Good morning Paul. Thank you for such an interesting and honest review. No doubt you will find the urge to dismantle, debur and clean the dividing head in due course. As for “test certificates”, don’t you just love that the results are pre printed! Astonishing consistent semi-accurate manufacturing 😂
Hi Andrew it amused me that the wording of one of the tests ran off the page so could not be read actually. But a very nice unit all things considered. I will clean it out soon-ish. Cheers.
I'm not usually a fan of TH-cam tool reviews, but some channels do a really good job of it without pulling punches, pleased to say yours did not pull any punches. I came here to comment on the small clamping deviation on the 3 jaw check regarding the possibility of grinding swarf in the chuck, but someone beat me too it. I did not hear any noises while you were adjusting it, but it could be worth an hour or two stripping it down and cleaning it (just in case). A little preventive maintenance could save some $$$ and time later. I enjoyed the reference to tool snobbery , I'll be stealing that for future use, as you say a tool is either fit for purpose or it isn't. I can foresee future content from this channel machining replacements for some of the die cast fixtures.
Hi Paul, I think dismantling and cleaning out the chuck is a good shout. As a presenter there can be a tension between supporting the seller and doing the right thing by the viewers (a conflict of interest possibly). Anyway, I submitted the video to Vevor for review in advance and they were very supportive. Their main concern seems to be to have a well-produced and objective video that viewers will enjoy. If I ever reviewed something that was really a pile of poo I would probably tell them and give them the choice whether I released the vid or not. Having used the dividing head quite a bit now I think my main concern is to properly secure the handle levers. The spring never gave me any trouble in practice. Cheers
I purchased the same unit from a private vender a year ago. It has the same issue with the spring clip falling out when in use. I am aware of it and pay attention so it does not fall out in use. Overall I am very happy with it for the price.
It is an honest review. The quality of the device is good enough for a hobby/home shop. And they cut prices in all the non essentials, screws, levels, indicators, sometimes edges. Which are quite fixable and/or replaceable. When addressing angles i approximate with the scale (on any device, because thats what i learned and I’m cheap) and then use f(x)=sin(x) function (or a sine bar) with a long carbide blank, with the precision my gauge blocks can provide. Thats good enough because I’m not a NASA or SpaceX contractor. The part that gave me the most grief is the instructions booklet. It really makes difficult to find the number of divisions you need. I, however, made a crude spreadsheet to help me find the plate I need for the divisions I want. The most troubling are prime numbers. For those “impossible” divisions i make a dedicated 3D printed plate; should I need many pieces with that “impossible” number of divisions the first piece I cut is a metallic plate and discard the 3D print. If you want one for production and be competitive get a CNC machine.
Hi thigtsuare, I made a similar spreadsheet looking for any combinations of plate that might reveal any 'hidden' integer indexes but of of course I did not. I need to strip that head down yet to give it a good clean inside. They often come filled with machining chips I'm told. Agree about the manual. I've learnt as much from viewer comments as I did from the manual. Cheers
A good review. I can't fault what you've said about it. The alloy sector arms may be good enough given how much you'll actually use it, but brass or bronze would be nicer and move more smoothly. The spring clip design is standard to many div heads - I've refurbished 2 Elliotts and a Victoria and they're all the same. Personally I'd have gone for a full universal div head. The first job I did with mine was to cut a helical pinion. As you have a universal mill (I think) such things would be easier on your machine than mine and adds another string to your bow. Oh, use the spindle lock, not the index pin to remove the chuck!
Hi Robert, I will look out for a universal in time. The "social media influencer" catalogue is not the full Vevor catalogue. It depends what they are promoting, what it costs and how much stock they have at a point in time. Cheers
This is a copy of the Brown & Sharpe. They’re fairly simple machines as these things go. I’ve tested a couple of the Chinese copies. They’re pretty good, considering the price. One had brass bearings on those two levers, but the other was wobbly like this one with no bearings. Generally, these take B&S arbors, so make sure there. These were sized by the arbor size, so this is a B&S #0 arbor taper. If it’s a Morse, that’s interesting. Overall, if yours is accurate enough for your purposes, I wouldn’t bother with modifying it. How often will you realistically be using it?
Excellent honest review Paul. I bought the BS1 dividing head off Vevor 4 weeks ago having put a deposit down on a new full size Chester universal mill. I have exactly the same opinion as you, the basics are right, but the winding section and sector arms let it down somewhat, but for the money you cannot complain really and if it really bothers, well we have machine shops. 😢I was going to fully pull it apart, clean, deburr, clean, but what I am going to do is sell it. I spotted an old universal mill, a size two large really, but it came with a full universal dividing head, slotter, rotary table, arbors etc, at a reasonable price and its now sat in the workshop and I cancelled the Chester. Oh I have a 12" Vevor rotary table still sat in its box going as well 😅.
Hi Bill, well if you found a universal mill at a reasonable price with all the bits there then you did well! That is the way to do it. I will be looking for a rotary table .... I may be able to get one from Vevor, I can see an 8 inch with 90:1 worm on my reviewer login but 8inch may be a bit small. I'll think about it. Cheers
Cheers Phil. I've been using it this week and I'm very pleased with it. Those shortcomings with the spring clip on dividing fingers have not really shown up in practice.
Just a few corrections: The cast iron thing under the dividing discs is NOT to get rid of backslash. It is there to disconnect the worm in order to use the direct indexing. The cap You pointed out being an oil fill cap is NOT an oil fill cap. At least in my BS-0 there is a crubscrew locking it in place. That cap is there to adjust the axial play of the worm gear screw. The indexing pin and the lever seems to be as bad as they were in my case. The lever is actually a pinion and there is a short gear rack in the pin. In my BS-0 that gear rack was poorly dimensioned and made of some really soft steel. Soon enough, that pin stopped working. I made a new pin using some harder material. And Yes, that pin has a taper in it. The clamping mechanism (or brake if You wish) is nothing more than a screw that tightens a collet and engages the break. That screw is also made of some really poor quality steel and the threads will strip soon enough. Mine did and I just made a new (and better ???) one. Normally these heads should have no woddle in the nose. At least not that much that if can be measured wit a dial indicator like You have. This wobble comes from the bearings that are not tight enough and/or bad quality. They are not tight enough because of all the grinding dust left inside the thing. I would strongly advice to take the unit apart, clean it properly and then put it together without all the sand inside there. It is a nice Chinese construction kit for a dividing head. These are delivered already built so the constructor knows where all things belong. It is well worth the price but it cannot be used in the delivered state. So what does the BS stand for? Some say it stands for Brown&Sharpe but it can also stand for something quite different.
Ah FUM, your comments are really useful thank you. You can see I made some guesses and got it wrong about the backlash adjustment and the oil filler comment. There was nothing to tell me in the instruction manual. I've used the dividing head for a project now and it worked very well, but yes I do need to take it apart and get any machining swarf out of it, and adjust the bearings. Thanks again, Paul
@@HaxbyShed Paul, so glad You didn't rocket through the roof after my posting. The idea of these cheap Chinese tools being construction kits was not mine. It was Stefan Gotteswinter who throw that frog on the table. Actually, I have made a video on how to take the thing apart, clean it and then how to properly put it together. I would suggest to use that 4-jaw chuck in the dividing head because with that one You can attach almost any kind of workpiece and make it run true. You can find the video by searching "FUM0092 Dividing Head" or "Fixing BS0 dividing head direct indexing pin"
@@FinnoUgricMachining not at all. I learnt a long time ago to put pride aside and if somebody offers information, even it proves me wrong, I'm very happy to receive it. I'm just a hobbyist building up my experience 😁 cheers
I just ran across your channel and had to watch, as I have a shop of my own I spend time in with my grandsons. I was quite impressed with how honest and complete your review was! I enjoyed watching so much, I already subscribed. Looking forward to seeing what you’re up to in your shop.
Hi Russell, thanks for the comment. That was actually my first ever review and I wanted to be balanced. It's easy to claim things are fantastic, or indeed rubbish them just to be sensational but my aim was just to be fair. You might have seen I used it to cut splines for my mill table nut and I was very pleased with the results. Sometime soon I'm going to strip it down and clean it out as many people have said theirs had machining chips inside, from manufacture. Cheers Paul
For working with the dividing head vertically you can get some pretty slimline 3 or 4" scroll chucks that might help with headroom. A backplate would be needed of course.
Very thorough unboxing of that product. Can’t wait to see you operating it I think for the money you’ll get your job done just fine we don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on parts were very seldom use all right good day to you.
Hi Kimber, I've been using it this week making the mill table nut splines, and having been a bit sniffy about the spring and a few other 'cheap' bits, but I've grown to really like it. I think it will become one of my favourite tools. There will be plenty of vid using it as we progress through the mill nut series. Cheers
I purchased one of these B and S clones five years ago and agree with your general analysis that they are reasonable for the price and we home users can't afford to buy a real Brown and Sharpe. I ran into three issues beyond what you found: 1, the amount of cast iron filings in the head (nearly a teaspoon) would have rapidly worn it out. 2, even though the chuck threads match a Logan lathe, the seat was larger, making it incompatible without additional machining. 3, the design was simplified (cheapened) compared to a Brown and Sharpe. The real B and S allows the worm to be engaged/disengaged without removing the crank and indexing plate. For details, check Keith Rucker's video on rebuilding a Brown and Sharpe. In addition, mine has a Brown and Sharpe taper, not compatible with Morse. Since a dead center came with it, this wasn't an issue for me but I suggest you verify what you have before using a Morse adapter.
Hi, I need to get mine apart and wash it out to remove the filings I suspect are in there. And I will check it is morse rather than B&S. Very useful info thank you. Cheers
Morning Paul, it's 11Am here in Tx. The review was well done. Before the cancer came, I too was considering their 6in head. Maybe the Good Lord will give ole Bear a few more years, and I can cross the pond and come have a cup tea in your shop?? Keep On Keeping On!
A year ago it was found that I had bladder cancer. An operation & I recently had a scan and am free of it now. I have the BS-1 dividing head. with the 6" chuck. I have totally disassembled both. Quite clean with only minor burrs. I have made some gears with it on my Jet 9x49 (Bridgeport knock off) mill. If I rotate it straight up I have very little Z axis left. If you don't have a rotary table I think you could use the BS-1 with a face plate instead of the chuck. Keith Rucker has a video on making bevel gears using an indexing head. The spring clip that was weak in this video was plenty strong enough on the BS-1 that I got. I did a couple of minor mods but I think this is a very good value. The chuck is OK for the price. But a premium chuck costs more than this entire kit. I have a Vertex HV-8 rotary table with plates and footstock. I think I can do almost as much with it as with the indexing head. But it was a lot more $ and has several advantages for using it horizontally. Lots more Z axis room, even with a chuck mounted. I cast an aluminum plate & machined 8 T slots to give me more clamping area.
G'day Paul, everyone on you tube seems to be doing the Vevor thing at the moment,, good honest review and looking forward to seeing it at work! for the time being i will stick with my English one.( victoria- elliot)👍👍
Hi Graedon, the old 'English' ones here are just soooo expensive and often clapped out. No chuck, just one dividing plate, rusted up etc. I did see a 6inch universal with a full set of dividing plates and gears for about £600 but it was 300 miles away anyway. It would be nice to cut spiral flutes etc so maybe I'll add a universal one day if the price is right. Cheers
Thanks for the review. Vevor are a re-seller of items made by various Chinese companies, so the quality can vary from item to item. Glad that this item looks to be decent. It is very tempting. I have a small rotary table, but without the dividing plates. A dividing head would be much better than finding dividing plates for my rotary table. I have the desire to get a dividing head, but do not yet have a project like yours which needs the dividing head. We all know we can say I will never/use need something, and then the next week we find we need it. Dave.
Hi Dave you will see Vevor sell the dividing heads and rotary tables of various sizes. They also sell a set of plates for about £45 I think, but be aware that the plates I saw are for a 40:1 worm and I think that's only the 4/5/6in rotary tables. I notice the 8in table is a 90:1 (and I did not see any plates for 90:1). Cheers
No matter what people say about those products , i would not knock back a free dividing head . And being what it is & where it came from , it will have issues that probably can be resolved . For occasional & general work i would think they should be fine . 👍
Thanks Max, I saw your review on the mag drill and I think it would be quite adequate for the average user within spec. As somebody commented the quality can vary product to product, but I can say honestly that I am very pleased with this dividing head having used it quite a lot this week. Cheers
Hi LE, yes I thought some chucks may be a direct fit on that thread. The box suggests that it is possible to buy the body without the chuck, although for the price I'd have the chuck too and maybe it could be a spare for your Boxford. Always good to have a couple of chucks to swap - without disturbing work already set up in one of them. Cheers.
Cheers Paul. I've no time for tool snobbery. For me it's about what you make, not what you make it with. If you turn out a decent job on 'less good' tool, it shows what you're capable of, not just how fancy your equipment is. A fair and honest review 👍 I have recently taken delivery of a Vevor rotary table (better than the one I've been using up to date) which uses the same dividing hardware. I agree, it might need some attention at some point in the future, but it doesn't detract from the overall good VALUE of the device (as opposed to absolute good QUALITY). There's a massive difference in what's needed to make aerospace parts 16 hours a day, and what's needed to make the odd part in the shed every few months. I look forward to you teaching me how dividing plates work!
Hi Matt, all Harrison 140 owners crave a 63 tooth gear that is required to cut imperial threads on the metric lathe. But you can't cut 63 teeth on a 40:1 dividing head. But with a 90:1 rotary table you can index 63 to make an indexing plate for the dividing head (because 90:1 will index 63) and so there is a way. Now then ...... rotary table .... hmmmm .... maybe later. I've plenty to be getting on with as it is. Looking at the Vevor rotary tables I think they have to be 8 inch or more to be 90:1. Cheers
Hi Jeff, I find I'm using the 24 hole quick index more than the plates at the moment. I got it for free so maybe I can't be trusted as 100% impartial but honestly I really like it. Cheers
Thanks Paul for this review. I watched the whole video with interest because about a month ago I went down the alternative route you mentioned - a secondhand Britsh dividing head! I was wondering if I should do a review of that generic option to give a balanced perspective (?). Also your thoughts on the appropriate size of dividing head were interesting. After much thought I decided 3.5in was about right on my mill (very rigid but has less height capacity). I think the right size is a key question.
Hi Clive, I was influenced by a couple of factors. I have standardised on MT3 and that was driving me towards a 6in head (5in only MT2). But pulling the other way was the size of my machine (adequate but not large). Being free to me was an attraction obviously so that meant a choice between 4in and 5in - but the 4in body is the same size as the 5in I think so 5in was my choice. I have my spindexer for smaller things (angle plate to make it vertical) or later maybe a rotary table. I can't foresee needing to cut large diameter items really but you never ever know. What if I have to cut slots/teeth to make a metal pressure plate for a motorbike clutch pack - then a bigger chuck may come in handy? Cheers
Thanks for this review. However, I watched this hoping for an answer to a problem I have with mine. Mine has a problem with the worm gear which is not evenly machined. I had some backlash in the worm gear. When I adjusted it and turned it, it bound up halfway round. If I re-adjust it there I am back to quite a bit of backlash halfway round again. I was hoping you might check this on your review but you didn't touch on that. I was hoping that it might be swarth in the mechanism but when I dis-assembled it I found it to be very clean and well lubricated. It appears that the large gear has not been machined to a constant depth! I am not too sure how to go about fixing this short of just replacing it.
Hiya DieselGypsy, I have not attempted to adjust the backlash from the factory setting. It's not much anyway and I just hold it over to take out any lash before locking each index step with the lever. I did read about people trying to get all the backlash out (reduce to 0) but they never could get it all out. From what you say it does sound like your worm gear runs slightly eccentric. It's not something I've noticed on mine. Cheers
I can only guess at what you mean exactly but it was a genuinely objective review and this week I've been using the dividing head, finding it excellent actually. Cheers
I am not a tool snob either. I thought that was a good review. Without import tools from the far east makers I couldn't afford this hobby. The cost is £200 and I think you easily get £200 worth of tool. The basics are spot on and it is more than good enough to do the type of jobs "we" do and the frequency we do them at. As you say you could spend the same on a second hand British unit that is worn out and comes with no bits. So it is value for money. I have a couple of rotary tables from Indian makers. The tailstock, dividing plates and fingers are the same. I got so fed up with those plates and fingers that I fitted a stepper motor and Arduino to control it for automated indexing. But that is another story. Great film.
Hi Carl, I think I've seen your video with the the stepper on the rotary table. I think we have to remember that China and India both have over 1.4Bn people and goodness knows how many engineering companies. We can't classify the output of a country so simply. And let's be honest we have both seen a lot of British rubbish in our time, I mean some of the engineering 'names' produced stuff no better than "Woolys best". Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Agree 100%. In my travels and travails worldwide I have seen excellent work and workmanship turned out by workshops all over the world. It is about the people, their application to their skills a d knowledge and their pride in what they are doing, not where they are from.
Good honest review Paul, I guess if everything was perfect the price would at least double. Seems fine for the home shop with a few refinements. We have the same high prices for the name brand units here in the states.. Although sometimes good deals can be found. Others have mentioned, a teardown full clean is recommended. Should workout nicely for those splines. ATB....Cheers....
Dear Sir, it appears in the video that we have similar milling machines as for the physical size, weight, and table length. I believe you have the so named BS-0 dividing head ...5 inch. ??? Would you give much consideration as to the MT2 taper with this unit compared to the BS-1 unit with MT3; when considering a purchase of one of these units? All my tooling, (as for MT taper) is 3, 4, and 5. I wish to purchase the same unit as you, but with the BS-0 MT2 taper, I am considering the BS-1, but do not want to end up with a unit that is just too large and heavy for my mill which is an older US BURKE MILLRITE.
Hi Max (I presume), I thought long and hard what size of dividing head to get. My lathe tailstock is MT3 and so are most of my holders. But the BS-1 6inch dividing head is quite a bit larger and heavier and I decided it would just take up too much real estate on my mill. With the BS-0 up vertical I can just about get the chuck under a cutter in the vertical head but with the BS-1 there was no chance. About the only thing I might want to put in the MT would be an ER32 chuck and mine is on an MT3 fitting. So if I needed an ER32 collet in the dividing head I would either buy an ER32 chuck on an MT2 stub or I would use my spindexer, because have an ER32 to 5C adaptor which fits the spindexer (presuming I was indexing integer degrees). My mill table is 30in long and 8in wide. From the table surface to the underside of the vertical spindle is 10.5in max, and then deduct for the INT30 adaptor stick out and the length of whatever cutter is in. Hope that helps. Cheers
I'm curious how flat and true the machined surfaces are. How close do the faces run to the axis of the spindle? Are they all good right angles? It looks like a great tool for the money.
Hi motjuste, I've not tested the machined surfaces for flat and true angles yet. The base does not rock - I can say that much. Also because the head swivels up/down then the length of the work can be trammed to the table regardless of the angle of the base. Cheers
Don’t take my statements as being mean just commenting or my attempt at humor but that being said you’re measuring a low end or lower end dividing head with a very high end dial indicator I wonder if you measured with a low end dial indicator the amount of difference to the Mitutoyo Well my vertex divider is right at 1.5 to2 thou and cost 2600 and 345 for tail stock so right around 3200 $ vs 350 for vevor for a home machinist what a incredible savings you could tighten that tolerance on your schroll chuck by tightening each of the jaws after initial tightening then tighten each jaw good luck stay safe I like watching you home machinists cause you look or in-vision a little different than a production machinist
Hi jkmcp, I've tried tightening in just one key hole and also in all three and it's always 4thou (0.1 mm) runout on the jaws. Two sheets of cigarette paper under the low jaw get's it spot on center. I will clean it out later. That Mitutoyo came from a car boot sale (flea market) for £12 (15 USD) including the mag base and it's a bit 'sticky' but good if I avoid the start and end of the range. Cheers
We have a few products from Vevor and we found them to be good value for the cost. Thanks for the review, it looks like the Vevor dividing head is much the same
Hi Paul, really thorough review, well done. It looks well finished in general and great value for money. Is there a master socket for tightening the chuck? Mr Crispin did a chuck grinding video recently where this came to light. Interesting to see that your discount offer is available in other parts of the world. Its funny but the other day I came across an advert for Octopus in Spain, I immediately remembered your video, its something we have in mind in the near future. You looked poised to do some live testing now, good luck!! Have a great week!!
Hi David, I wonder if the Octopus link works internationally - like the Vevor link? I've had 2 Octopus referrals so far (thank you folks). I've just started shooting a follow-up vid on the solar which may come out in 3 weeks (I've got several videos competing to be first after the mill nut series ends). I saw Mr Crispin's video. It is a very nice head actually, used it a lot this week (also more on that later). Cheers
@@dermotkelly2289 The question "how to I index x holes?" is easier than answering the question "what holes will this plate index?". In reality the first question is more common. Cheers
Hi Paul, thanks for the very well put together review and have to agree that for the price you get a lot of tool. You fail to mention the make ? I take it Vevor are a re-seller and not the manufacturer, much like Banggood etc. Ive had a look at the UK Vevor site and see many of the same tooling we could purchase form other re-sellers - I take it Vevor approached you with the intention to review their site and what is sold on it rather than the tools they sell ? Keep up the great work mate - i look forward to your video's each week. Thanks
Hi Steve, I got an approach from Vevor directly inviting me to join their "influencer" program. So I have a log-on and I can see a limited catalogue of the things they want to promote in the UK, which depends on current stock levels, amongst other things. I've found them to be very easy to deal with and professional - I have a personal contact who is based in China, who is quite chatty. So yes it's just the Vevor catalogue. The only make info was that on the chuck - Sanou. Whether Sanou made the whole thing, I don't know. Cheers
I'll look at that MBS, but it seems to fit better in front. The spring stops the sector arms falling off. I've been using the dividing head a lot this this week and actually the weak spring has not caused me any problems in practice. Cheers
The sector retaining washer should be conical spring steel, nothing worse than the sector arms moving whilst rotating the handle, don't ask me how I know. The sector arms should be made of steel, Aluminium is too soft. We had a similar one at work, too high in the vertical position and the worm diameter too small, stripped out.
Can the dividing head also be used to mill a radial groove or can you only use it if it is fixed (clamped) in position? If there is play in the radial position of the head if it is not clamped then it will slightly move during milling of the radial groove and ruin the endmill and gearing of the dividing head.
Hi, I have not tried to use a dividing head like that. In principle it may be fine. The screw is 40:1 so the feed should be fine enough but as you say it may jiggle/chatter, though the backlash is low. And it depends on the material and radius of the groove and the cut. I would not hesitate on delrin or brass. Something harder may be a problem, but if we are talking just an o-ring groove then maybe that may be fine too. Sometime I may try it. Cheers
First I would pull that all apart and clean and Lube with a good grease or oil but the one problem with the Chinese and Indian made tools is their filthy on the inside I just bought a high quality dividing head and was 3400$vs 345 for that you can’t go wrong the other numbers are composites if I’m not mistaken there a necessary evil dividing heads that is
HI jkmcp, I've just finished making a 48 cut spline with it and very pleased except for those pesky handles that keep working loose. The chuck jaws seem to clamp reliably out of concentric by 4 thou so I put in two sheets of cigarette paper behind one jaw to get it spot on. Now the first job is done I will find some time to strip and clean it. Cheers
I’m a day we’re everything is out of stock in America just buy vevor usable and better than nothing but a back order shipping literally minutes from time of order
Hi Scott, yeh I don't why that is, they struggle with stock levels in the UK too. Not sure if things have still not reset since the pandemic or some other supply problem. Other suppliers too. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed I wouldn't be the first to do it, but I plan to make a video of making a 189 tooth mod 0.6 gear once I get my garage and machinery settled down from the move.
Hi pike, I got it for free from Vevor. I get an 'influencer' logon and I see a catalogue of items they want to promote. Maybe 4 or 5 items in my topic area at any time. I pick something I want/need for my projects. My 'order' has to be approved but that's usually decided by current stock levels. I could do a lot more of these reviews but it's a problem of finding the time. I get a small commission on any sales from my link but these only amount to a few quid over a period, because on a small channel like mine the volumes are small - I think 3 dividing heads so far. It buys me a few coffees but most importantly for me I get to keep the item. Cheers
The Chinese are not stupid. They could have made a dividing head as good as an Ellis, even better, but they don't give damn about quality. In this day and age, with the exponential rate of CNC technology, you would think that making quality diving heads would be accurate, fast, and cost effective. But it seem like these stupid Vevor dividing heads, rotary tables, and all the rest of the substandard tools they make, were made by low paying disgruntled workers who have zero pride in what they do. I'm presently restoring an Ellis dividing head and it's brilliant how they were made, designed, and painted. How is it possible that we allowed Vevor to inundate the tool market to such a degree that we have all forgotten how the US made superb tools and machines. So much so, that home shop machinist an even machine shops are in earnest in seeking vintage US tools and machines because they are made BETTER. Vevor reflects a fucking disgrace of the tool industry. As a machinist of 45 years, it's depressing as hell that you can't have quality machines these days and what makes this far worse is that it has become normalized. Every time you buy a cheap Chinese machine you have to upgrade it or fix it because they were made so poorly even though the fucking thing you bought is new!! Why are we allowing this?! To hell with Vevor and all those cheap-ass machines.
Hi GnosisMan, it just seems to be the way of human nature that we look at price before quality. The same story is repeated everywhere. Who will pay $750 for something when a low quality substitute for $250 will do the job just about good enough, in many cases. What can I say? Cheers
I nearly bought one.. but decided to buy used spanish made with gears n cogs to make worm drives , helicial gears ect.. , which is the reason I declined the sale..!
Hi Ken, the Vevor Dividing Head has done the job I needed just now (cut a straight spline) but I will still look out for a universal head to cut worms and helical gears in the future, but (unless you are lucky) a universal head will be expensive. I only saw one 2nd hand with all the gears and it was £650. Cheers
Good morning Paul. Thank you for such an interesting and honest review. No doubt you will find the urge to dismantle, debur and clean the dividing head in due course.
As for “test certificates”, don’t you just love that the results are pre printed! Astonishing consistent semi-accurate manufacturing 😂
Hi Andrew it amused me that the wording of one of the tests ran off the page so could not be read actually. But a very nice unit all things considered. I will clean it out soon-ish. Cheers.
I'm not usually a fan of TH-cam tool reviews, but some channels do a really good job of it without pulling punches, pleased to say yours did not pull any punches. I came here to comment on the small clamping deviation on the 3 jaw check regarding the possibility of grinding swarf in the chuck, but someone beat me too it. I did not hear any noises while you were adjusting it, but it could be worth an hour or two stripping it down and cleaning it (just in case). A little preventive maintenance could save some $$$ and time later. I enjoyed the reference to tool snobbery , I'll be stealing that for future use, as you say a tool is either fit for purpose or it isn't. I can foresee future content from this channel machining replacements for some of the die cast fixtures.
Hi Paul, I think dismantling and cleaning out the chuck is a good shout. As a presenter there can be a tension between supporting the seller and doing the right thing by the viewers (a conflict of interest possibly). Anyway, I submitted the video to Vevor for review in advance and they were very supportive. Their main concern seems to be to have a well-produced and objective video that viewers will enjoy. If I ever reviewed something that was really a pile of poo I would probably tell them and give them the choice whether I released the vid or not. Having used the dividing head quite a bit now I think my main concern is to properly secure the handle levers. The spring never gave me any trouble in practice. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Good to hear you've been getting some time in with the dividing head, shows you were right about those levers...
I purchased the same unit from a private vender a year ago. It has the same issue with the spring clip falling out when in use. I am aware of it and pay attention so it does not fall out in use. Overall I am very happy with it for the price.
Hi Thysddc, I've found in practice it does not fall off. I did 48 splines x 4 repeats with no problems. Cheers
It is an honest review. The quality of the device is good enough for a hobby/home shop. And they cut prices in all the non essentials, screws, levels, indicators, sometimes edges. Which are quite fixable and/or replaceable.
When addressing angles i approximate with the scale (on any device, because thats what i learned and I’m cheap) and then use f(x)=sin(x) function (or a sine bar) with a long carbide blank, with the precision my gauge blocks can provide. Thats good enough because I’m not a NASA or SpaceX contractor.
The part that gave me the most grief is the instructions booklet. It really makes difficult to find the number of divisions you need. I, however, made a crude spreadsheet to help me find the plate I need for the divisions I want. The most troubling are prime numbers. For those “impossible” divisions i make a dedicated 3D printed plate; should I need many pieces with that “impossible” number of divisions the first piece I cut is a metallic plate and discard the 3D print.
If you want one for production and be competitive get a CNC machine.
Hi thigtsuare, I made a similar spreadsheet looking for any combinations of plate that might reveal any 'hidden' integer indexes but of of course I did not. I need to strip that head down yet to give it a good clean inside. They often come filled with machining chips I'm told. Agree about the manual. I've learnt as much from viewer comments as I did from the manual. Cheers
A good review. I can't fault what you've said about it.
The alloy sector arms may be good enough given how much you'll actually use it, but brass or bronze would be nicer and move more smoothly. The spring clip design is standard to many div heads - I've refurbished 2 Elliotts and a Victoria and they're all the same.
Personally I'd have gone for a full universal div head. The first job I did with mine was to cut a helical pinion. As you have a universal mill (I think) such things would be easier on your machine than mine and adds another string to your bow.
Oh, use the spindle lock, not the index pin to remove the chuck!
Hi Robert, I will look out for a universal in time. The "social media influencer" catalogue is not the full Vevor catalogue. It depends what they are promoting, what it costs and how much stock they have at a point in time. Cheers
This is a copy of the Brown & Sharpe. They’re fairly simple machines as these things go. I’ve tested a couple of the Chinese copies. They’re pretty good, considering the price. One had brass bearings on those two levers, but the other was wobbly like this one with no bearings. Generally, these take B&S arbors, so make sure there. These were sized by the arbor size, so this is a B&S #0 arbor taper. If it’s a Morse, that’s interesting.
Overall, if yours is accurate enough for your purposes, I wouldn’t bother with modifying it. How often will you realistically be using it?
Excellent honest review Paul. I bought the BS1 dividing head off Vevor 4 weeks ago having put a deposit down on a new full size Chester universal mill. I have exactly the same opinion as you, the basics are right, but the winding section and sector arms let it down somewhat, but for the money you cannot complain really and if it really bothers, well we have machine shops.
😢I was going to fully pull it apart, clean, deburr, clean, but what I am going to do is sell it. I spotted an old universal mill, a size two large really, but it came with a full universal dividing head, slotter, rotary table, arbors etc, at a reasonable price and its now sat in the workshop and I cancelled the Chester. Oh I have a 12" Vevor rotary table still sat in its box going as well 😅.
Hi Bill, well if you found a universal mill at a reasonable price with all the bits there then you did well! That is the way to do it. I will be looking for a rotary table .... I may be able to get one from Vevor, I can see an 8 inch with 90:1 worm on my reviewer login but 8inch may be a bit small. I'll think about it. Cheers
Good review Paul, thorough and honest, I concur with the others about strip debur, clean regrease and rebuild!
Phil
Cheers Phil. I've been using it this week and I'm very pleased with it. Those shortcomings with the spring clip on dividing fingers have not really shown up in practice.
Just a few corrections:
The cast iron thing under the dividing discs is NOT to get rid of backslash. It is there to disconnect the worm in order to use the direct indexing.
The cap You pointed out being an oil fill cap is NOT an oil fill cap. At least in my BS-0 there is a crubscrew locking it in place. That cap is there to adjust the axial play of the worm gear screw.
The indexing pin and the lever seems to be as bad as they were in my case. The lever is actually a pinion and there is a short gear rack in the pin. In my BS-0 that gear rack was poorly dimensioned and made of some really soft steel. Soon enough, that pin stopped working. I made a new pin using some harder material. And Yes, that pin has a taper in it.
The clamping mechanism (or brake if You wish) is nothing more than a screw that tightens a collet and engages the break. That screw is also made of some really poor quality steel and the threads will strip soon enough. Mine did and I just made a new (and better ???) one.
Normally these heads should have no woddle in the nose. At least not that much that if can be measured wit a dial indicator like You have. This wobble comes from the bearings that are not tight enough and/or bad quality. They are not tight enough because of all the grinding dust left inside the thing.
I would strongly advice to take the unit apart, clean it properly and then put it together without all the sand inside there.
It is a nice Chinese construction kit for a dividing head. These are delivered already built so the constructor knows where all things belong. It is well worth the price but it cannot be used in the delivered state.
So what does the BS stand for?
Some say it stands for Brown&Sharpe but it can also stand for something quite different.
Ah FUM, your comments are really useful thank you. You can see I made some guesses and got it wrong about the backlash adjustment and the oil filler comment. There was nothing to tell me in the instruction manual. I've used the dividing head for a project now and it worked very well, but yes I do need to take it apart and get any machining swarf out of it, and adjust the bearings. Thanks again, Paul
@@HaxbyShed Paul, so glad You didn't rocket through the roof after my posting. The idea of these cheap Chinese tools being construction kits was not mine. It was Stefan Gotteswinter who throw that frog on the table.
Actually, I have made a video on how to take the thing apart, clean it and then how to properly put it together.
I would suggest to use that 4-jaw chuck in the dividing head because with that one You can attach almost any kind of workpiece and make it run true.
You can find the video by searching "FUM0092 Dividing Head" or "Fixing BS0 dividing head direct indexing pin"
@@FinnoUgricMachining not at all. I learnt a long time ago to put pride aside and if somebody offers information, even it proves me wrong, I'm very happy to receive it. I'm just a hobbyist building up my experience 😁 cheers
I just ran across your channel and had to watch, as I have a shop of my own I spend time in with my grandsons. I was quite impressed with how honest and complete your review was! I enjoyed watching so much, I already subscribed. Looking forward to seeing what you’re up to in your shop.
Hi Russell, thanks for the comment. That was actually my first ever review and I wanted to be balanced. It's easy to claim things are fantastic, or indeed rubbish them just to be sensational but my aim was just to be fair. You might have seen I used it to cut splines for my mill table nut and I was very pleased with the results. Sometime soon I'm going to strip it down and clean it out as many people have said theirs had machining chips inside, from manufacture. Cheers Paul
For working with the dividing head vertically you can get some pretty slimline 3 or 4" scroll chucks that might help with headroom. A backplate would be needed of course.
Hi Eric, a rotary table is on my future list and that might be the answer for vertical work. Cheers
I wish I had waited a bit longer before ordering my dividing head from them. I look forward to watching you use yours and learning a thing or two.
Ah well Robert we can't see into the future .... it's usually the case if you buy a product this week a better model comes out next week. Cheers
Very thorough unboxing of that product. Can’t wait to see you operating it I think for the money you’ll get your job done just fine we don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on parts were very seldom use all right good day to you.
Hi Kimber, I've been using it this week making the mill table nut splines, and having been a bit sniffy about the spring and a few other 'cheap' bits, but I've grown to really like it. I think it will become one of my favourite tools. There will be plenty of vid using it as we progress through the mill nut series. Cheers
I purchased one of these B and S clones five years ago and agree with your general analysis that they are reasonable for the price and we home users can't afford to buy a real Brown and Sharpe. I ran into three issues beyond what you found: 1, the amount of cast iron filings in the head (nearly a teaspoon) would have rapidly worn it out. 2, even though the chuck threads match a Logan lathe, the seat was larger, making it incompatible without additional machining. 3, the design was simplified (cheapened) compared to a Brown and Sharpe. The real B and S allows the worm to be engaged/disengaged without removing the crank and indexing plate. For details, check Keith Rucker's video on rebuilding a Brown and Sharpe. In addition, mine has a Brown and Sharpe taper, not compatible with Morse. Since a dead center came with it, this wasn't an issue for me but I suggest you verify what you have before using a Morse adapter.
Hi, I need to get mine apart and wash it out to remove the filings I suspect are in there. And I will check it is morse rather than B&S. Very useful info thank you. Cheers
Morning Paul, it's 11Am here in Tx. The review was well done. Before the cancer came, I too was considering their 6in head. Maybe the Good Lord will give ole Bear a few more years, and I can cross the pond and come have a cup tea in your shop?? Keep On Keeping On!
I have a coffee machine also Bear; tea is not compulsory for non-Brits. 😁 Cheers
A year ago it was found that I had bladder cancer. An operation & I recently had a scan and am free of it now. I have the BS-1 dividing head. with the 6" chuck. I have totally disassembled both. Quite clean with only minor burrs. I have made some gears with it on my Jet 9x49 (Bridgeport knock off) mill. If I rotate it straight up I have very little Z axis left. If you don't have a rotary table I think you could use the BS-1 with a face plate instead of the chuck. Keith Rucker has a video on making bevel gears using an indexing head. The spring clip that was weak in this video was plenty strong enough on the BS-1 that I got.
I did a couple of minor mods but I think this is a very good value. The chuck is OK for the price. But a premium chuck costs more than this entire kit. I have a Vertex HV-8 rotary table with plates and footstock. I think I can do almost as much with it as with the indexing head. But it was a lot more $ and has several advantages for using it horizontally. Lots more Z axis room, even with a chuck mounted. I cast an aluminum plate & machined 8 T slots to give me more clamping area.
G'day Paul, everyone on you tube seems to be doing the Vevor thing at the moment,, good honest review and looking forward to seeing it at work! for the time being i will stick with my English one.( victoria- elliot)👍👍
Hi Graedon, the old 'English' ones here are just soooo expensive and often clapped out. No chuck, just one dividing plate, rusted up etc. I did see a 6inch universal with a full set of dividing plates and gears for about £600 but it was 300 miles away anyway. It would be nice to cut spiral flutes etc so maybe I'll add a universal one day if the price is right. Cheers
Thanks for the review. Vevor are a re-seller of items made by various Chinese companies, so the quality can vary from item to item.
Glad that this item looks to be decent. It is very tempting. I have a small rotary table, but without the dividing plates. A dividing head would be much better than finding dividing plates for my rotary table. I have the desire to get a dividing head, but do not yet have a project like yours which needs the dividing head.
We all know we can say I will never/use need something, and then the next week we find we need it.
Dave.
Hi Dave you will see Vevor sell the dividing heads and rotary tables of various sizes. They also sell a set of plates for about £45 I think, but be aware that the plates I saw are for a 40:1 worm and I think that's only the 4/5/6in rotary tables. I notice the 8in table is a 90:1 (and I did not see any plates for 90:1). Cheers
No matter what people say about those products , i would not knock back a free dividing head . And being what it is & where it came from , it will have issues that probably can be resolved . For occasional & general work i would think they should be fine . 👍
Thanks Max, I saw your review on the mag drill and I think it would be quite adequate for the average user within spec. As somebody commented the quality can vary product to product, but I can say honestly that I am very pleased with this dividing head having used it quite a lot this week. Cheers
I'd be happy with the same sort of build quality in the same thing but half the size to fit my little tabletop mill.
They do a 4inch Jim but it has the same body I think. Cheers
Excellent review, 1.5" x 8tpi... All my Boxford chucks should fit on there....
Hi LE, yes I thought some chucks may be a direct fit on that thread. The box suggests that it is possible to buy the body without the chuck, although for the price I'd have the chuck too and maybe it could be a spare for your Boxford. Always good to have a couple of chucks to swap - without disturbing work already set up in one of them. Cheers.
Cheers Paul. I've no time for tool snobbery. For me it's about what you make, not what you make it with.
If you turn out a decent job on 'less good' tool, it shows what you're capable of, not just how fancy your equipment is.
A fair and honest review 👍
I have recently taken delivery of a Vevor rotary table (better than the one I've been using up to date) which uses the same dividing hardware. I agree, it might need some attention at some point in the future, but it doesn't detract from the overall good VALUE of the device (as opposed to absolute good QUALITY). There's a massive difference in what's needed to make aerospace parts 16 hours a day, and what's needed to make the odd part in the shed every few months.
I look forward to you teaching me how dividing plates work!
Hi Matt, all Harrison 140 owners crave a 63 tooth gear that is required to cut imperial threads on the metric lathe. But you can't cut 63 teeth on a 40:1 dividing head. But with a 90:1 rotary table you can index 63 to make an indexing plate for the dividing head (because 90:1 will index 63) and so there is a way. Now then ...... rotary table .... hmmmm .... maybe later. I've plenty to be getting on with as it is. Looking at the Vevor rotary tables I think they have to be 8 inch or more to be 90:1. Cheers
Thank you for all this good information
You are welcome. I hope it's useful. Cheers
Paid for mine and I think this is an easy buy for any small machinist...
Hi Jeff, I find I'm using the 24 hole quick index more than the plates at the moment. I got it for free so maybe I can't be trusted as 100% impartial but honestly I really like it. Cheers
Thanks Paul for this review. I watched the whole video with interest because about a month ago I went down the alternative route you mentioned - a secondhand Britsh dividing head! I was wondering if I should do a review of that generic option to give a balanced perspective (?).
Also your thoughts on the appropriate size of dividing head were interesting. After much thought I decided 3.5in was about right on my mill (very rigid but has less height capacity). I think the right size is a key question.
Hi Clive, I was influenced by a couple of factors. I have standardised on MT3 and that was driving me towards a 6in head (5in only MT2). But pulling the other way was the size of my machine (adequate but not large). Being free to me was an attraction obviously so that meant a choice between 4in and 5in - but the 4in body is the same size as the 5in I think so 5in was my choice. I have my spindexer for smaller things (angle plate to make it vertical) or later maybe a rotary table. I can't foresee needing to cut large diameter items really but you never ever know. What if I have to cut slots/teeth to make a metal pressure plate for a motorbike clutch pack - then a bigger chuck may come in handy? Cheers
Thanks for this review. However, I watched this hoping for an answer to a problem I have with mine. Mine has a problem with the worm gear which is not evenly machined. I had some backlash in the worm gear. When I adjusted it and turned it, it bound up halfway round. If I re-adjust it there I am back to quite a bit of backlash halfway round again.
I was hoping you might check this on your review but you didn't touch on that. I was hoping that it might be swarth in the mechanism but when I dis-assembled it I found it to be very clean and well lubricated. It appears that the large gear has not been machined to a constant depth! I am not too sure how to go about fixing this short of just replacing it.
Hiya DieselGypsy, I have not attempted to adjust the backlash from the factory setting. It's not much anyway and I just hold it over to take out any lash before locking each index step with the lever. I did read about people trying to get all the backlash out (reduce to 0) but they never could get it all out. From what you say it does sound like your worm gear runs slightly eccentric. It's not something I've noticed on mine. Cheers
Amazing what people will do for a few pieces of sliver
I can only guess at what you mean exactly but it was a genuinely objective review and this week I've been using the dividing head, finding it excellent actually. Cheers
I am not a tool snob either. I thought that was a good review. Without import tools from the far east makers I couldn't afford this hobby. The cost is £200 and I think you easily get £200 worth of tool. The basics are spot on and it is more than good enough to do the type of jobs "we" do and the frequency we do them at. As you say you could spend the same on a second hand British unit that is worn out and comes with no bits. So it is value for money. I have a couple of rotary tables from Indian makers. The tailstock, dividing plates and fingers are the same. I got so fed up with those plates and fingers that I fitted a stepper motor and Arduino to control it for automated indexing. But that is another story. Great film.
Hi Carl, I think I've seen your video with the the stepper on the rotary table. I think we have to remember that China and India both have over 1.4Bn people and goodness knows how many engineering companies. We can't classify the output of a country so simply. And let's be honest we have both seen a lot of British rubbish in our time, I mean some of the engineering 'names' produced stuff no better than "Woolys best". Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Agree 100%. In my travels and travails worldwide I have seen excellent work and workmanship turned out by workshops all over the world. It is about the people, their application to their skills a d knowledge and their pride in what they are doing, not where they are from.
Good honest review Paul, I guess if everything was perfect the price would at least double. Seems fine for the home shop with a few refinements. We have the same high prices for the name brand units here in the states.. Although sometimes good deals can be found. Others have mentioned, a teardown full clean is recommended.
Should workout nicely for those splines.
ATB....Cheers....
Hi Dean, I've used the head quite a bit this week and I'm very pleased with it. A clean out is one my list for later. Cheers
Dear Sir, it appears in the video that we have similar milling machines as for the physical size, weight, and table length. I believe you have the so named BS-0 dividing head ...5 inch. ???
Would you give much consideration as to the MT2 taper with this unit compared to the BS-1 unit with MT3; when considering a purchase of one of these units? All my tooling, (as for MT taper) is 3, 4, and 5. I wish to purchase the same unit as you, but with the BS-0 MT2 taper, I am considering the BS-1, but do not want to end up with a unit that is just too large and heavy for my mill which is an older US BURKE MILLRITE.
Hi Max (I presume), I thought long and hard what size of dividing head to get. My lathe tailstock is MT3 and so are most of my holders. But the BS-1 6inch dividing head is quite a bit larger and heavier and I decided it would just take up too much real estate on my mill. With the BS-0 up vertical I can just about get the chuck under a cutter in the vertical head but with the BS-1 there was no chance. About the only thing I might want to put in the MT would be an ER32 chuck and mine is on an MT3 fitting. So if I needed an ER32 collet in the dividing head I would either buy an ER32 chuck on an MT2 stub or I would use my spindexer, because have an ER32 to 5C adaptor which fits the spindexer (presuming I was indexing integer degrees). My mill table is 30in long and 8in wide. From the table surface to the underside of the vertical spindle is 10.5in max, and then deduct for the INT30 adaptor stick out and the length of whatever cutter is in. Hope that helps. Cheers
Thanks for sharing 👍
👍 Thanks Craig.
I'm curious how flat and true the machined surfaces are. How close do the faces run to the axis of the spindle? Are they all good right angles? It looks like a great tool for the money.
Hi motjuste, I've not tested the machined surfaces for flat and true angles yet. The base does not rock - I can say that much. Also because the head swivels up/down then the length of the work can be trammed to the table regardless of the angle of the base. Cheers
Don’t take my statements as being mean just commenting or my attempt at humor but that being said you’re measuring a low end or lower end dividing head with a very high end dial indicator I wonder if you measured with a low end dial indicator the amount of difference to the Mitutoyo
Well my vertex divider is right at 1.5 to2 thou and cost 2600 and 345 for tail stock so right around 3200 $ vs 350 for vevor for a home machinist what a incredible savings you could tighten that tolerance on your schroll chuck by tightening each of the jaws after initial tightening then tighten each jaw good luck stay safe I like watching you home machinists cause you look or in-vision a little different than a production machinist
Hi jkmcp, I've tried tightening in just one key hole and also in all three and it's always 4thou (0.1 mm) runout on the jaws. Two sheets of cigarette paper under the low jaw get's it spot on center. I will clean it out later. That Mitutoyo came from a car boot sale (flea market) for £12 (15 USD) including the mag base and it's a bit 'sticky' but good if I avoid the start and end of the range. Cheers
We have a few products from Vevor and we found them to be good value for the cost. Thanks for the review, it looks like the Vevor dividing head is much the same
Hi GTB, I've been using it this week and found it to be excellent. Just the handles working loose that annoy me. Cheers
Hi Paul, really thorough review, well done. It looks well finished in general and great value for money.
Is there a master socket for tightening the chuck? Mr Crispin did a chuck grinding video recently where this came to light.
Interesting to see that your discount offer is available in other parts of the world. Its funny but the other day I came across an advert for Octopus in Spain, I immediately remembered your video, its something we have in mind in the near future.
You looked poised to do some live testing now, good luck!! Have a great week!!
Hi David, I wonder if the Octopus link works internationally - like the Vevor link? I've had 2 Octopus referrals so far (thank you folks). I've just started shooting a follow-up vid on the solar which may come out in 3 weeks (I've got several videos competing to be first after the mill nut series ends). I saw Mr Crispin's video. It is a very nice head actually, used it a lot this week (also more on that later). Cheers
Good review. For the money you pay, It's not a bad deal at all.
Hi Dermot, I've used it for a project now (cutting the splines in the new table nut for my mill) and I'm very pleased with it. Cheers.
I bet it takes a lot of working out regarding the plates and holes and ratios lol@@HaxbyShed
@@dermotkelly2289 The question "how to I index x holes?" is easier than answering the question "what holes will this plate index?". In reality the first question is more common. Cheers
Hi Paul, thanks for the very well put together review and have to agree that for the price you get a lot of tool.
You fail to mention the make ? I take it Vevor are a re-seller and not the manufacturer, much like Banggood etc.
Ive had a look at the UK Vevor site and see many of the same tooling we could purchase form other re-sellers - I take it Vevor approached you with the intention to review their site and what is sold on it rather than the tools they sell ?
Keep up the great work mate - i look forward to your video's each week.
Thanks
Hi Steve, I got an approach from Vevor directly inviting me to join their "influencer" program. So I have a log-on and I can see a limited catalogue of the things they want to promote in the UK, which depends on current stock levels, amongst other things. I've found them to be very easy to deal with and professional - I have a personal contact who is based in China, who is quite chatty. So yes it's just the Vevor catalogue. The only make info was that on the chuck - Sanou. Whether Sanou made the whole thing, I don't know. Cheers
The spring goes behind the sector arms.
I'll look at that MBS, but it seems to fit better in front. The spring stops the sector arms falling off. I've been using the dividing head a lot this this week and actually the weak spring has not caused me any problems in practice. Cheers
Thx for the review and the vid.
Hi W65er, I will do reviews occasionally when I see something I like. But this will not become a 'review' channel. Cheers
The sector retaining washer should be conical spring steel, nothing worse than the sector arms moving whilst rotating the handle, don't ask me how I know.
The sector arms should be made of steel, Aluminium is too soft.
We had a similar one at work, too high in the vertical position and the worm diameter too small, stripped out.
Can the dividing head also be used to mill a radial groove or can you only use it if it is fixed (clamped) in position? If there is play in the radial position of the head if it is not clamped then it will slightly move during milling of the radial groove and ruin the endmill and gearing of the dividing head.
Hi, I have not tried to use a dividing head like that. In principle it may be fine. The screw is 40:1 so the feed should be fine enough but as you say it may jiggle/chatter, though the backlash is low. And it depends on the material and radius of the groove and the cut. I would not hesitate on delrin or brass. Something harder may be a problem, but if we are talking just an o-ring groove then maybe that may be fine too. Sometime I may try it. Cheers
I wonder if the chuck is full of grinding grit like the lathe chucks. Cheers.
Quite possibly Dcraft, when I get a moment I'll clean it out. Cheers
Nice review 👍
Thank you Nathan.
Nice review !!
Thank you Alan. Cheers
😎👍
Cheers Doug.
First I would pull that all apart and clean and Lube with a good grease or oil but the one problem with the Chinese and Indian made tools is their filthy on the inside I just bought a high quality dividing head and was 3400$vs 345 for that you can’t go wrong the other numbers are composites if I’m not mistaken there a necessary evil dividing heads that is
HI jkmcp, I've just finished making a 48 cut spline with it and very pleased except for those pesky handles that keep working loose. The chuck jaws seem to clamp reliably out of concentric by 4 thou so I put in two sheets of cigarette paper behind one jaw to get it spot on. Now the first job is done I will find some time to strip and clean it. Cheers
I’m a day we’re everything is out of stock in America just buy vevor usable and better than nothing but a back order shipping literally minutes from time of order
Hi Scott, yeh I don't why that is, they struggle with stock levels in the UK too. Not sure if things have still not reset since the pandemic or some other supply problem. Other suppliers too. Cheers
If you really need something screwy you could draw it in CAD, print it on paper and read the scale with a cheap digital microscope.
Yes I could do that Jim, I guess. Cheers
@@HaxbyShed I wouldn't be the first to do it, but I plan to make a video of making a 189 tooth mod 0.6 gear once I get my garage and machinery settled down from the move.
Did you pay for this Deviding head or did Vevor give it to you?
Hi pike, I got it for free from Vevor. I get an 'influencer' logon and I see a catalogue of items they want to promote. Maybe 4 or 5 items in my topic area at any time. I pick something I want/need for my projects. My 'order' has to be approved but that's usually decided by current stock levels. I could do a lot more of these reviews but it's a problem of finding the time. I get a small commission on any sales from my link but these only amount to a few quid over a period, because on a small channel like mine the volumes are small - I think 3 dividing heads so far. It buys me a few coffees but most importantly for me I get to keep the item. Cheers
I think you have things figured out
Hi Kimber, I hope finally yes. Cheers
I wonder if he realized that everytime he said it could be better the price went up by 50 pounds.
The Chinese are not stupid. They could have made a dividing head as good as an Ellis, even better, but they don't give damn about quality. In this day and age, with the exponential rate of CNC technology, you would think that making quality diving heads would be accurate, fast, and cost effective. But it seem like these stupid Vevor dividing heads, rotary tables, and all the rest of the substandard tools they make, were made by low paying disgruntled workers who have zero pride in what they do. I'm presently restoring an Ellis dividing head and it's brilliant how they were made, designed, and painted. How is it possible that we allowed Vevor to inundate the tool market to such a degree that we have all forgotten how the US made superb tools and machines. So much so, that home shop machinist an even machine shops are in earnest in seeking vintage US tools and machines because they are made BETTER. Vevor reflects a fucking disgrace of the tool industry. As a machinist of 45 years, it's depressing as hell that you can't have quality machines these days and what makes this far worse is that it has become normalized. Every time you buy a cheap Chinese machine you have to upgrade it or fix it because they were made so poorly even though the fucking thing you bought is new!! Why are we allowing this?! To hell with Vevor and all those cheap-ass machines.
Hi GnosisMan, it just seems to be the way of human nature that we look at price before quality. The same story is repeated everywhere. Who will pay $750 for something when a low quality substitute for $250 will do the job just about good enough, in many cases. What can I say? Cheers
I nearly bought one.. but decided to buy used spanish made with gears n cogs to make worm drives , helicial gears ect.. , which is the reason I declined the sale..!
Hi Ken, the Vevor Dividing Head has done the job I needed just now (cut a straight spline) but I will still look out for a universal head to cut worms and helical gears in the future, but (unless you are lucky) a universal head will be expensive. I only saw one 2nd hand with all the gears and it was £650. Cheers