp will need some way to connect to the 3/8" shaft or the lug on the back of the dial indicator. Yes the paint on the rail has peeled off already.
Some kind of micro adjustment like my height gauge would be nice.
First layout for bracket.
