Attention Clock and Watchmakers
Sherline makes a number of accessories to make your job easier. Shown below are some of the chuck arbors, gear-cutting arbors, and 10.0 mm collet pot chucks. In addition, we offer a selection of WW collets, a tailstock WW collet adapter as well as adapters that allow you to use our 3- and 4-jaw chucks on your jeweler’s or watchmaker’s lathe. Take advantage of the versatility of the Sherline system of tools and accessories. If you’re looking for a new lathe or ways to make your old lathe more versatile, check out all that Sherline has to offer.
Something New for Our Clock and Watchmakers
One of our Sherline customers, David Bishop, introduced us to some software for making gears. Because gear cutters for clock gears are expensive and hard to find, we are sharing this information with any of our customers who are interested. This software allows you to design your gear by entering all of your gear dimensions and information. Then it will generate a G-code program so you can cut your gears on a CNC mill. David uses one of our Sherline CNC mills to cut his gears. He uses superglue to mount his brass stock onto a piece of aluminum. Then he cuts his gears with a .030″ (.7 mm or .8 mm) diameter carbide end mill at a very slow feed rate of about (0.2 mm/min). He then heats the gear to break the bond of the superglue to free the gear from the aluminum block. The gears that David has made have a finished quality right off of our machine.
The Gear Wheel Designer program was created by Graham Baxter and can be purchased from Delph Electronics, via Steve Lunn, at this site (DelphUSA Gear Wheel Designer).
Tips for Clock & Watchmakers
Check out our Tips for Clock & Watchmakers page for shop wisdom, modifications, and shortcuts to simplify your watch and clock-making projects.
How Sherline WW collet thread and barrel dimensions compare to other watchmaker collets
CLICK HERE for a comparison between Sherline WW collets and other watchmaker collets.
Horological Milling Machine Bushing and Depthing Accessory
The basic concept of this accessory is to use a small milling machine to do the job of several specialized clock and watch repair machines. With the Sherline mill, you can maneuver and align your clock and watch parts easily and accurately. You can also machine your parts more accurately in regard to the size and location of your bushing hole. When the machine work is done, you can also use your milling machine as a manual press to insert your bushing. This accessory also makes depthing easier and more precise, allowing you to locate your gear exactly where you want it. You can also check the gear mesh with the mating gear and then machine your bushing hole exactly where you want it to be. By using the Horological Bushing and Depthing Accessory in conjunction with your Sherline mill, you now have a three-in-one clock and watch repair machine that is also a fully functional milling machine.
W. R. Smith T-Rest
A T-rest is used by watchmakers to support a hand-held cutting tool called a “graver.” World-renowned watch- and clockmaker William R. Smith has designed a T-rest, especially for the Sherline lathe. It is constructed of solid steel and clamps to the lathe’s bed in seconds. If you are interested in a watch or clock repair or construction but want a tool system more versatile and less expensive than a jeweler’s lathe, this T-rest makes a Sherline lathe the most attractive choice.
A graver can also be used by any metalworker for hand-turning unique shapes on the lathe. It looks similar to a small wood-turning tool and is used in a similar fashion while resting on the T-rest. To learn more about using the T-rest and about how to make your own graver, see the links below.
WW Collet Sets
We manufacture our collets to standard WW specifications (these collets are not hardened); however, we have come across collets that are called “WW” but will not fit our drawbar and adapter. Sherline collets have a shank diameter of .312-.313 and a .275-40 thread. Be sure to check WW collets made by other manufacturers to be sure they fit our adapter before you purchase them. Sherline manufactures a slightly larger .315″ adapter and drawbar set (P/N 1163) that will accommodate some of these other brands of 8 mm collets.
5-Piece Collet Set (P/N 1160 in., P/N 1178 mm)
Includes:
- Collet Taper Adapter
- Drawbar & 3/8″ Knockout Bar
- Set of 5 Collets: 1/16″, 1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, and 5/16″
(Metric: 2.0 mm, 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 6.0 mm)
Deluxe WW Collet Boxed Set (P/N 1162 in., P/N 1179 mm)
Includes:
- Collet Taper Adapter
- Drawbar & 3/8″ Knockout Bar
- Set of 17 (14 for the metric set) WW Collets
- Inch: 1/16″, 5/64″, 3/32″, 7/64″, 1/8″, 9/64″, 5/32″, 11/64″, 3/16″, 13/64″, 7/32″, 15/64″, 1/4″, 17/64″, 9/32″, 19/64″, 5/16″
- Metric: 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 5.5 mm, 6.0 mm, 6.5 mm, 7.0 mm, 7.5 mm, 8.0 mm
- It is packaged in a high-quality wooden box constructed with finger joint corners that has a brass latch and hinges
Complete Metric WW Collet Set (P/N 1180)
The Sherline metric WW collet set contains 77 collets sized from 0.3 mm to 8.0 mm by 0.1 mm increments plus a blank collet that can be made into any size collet by the user. It comes in a finely finished hardwood box with 96 holes, leaving room for other collets should you have extras or inch sizes to store.
This collet fixture is particularly useful for clockmakers cutting gears on a gear blank that has a pinion shaft attached that can be held in a collet. A bushing is provided that fits into the center hole of the rotary table and helps center the fixture on center. T-nuts and attaching screws are also provided for clamping the fixture in place in the rotary table or mill table T-slots. They are available in WW collet and 8 mm collet versions.
Collet-to-Live Center
These parts are not designed to fit Sherline lathes, but rather are made for watchmaker’s or jeweler’s lathes that have tailstocks that accept 8.0 mm or 10.0 mm collets.
Collet Pot Chucks
These collets can be easily machined and are designed to hold larger, odd-shaped parts. A 1/8″ (3.17mm) dowel pin is included with the collet to close on while the face is being machined. The face is drilled 3/16″ deep or less and then bored to an exact size to make what is, in effect, a custom chuck for parts too big to be held in regular WW collets. They are used with a WW collet adapter and drawbar. See P/N 1161.
NOTE: Collet pot chucks are designed to hold material only on the face end, not through the collet. Maximum gripping depth is 3/16″ (4.8mm).
Sherline also makes a WW collet with a 1″ blank that is deeper than the pot chucks and is not split. It can also be modified to hold tools or parts for special tasks. See P/N 2083.
Clockmaker’s Gear-Cutting Arbors
P/N 2095 and 2096 are primarily designed to be used on watchmaker’s lathes that accept 8.0 mm or 10.0 mm “D” collets. The P/N 2094 Gearcutting Arbor with its #1 Morse taper is designed for use on your Sherline Lathe. With the use of a P/N 1156 8mm Adapter, the P/N 2096 8mm arbor can also be used on Sherline lathes, although the normal system for mounting chucks is recommended.
Click on the image for more info.
Sherline Collet-to-Thread Chuck Adapters
These arbors are not designed to be used on Sherline lathes but rather are specifically suited to the types of lathes often used by jewelers and watchmakers.
The 3/4″-16 Arbors provide a way to mount a Sherline 3-jaw or 4-jaw chuck to this type of lathe. The 3/8″-24 arbors allow a 1/4″ or 3/8″ Drill Chuck to be mounted. The ability to mount these chucks adds a great deal of versatility to this type of special-purpose tool.
CLICK HERE for a helpful tip regarding modifying a chuck adapter for use in clock and watchmaking.
WW Collet-to-Thread Chuck Adapter
The WW to 3/8-24 thread collet adapter is the same as the 8.0 mm to 3/8 x 24 thread adapter (P/N 2092), but with a smaller barrel diameter, so it will work with our Sherline lathe.
Other Uses for Sherline Chucks
A customer is using a Sherline 3-jaw chuck on a variable-speed motor with taper shafts as a “lathe” setup for his custom jewelry business. Sherline Products does not offer this variable-speed motor.
Other Clock and Watchmaker Favorites
P/N 3700 4″ Rotary Table
P/N 3700CNC CNC-Ready 4″ Rotary Table
Model 5400/5410 Deluxe Tabletop Mill
Model 4500/4530 8″ Tabletop Lathe w/Adjustable Handwheels