Listed below are some handy watch and clockmaking tips sent in by Sherline users. They are listed in the order received. Click on any tip to open it. This section is always growing, so if you have tried something that has worked well or made life easier around your shop, please see below for details on submitting your own tip.

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).

Your Clock and Watchmaking Tip Could Go Here

If you have any examples of things you have done to make your projects go easier, send them to us, and we will add them to this section for all to share. Just send a sample part, a photo, a simple sketch or a written description. Our graphics department will do an illustration or digital photo like the ones shown in the tips below if necessary.

It can be a simple suggestion or special part, but if it makes your life easier, why not share it with others? We look forward to expanding this section of the site with your suggestions. We can’t offer fortune, but we can at least offer some measure of fame. Thousands of other machinists might see and benefit from your suggestion. You may send your suggestions to us by mail, fax or email as follows:

Mail: Attn: Marketing, SHERLINE Products, 3235 Executive Ridge, Vista, CA 92081-8527, USA.
Fax: 760.727.7857
Email: marketing@sherline.com

Tips

  1. Sherline Steady-Rest Modification—Gary Combs
  2. Flip Over T-Rest for Sherline Lathe—Gary Combs
  3. Clock Key Tap Handles—Jerry Kieffer
  4. Chuck Adapter Improvement for Clock and Watchmakers—A. Bousquet
  5. Sherline Equipment for Horological Repair—Jerry Kieffer
  6. Drawbar and Chuck Adapter Through-Drill Modification—Roger Adams
  7. Modifying Your Lathe Chuck with Standoff Spacers—Roger Adams
  8. Using a Collet Holder on the Rotary Table—Roger Adams
  9. Additional Modifications to the Sherline Steady Rest—Kelsey Downum
  10. Indexing Attachment Add-on—Dirk Fassbender
  11. Example of a Clock Gear Made Using the DelphUSA Gear Wheel Designer Software—Dave Bishop
  12. John Wilding Large Wheel Skeleton Clock Build—Dave Bishop