How to make a pickup winding faceplate that runs 'true'

[John S]

What's this method called?

The technical term is "Ouch that bastard was hot" AKA shrink fit.

One problem with this is you don't get a second chance, if you do want a 'permanent ' job bore out to get a nice slip fit and then hold the faceplate on with a dab of Loctite retainer. Later if you need it off a bit of heat to the faceplate will break the Loctite.

To get it to run perfectly true make the faceplate slightly longer than the shaft.
Bore the 8mm hole in and put a small counterbore at the front, like your perspex one, now glue the faceplate on, allow to set and put the rear shaft of the stepper in the lathe, support the 8mm hole with a revolting centre and take a clean up pass across the faceplate.
Tape the motor wires to the body whist doing this.

This way it will be as square as you can get it.

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[HankMcSpank]

To get it to run perfectly true make the faceplate slightly longer than the shaft.
Bore the 8mm hole in and put a small counterbore at the front, like your perspex one, now glue the faceplate on, allow to set and put the rear shaft of the stepper in the lathe, support the 8mm hole with a revolting centre and take a clean up pass across the faceplate.


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I was enjoying your 'top tip' until I got to the bolded bit - my stepper doesn't have a rear shaft (I'm wishing it had now, as when it's in situ as a pickup winder, a rear shaft would come in useful for general operability)

I did at one stage today spin the stepper as fast as it'll go (about 600RPM) and took a wood chisel to the perspex faceplate surface....the perspex cut like a charm - but obviously the chisel danced about a bit! Now if only I could come up with a way of securing a cutting bit totally perpedicular to the faceplate - I'd not need to piddle about with lathes at all (as it goes, a stanley blade is the perfect width for 'facing' the perspex faceplate - being just slightly longer than the faceplate's radius )

[John S]

Put a pice of perspex. metal etc in the lathe and face it off, anything doesn't matter as long as it's flat.
Then replace the tool with a piece of square bar [ lathe tool turned over ? ] and offer this up to the faced off disk in the chuck when it touching along it's length tighten the toolpost etc.

Now clamp you stepper with perspex faceplate to the lathe bed with a G clamp on some packing blocks so it's on centre offer it up to the preset lathe tool or bar. Tighen stepper when touching all over.
the stepper is now square to the lathe axis, change the tool round again, run stepper and face off.