Sherline Lathe Depth Stop
This is a depth stop for the Sherline lathe. I based this on a design I saw somewhere online (probably a project submitted to the Sherline website). You can click the pictures for larger images. The collar is clamped to the end of the spindle with one cap screw. The depth rod goes in the collar and through the spindle towards the chuck and is clamped in place with the other cap screw. The part you are working on gets pressed up against the rod and then the chuck is tightened. This ensures consistent lengths when making multiple copies of a part. This device can be left on the lathe while the part is turned.
The collar is bored out to the outer diameter of the spindle for about half the length. The other half is bored (concentric) for a very close fit of the depth rod (0.25" in my case). Cross drill and tap a hole in each half of the collar (I think I used 8-32). I faced the end of the rod and turned the diameter down on the chuck end to allow this to work on smaller diameter parts. Since set screws raise burrs where they clamp (especially in aluminum), I milled a flat along the length of the rod to avoid having it jamb in the collar. Different rods could be made with different chuck end diameters. If the end is larger, you will have more strength but will be limited to larger parts. If you make the end smaller, you will be able to use this with thinner parts but sacrifice strength. Although the cap screws don't seem to add vibration, set screws could be used for a cleaner look and less chance of grabbing your fingers. |