Westbury Dividing Head
Ref: WDH
Edgar Westbury was a true pioneer of both miniature IC engines and dedicated tooling for the small workshop.
In 1963 he developed a multi-functional milling attachment - similar to the Potts Universal Milling Attachment of the time.
Whilst Hemingway have the original foundry patterns for both of these classic devices, with the advent of the Quick-Step Mill we feel there is no real market for either.
One of the attachments for the Westbury device, almost an afterthought, was a set of components called the "swivelling quill holder". We saw potential for a device based on the 4 main castings and the more we toiled at the CAD screen, the more potential we could see!
The Westbury Dividing Head (WDH) can be likened to a ¾ scale Myford Dividing Head but complete with a raising block and 360° swivelling base. Using the overarm steady, the attachment will accept jobs up to a diameter of 3¼". Without the overarm, a Ø4" chuck can be fitted to the spindle. If you require more than this, you can also order the Versatile Dividing Head Milling Kit (HK 1530) to provide a separate tailstock and adaptor plates to accept jobs of up to Ø6 1/8".
The spindle arrangement is particularly well conceived. The components form a separate cartridge which can be quickly released and reversed in the main housing for axial and radial work on the lathe and mill. Similarly, the banjo assembly supporting the direct or indirect indexing components can be easily re-positioned to suit the job in hand.
Using just the direct indexing facility (HK 2130), the attachment accepts Myford Ø5/8" bore change wheels with 1/8" keyways. If you happen to have a standard set of these you'll be able to directly index a large variety of divisions. If you can only rustle up a 50t and 60t gear you can still manage to index 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50 and 60 divisions - enough to suit virtually any application short of gear cutting. Then, by adding the indirect indexing components (HK 2135), there are no limits to the number of divisions that can be struck.
We have included a number of features which Myford lathe owners will appreciate:
* The 4 mounting holes on the swivel base are spaced to suit the Myford cross and vertical slides (1 9/16").
* Mounted on the cross slide, the WDH centre height is a perfect match for the Myford 7 Series lathe.
* The spindle is drawn with the Myford 1 1/8" BSW thread and pilot and a MT2 taper. Accordingly it will accept your chucks, face plates, collets and arbors without adaptors.
Having mentioned these Myford-friendly features, the WDH is of course suitable for any lathe or mill where a compact and sturdy indexing attachment is required.
