Originally Posted by Geof  This is so correct. I did that job back in 1969 well before digital cameras where available; now I would have pictures documenting a setup such as that.
The dial gauge mounts where long pieces of cold rolled flat bar fastened to the body of the machine. |
I'm trying to envision how I'd approach this with your comments in mind.
First, I'm thinking 2 Kurt vises to hold the stock. For the initial segment, I would position them on opposite ends of the table, and square away the initial 4 feet of travel.
Next, I am ready to get into slide+cut mode. I want to continue using the vises, but my tendency is to want to grip the workpiece only on finished edges to help keep things aligned. Because of this, I will move the lefthand vise inward by however much I want a pass on the remaining unfinished stock to be. For the 4 foot table, let's same I'm going to do the remainder 1 foot at a time--I'm chicken to do the whole 2 feet only holding onto 2 feet between the vises, but maybe that'd be okay too. I'd be suspicious of the rigidity.
So I'm going to move the leftmost vise, and dial it in so that for the 3 feet of travel the jaws are precisely aligned with the rightmost vise jaws. When I grip 3 feet of stock, I'm gripping 3 feet that's already square too. So I slide that vise, and I slide my stock down so the uncut portion is just shy of the left side of the leftmost vise.
Seems to me I can dial off the finished portion of the stock real quick just to be sure everything is good, and then I can cut a foot of stock to the left of the left vise. Probably should support that end with a machinist's jack too. If I had a third vise, I expect I'd use it too!
I cut that foot, open the vises, slide down another foot, clamp down, double check with the indicator, and keep going like that until I'm done.
I think I can do the whole thing off an Indicol, but I suppose it'd be faster and easier to have the bar you mention and 2 indicators--one riding on top of the workpiece and one on the side closest to the machine column. Just need to make darned sure my vises don't contact that lower indicator!
Does that work?
Cheers,
BW