Spindle too big?

[willowdalecat]

I’m having trouble getting my laps all the way down over the spindle of my machine (a new Graves Mark 5XL) past the threads. My new Greenway lap just plain won’t go past the threads at all.

Should I use sandpaper to just widen up the bottom of the hole in the lap slightly? I’ve never seen this come up before. Thanks.

[Frankwood]

If the hole in the lap is to small to go on the shaft, which will almost certainly be ½”. Then you will have to bore it out, a pistol drill will do the job.

[duncanmiller]

I have had the same problem with a Gearloose lap, made to a very fine tolerance. Just ream out the hole a bit with coarse sandpaper on a dowel rod.

[davidechols]

Or round file.

[Lowjiber]

Lightning Laps always need a little “love” with 400 sandpaper on a dowel to fit my two Polymetric machines.

[willowdalecat]

Thank you, I’m always relieved to learn it’s not something I’m doing wrong. Sandpaper on a dowel it is. The laps are all the proper size, just a bit snug.

I finished my first pavilion last night on a pretty rhodolite and I’m over the moon. I really love this machine, it was really easy to “find” all the facets to polish them, which I had been afraid of because I had moved the collar on the shaft (delrin collar that supports the facet head) and it’s not marked. But it was easy to just set the correct angle for a facet and lower until I heard it touch and the digital display changed just slightly. I know that’s the most basic thing in the world but it felt like a revelation to me. 🙂

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