countershaft mounted on Borel stand

[Kevin Scott]

The Borel stand is nice because you can quickly get a lathe set up and working, it can be moved around, and does not take up much space.

But it really does have some flaws including difficult to adjust motor for belt tension, and hard to use with a counterstaft.

I think I solved those two problems. But still plan on more upgrades to my 8mm lathe set up, and getting rid of the Borel stand. I wanted a system so I could quickly and easily go from:
1) regular drive
2)moto stat drive
3) using safety pulley drive
4)countershaft drive when using a power driven accessory. Don't want the countershaft set up when not needed.

With the set up pictured, I think I will be able to remove the countershaft (leaving mounting base bolted to stand) and switch to any other system and be up and running in under 3 minutes. And then be able to go back to countershaft drive in under 3 minutes, with all belts properly adjusted.

What made this possible is the motor mount. Can easily be adjusted in a very wide range front to back, and also about 2" side to side. The mount pictured with the motor did not work. Not enough support area for the aluminum rod. Changed mount to what is pictured with the lathe. Works great, but sure is ugly. Can adjust belt tension in a huge range without loosening or tightening a bolt or screw. Got the idea from a Boley F1 lathe.

Set up pictured with a transverse rotary grinder - polisher. Commonly called a "pivot polisher", which is a poor name because it does not really describe its uses, and also because more than 20 other tools not are not anything like this one can also be called a "pivot polisher".

 

[doc_fields]

Looks good Kevin! I'll have to study it a bit more to see if it is adaptable to mine, or at least give me some ideas to work with. Your pivot polisher, is it from Butterworth"s?.........................doc

 

[wrobbie]

Hmm, I've never heard of a Borel stand.. Googling it leads to this thread

- Rob

 

[LloydB]

Hmm, I've never heard of a Borel stand.. Googling it leads to this thread

- Rob

more frequently it's called a "Borel lathe base"

 

[Kevin Scott]

Your pivot polisher, is it from Butterworth"s?.........................doc

Doc, did not know what a "Butterworth" pivot polisher was, so I Googled it. Saw your YouTube video, and Google led me to the thread on this forum about the Butterworth pivot polisher.

I guess you mean the abrasive wheel that is mounted on a taper,mounted on the polisher -grinder, which is driven by the large pulley of the countershaft. If so, the answer is no.

Not too impressed with the Butterworth system for any watch work, let alone any watch pivots.
The American factories I believe used a tool or concept similar to mine pictured to grind and finish staffs etc, but after about 1920 or so stopped using it for balance pivots because they found abrasives were getting embedded into the pivot, and later the steel pivot would wear the jewel, due to the abrasives embedded into the steel being harder than the jewel. But it did a great job on the other diameters, grinding them to size, and on their higher grade watches, polishing some diameters.

Seems to me to be another good reason not to use the "Butterworth system" on clock pivots in addition to the other ones mentioned in the thread.

Rob, sorry for the confusion on the term "Borel stand". I thought everyone would know what I was talking about. It is a very common platform made to set up a 8mm ww lathe quickly, and be portable. Think they started making them after WW2 and they were and still are very popular. "Borel" is the company that made them. They might even be still making them, or have them available for sale. I guess other companies made similar ones, but Borel seems to be the most common.