7x12 lathe (G8688) missing part, need specs/pics

[xander18]

I bought my Sieg 7x12 mini lathe secondhand, which was well worth it financially and so far hasn't caused too many headaches. But there have been a few. The forward-off-reverse switch needed replacing, so I dusted off the old soldering iron and it works like a charm.

Now I'm missing a small piece which I would like to make myself, but it would be great to get some good pictures or specs on it from someone who has one. The part is the dog that engages the notches on the bottom of the toolpost so that it only spins in one direction and stops every 90 degrees. It seems to be piece 109 on the specification sheet on Grizzly's website (G8688 7" x 12" Mini Metal Lathe) but I can't see it nearly well enough to see what it is.

I'm sure that with a little bit of engineering I could work something out but I thought I might as well save myself the time and effort if anyone here can send me some detailed pics or specs.

Thanks everyone and happy machining,
X

[doorknob]

Is that part visible from the outside or do you need to take the toolpost apart to see it? I have a 7x10 lathe (which should have the same part), but I'm not sure that I want to take the toolpost apart right now, and I'm too lazy to walk down to the basement to compare the exploded part diagram with the lathe.

Apparently you can order the part from Grizzly for $2.50 (if I have read it correctly):

P8688109 POSITIONING PIN

based on the parts list at http://www.grizzly.com/products/g8688/parts

[xander18]

You have to take the toolpost off the mill but nothing more than that. I made a rough version of it that's working fine for now but if you feel like snapping a pic next time you have yours off I'll make a better one.

Now that's not in the DIY spirit If I need to order other parts I might throw that one in the mix, for now it's not worth it.

[TXFred]

Basically, it's just a cylinder with an angle on the end. On the other end, there's a smaller cylinder that fits inside the spring.

Your rough version is probably made to tighter tolerances than the factory version.

I wouldn't worry about getting another one of those parts anyway. As soon as you go to any sort of QCTP, that part becomes irrelevant.

If you like, I can put calipers on mine, assuming I can find it.

Cheers,
Frederic