• January Turning Challenge: Thin-Stemmed Something! (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Scott Gordon for "Orb Ligneus" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 20, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Bill Noble faceplates?

Dean Center

Dean Center

Joined
May 4, 2010
Messages
2,663
Likes
2,107
Location
Bozeman, MT
Anybody know if Bill Noble is still selling faceplates? His web site is still up but I've e-mailed twice recently and have yet to get a reply. Thanks.
 
Well, his prices are right, but as he says, they are not precision faceplates. Unless you want to pay extra, they are not counterbored which means that they do not mate up with the register face on the spindle. The purpose of the register is to provide known repeatable alinement each time that the faceplate is screwed onto the spindle. Even if you opt for the counterbore option the faceplates are not balanced which might lead to some vibration on smaller lathes. It doesn't cost a great deal more to get machined faceplates that are much better quality. He recommends tapped holes in the faceplates, but I still do not understand his rationale for that.
 
Bill Boehme said:
He recommends tapped holes in the faceplates, but I still do not understand his rationale for that.
Click to expand...

Tapped holes are handy if you use his f-p's for permanent mountings like jamb chucks or vacuum bells. You can then drill mounting holes and use machine screws to secure the chuck to the plate rather than relying on wood screws. Thread relief is, however, strongly recommended. Purchasers should also take note of how much spindle they have showing from the shoulder. Bill uses nuts and washers to make the plates, so if the spindle threads section is longer than the thickness of the nut used, you'll have to plan on enlarging the center hole to allow the nut to seat on the shoulder.

I use Bill's stuff for most of my shop-made chucks.
 
Mark Mandell said:
Tapped holes are handy if you use his f-p's for permanent mountings like jamb chucks or vacuum bells....
Click to expand...

OK, so then this is for installing the screws from the other side. I can see the value in doing that.

I bought some large nuts few years ago when I had some thoughts of making my own faceplates. I still have them sitting in a drawer in my workbench and most likely will never be used for anything. I also have some tapered inserts with 1 X 8 threads that I no longer remember what they were intended to be used in, but I also had thoughts of using them to make my own faceplates. I liked them because they were counterbored and were longer than the nuts.
 
I've got a big pile of green blanks and it would be more efficient to do an assembly line approach to get them roughed out. After that, as Mark mentions, I'll be able to make a few shop made chucks until I can afford a vacuum set up. After that, they'll get turned into vacuum chucks.
 
Mark Levitski said:
Geez, Dean, just turn between centers (all right there is only one of you, is that why? 🙂 ). THAT is assembly line. Faceplates for that--fogetit.
Click to expand...

😀 Very funny, but doesn't that add up to three centers (drive, live, and Dean)?

I agree that turning between centers is the way to go unless turning something really heavy. Start out by statically balancing the wood and vibration will be minimal. Finally, create a tenon when ready to mount it in a chuck. That is faster and easier than using faceplates.

Dean, if you plan to eventually convert the faceplates to vacuum chuck use, then have Bill Noble counterbore the nuts. Otherwise you may not be very satisfied with the end product. First you would want the vacuum chuck to run true and secondly sealing at the threads could wind up being a hassle depending, of course, on your design.
 
I know this is not appropriate, but have to tried the faceplates from http://bestwoodtools.com/ I don't have any of their faceplates but their adapters are first rate I have and use 3 of them. Just a thought, and no I don't work or get monies from them.
 
Better yet, get one of their pin chucks. Drive a 1" hole in your blank, stuff it on the chuck, turn between centers. You can then choose the more wasteful tenon or a mortise for your reversal. If you leave the pillar, as I do, you bore back to 1" - still centered - mount the cured blank, and turn as if it were green. Safe, sure, and very quick, if production's your thing.

There is also the woodworm alternative, the pin jaws, or the faceplate rings, though they're almost expensive as a pin chuck, which also allows you to leave your jaws of choice on your scroll.
 
I am still here

sometimes email to me goes into my junk mail folder and I don't see it until I go dig it out. but I am here, honest - I don't know what rules cause mail to me to disappear.

I try and answer questions about the stuff I make, but of course I can only do that if I get your mail.

to answer a few comments - I keep prices down by welding - the welding distorts the washers about .040 on the average. For my personal use I don't fix this.

I offer "thread relief" and "facing off" as options, as well as hole drilling - this way you can adjust the price to meet your needs and budget. for a lathe like my stubby, the thread relieve allows the faceplate to contact the shoulder of the spindle and run true - a lower cost method is to use a washer. You only need this if the threads on your lathe do not go all the way to the shoulder.

Facing off means that I put the faceplate in a fixture on my metal lathe and face it off so that it runs true. I think this is worthless, but many are bothered so I offer it.

My web site is still www.wbnoble.com and my email is still what it says there (or what it says elsewhere in this thread). You can also find me on the OWWM site, and on Rennlist, and very rarely here.

I apologize to anyone who couldn't reach me - If I only knew why the filters toss certain mail into the trash heap I'd let you know what to avoid.
 
For those who are interested. I make a lot of my vacuum chucks using nuts welded to washers. They don't bottom out on my spindle like a chuck should but they bottom out on the inside where the threaded spindle makes contact. Since they are permanently screwed onto to vacuum chuck block it doesn't matter if the face is true or not because I will true up the chuck faces as I shape them. I put a thin closed cell foam washer inside the nut. This seals against the thread face of my spindle and seals the chuck quite nicely.
that's kind of the long version of saying, Bill's faceplates will work fine with vacuum chucks if you add the foam washer.
 
john lucas said:
For those who are interested. I make a lot of my vacuum chucks using nuts welded to washers.
that's kind of the long version of saying, Bill's faceplates will work fine with vacuum chucks if you add the foam washer.
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I wanted Bill's faceplates, in spite of some forum members implying I had lost my mind for wanting a bunch of faceplates. I now have 3 vacuum chucks, with a 4th in the works, and a spare faceplate for whatever, for about $80 for deluxe models. Bill relieved the thread so they bottom out on the spindle shoulder, just like regular chucks. Bill is able to provide the giant washer and nut, and assemble, at a very reasonable price, particularly since I don't weld. I'm very happy with the whole deal.

Dean Center
 
The spindle on my 3520A is too long for the nut to bottom out with a washer welded on top so relieving the bottom won't do the job for me. I do have one nut that I relieved and it works well on my modified Delta 46-460 lathe spindle. that one is short enough for it to work like it's supposed to.
 
john lucas said:
The spindle on my 3520A is too long for the nut to bottom out with a washer welded on top so relieving the bottom won't do the job for me. I do have one nut that I relieved and it works well on my modified Delta 46-460 lathe spindle. that one is short enough for it to work like it's supposed to.
Click to expand...

John - on the welded faceplates I make, the washer ID is larger than 1.25 so it won't interfere - if your spindle thread is long enough to go all the way through the nut and washer, then you can cut a recess into the fixture you affix to the faceplate, or you can add some washers as shims (that is not a great idea due to increased overhang).

I do make "custom" things once in a while - I made some 11" diameter faceplates once, they were amazingly heavy, I'd hate to drop one on my foot. I've also made spindle extenders for those who want to get the work farther away from the headstock for access to some feature they are working on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top