T Slot Faceplate
We stock a large inventory of high quality studs and t-slot clamp kits for bench top machinists. 5035 Clamping Kit for C8 Faceplate: $ Clamping Kit for. T-Slotted Floor 65” Faceplate Work Table. All items need to be paid by March 27th and picked up by April 2nd. Storage fees will apply beginning April 3rd. We do offer machinery storage in our 100,000 square foot heated warehouse which is equipped with 100 ton bridge cranes.
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Lathe – workholding – faceplate
If turning between centers is the oldest form of turning then turning using a faceplate must be the second oldest.Often, in old pictures of big lathes, the lathe has just a faceplate.
fig photo of old lathe with a faceplate
Though the faceplate is a very simple idea, it can, sometimes with some difficulty, be made to do a very wide range of jobs.
fig modern lathe fitted with a face plate
Key features of the faceplate
Assuming the face plate is fitted securely to the spindle there are three key features that it needs. Firstly it is round and, secondly, it has a flat surface. It should be obvious that both of this can be produced simply by turning the faceplate when fitted to the spindle. Thirdly it needs some method of fixing a workpiece or workholding device onto it.
On old faceplates the faceplate was cast roughly to the required shape but with holes or slots in it. The workpiece could then be bolted onto the face plate. Modern faceplates are often fitted with T-slots in them.
Holding a workpiece onto a faceplate
T Slot Plates Steel
In all of the following methods of holding a workpiece on a faceplate there is one common factor. It is often easier to fit the workpiece when the faceplate is lying, horizontal, on the bench rather than is vertical on the lathe.
It is often not possible to fit the workpiece completely but it is usually possible to fit the workpiece sufficiently so that when the faceplate is fitted to the lathe there is no risk of the workpiece falling onto the bed of the lathe.
Often workpieces fitted to a faceplate might not be balanced. In some cases it might not be possible to balance it. Change gears for the lathe can sometimes be used as counterweights. However most workpieces can be turned safely if the speed of rotation is slow enough.
Holding the workpiece using clamps
The workpiece can be held onto the faceplate by using the same sort of clamps as might be used on a milling machine. However the T-slots on the faceplate are often distinctly smaller than those on a milling machine of a similar size to the lathe being used. A further limitation is that whereas a workpiece on a milling table can hang over the edge, on a faceplate the workpiece is limited by the bed of the lathe.
The real problem is that the T-slots are often at right angles to each other. When using these it is seldom possible to place the clamping bolts where they are best used.
One solution to this is to fit an auxiliary plate to the faceplate. This plate is fitted with a rectangular array of threaded holes which can take the clamping bolts.
fig auxiliary plate
(Yes – this is the same plate as is used elsewhere on a rotary table – and for exactly the same reason.)
Holding the workpiece using an angle plate
Many angle plates have slots going one way on one side and going the other way on the other side. If, for example the T-slot on the face plate is horizontal then the slot on the angle plate touchinf the faceplate should be vertical. This means the angle plate can be easily moved horizontally or vertically.
The space on the faceplate is maximised by using an angle plate where the inside is also machined flat. The workpiece is fitted “inside” the angle plate.
fig workpiece held on faceplate using the inside of an angle plate
Holding the workpiece using a Keats block
T Slot Plate
A lathe faceplate is a basic workholding accessory for a wood or metal turning lathe. It is a circular metal (usually cast iron) plate which fixes to the end of the lathe spindle. The workpiece is then clamped to the faceplate, typically using t-nuts in slots in the faceplate, or less commonly threaded holes in the faceplate itself.
The faceplate may be attached to the lathe in several ways: the two most common are a thread and a precision cone arrangement, and threaded studs and a circular recess fitting a flange on the end of the spindle. Increasingly common is the camlock arrangement, in which shaped studs and cams replace threaded studs for rapid exchanging of the faceplate with other accessories, such as three or four jaw chucks.
T Slot Base Plate
The faceplate was the ancestor of lathe chucks, an arrangement of three or more adjustable 'dogs' bolted to the faceplate providing a primitive chuck arrangement. The smaller plate in the upper photo is specifically a 'dog face' with slots intended to hold a bent tail dog while the work itself was supported on centers. The larger plate to the right simply provides a variety of ways by which work can be bolted or clamped to the plate. The slotted plate on the lower photo accepts wedged holders which can be used to fasten the work to the plate. The plates were expendable, so it was not unusual as shown in both photos for a machinist to drill additional holes in the plates for attaching work that could not otherwise be attached. While the dog plates were usually fairly small regardless of the lathe size, the classic face plate is usually matched to the maximum diameter that the lathe will swing.
It may seem that a faceplate is a primitive accessory superseded by precision chucks, but its inherent flexibility (almost any shape can be attached to a faceplate with care and the right fixings) and the possibility of achieving great accuracy by careful setup make it essential for a well equipped lathe.
T Slot Plate 28
For certain specialist jobs, temporary or special faceplates can be made, perhaps in wood or light alloy, that can be machined or adapted for difficult workholding jobs. One example might be attaching thin sheet metal to a wooden faceplate using wood screws, allowing the trepanning of holes, with the tool cutting into the sacrificial faceplate material.
See also[edit]
- 'Locating Faceplate for your Lathe.'Popular Mechanics, December 1954, pp. 203-205.