Taylor Hobson Pantograph Engraver Model D

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I couldn’t resist this. Now cleaned up and tightened up with new wiring.

I got to work out how to hold the tapered shank cutters in my Quorn. Or work out how to fit and ER11 spindle.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Nice !

You may find this page useful, if only for inspiration:

http://www.pantograph.co.uk/pdfs/spindles_accessories.pdf

MichaelG.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Oojh, thankyou for that. It could be useful for me too.

I have a much earlier version, named “Taylor, Taylor, Hobson”, presently in bits scattered around the house and workshop.

The only snag with these machines is they are very greedy for space.

Mine had lost the spindle nose nut (I don’t think it uses a collet) but I was able to make a replacement, from phosphor-bronze. I had to buy a tap for the thread, apparently a fine UN form.

[Nigel Graham 2]

I nearly los

On Nigel Graham 2 Said:

 

Mine had lost the spindle nose nut.

I nearly lost the spring clip which goes under the nut. The most challenging bit of disassembly/assembly was the ball bearings in the pantograph – I really need new balls but couldn’t wait. I also need a new leadscrew and nut one day – the trapezoidal thread is now a thin triangle.

[Michael Gilligan]

On Michael Gilligan Said:

Nice !

You may find this page useful, if only for inspiration:

http://www.pantograph.co.uk/pdfs/spindles_accessories.pdf

MichaelG.

‘Taper Shank Adaptor’ would be handy for sharpening … but half the price I paid for the machine!

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Anyone know the taper angle on these cutters? My taper guage, which I thought would come in handy one day, is a little large.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

At work in 2000 we still had the little adaptor to turn a TH into a mini mill (really just for trimming up your nameplates etc) but the company moved premises a year after I left so probably the whole lot got scrapped.

[jaCK Hobson]

On jaCK Hobson Said:

Anyone know the taper angle on these cutters? […]

Yes … the good people who make that nifty little adapter !

🙂

MichaelG.

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P.S. … I may have a note of it “somewhere” but don’t hold your breath !

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

My estimate on taper :

Minor dia: 4.08mm

Major dia: 5.57mm

Length: 22.8mm

Taper Angle: 1.8715 degrees

Taper: 3.267 %

 

I don’t think I can get a reamer for that, or bore it… so maybe I have to shell out for an adaptor

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Jack

A man of your obvious ability could surely make a ‘D-bit’ reamer from the back-end of an existing cutter.

MichaelG.

[renardiere7Participant @renardiere7]

Jack, I have some TH cutters which are no use to me as I run a GH Alexander Pantograph. If they are any use to you give us a shout.

[renardiere7]

On renardiere7 Said:

Jack, I have some TH cutters which are no use to me as I run a GH Alexander Pantograph. If they are any use to you give us a shout.

Thanks! But I have a lot of (mostly blunt) cutters:

 

 

On 3 June 2026 at 10:38 Michael Gilligan Said:
Jack

A man of your obvious ability could surely make a ‘D-bit’ reamer from the back-end of an existing cutter.

MichaelG.

What I don’t have is a single taper shank that has something on the other end I can get hold of in a chuck/collet!

 

I found more bits… including the start of some home made attachments… not sure what the intent was

 

And a brass tapered shank disc holder ? But the shank is not quite big enough to fit in spindle

Off to clean my hands now…

[renardiere7Participant @renardiere7]

Let me look at the bits and pieces I have. I dismantled an earlier version of a TH pantograph than yours, It had built in a single lip grinder. I’ll see if there is anything in the parts that may be of use to you.

[Charles JambonParticipant @charlesjambon]

I also bought a Taylor Hobson model D because it was just too good to miss. When I measured the taper cutters I found the taper was a half angle of 2.14 degrees or 0.075 inch/inch. I then made a reamer to this taper and used this to make a socket to grip the cutters for sharpening. But I also found the spindle bearings were badly worn so I ended up making a completely new spindle with E11 collet fittings and “normal bearings” that I have been using for several years with far cheaper 1/8 inch parallel shank (and other) cutters. The spindle design was summarised for the Stevenson Trophy in 2024.

[Dave SParticipant @daves59043]

Can’t you make a tapered d bit to bore a soft collet to hold the tapered portion of a real bit in the grinder so you can then finally sharpen it?

Bit meta and possibly i misunderstood.

Dave

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

It took a while for me to locate this again … mostly because it’s in the name of KAPELLA

No dimensions shown, but it’s a useful reference:

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MichaelG.

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

From the drawing I measure included angle of 4.129 deg. Taper angle 2.065

Which is close to 7/8″ per foot

[Charles JambonParticipant @charlesjambon]

That is astonishing. It is also maybe encouragement for those who try to make mating tapers with such shallow angles that the angle seems to be far more accommodating of unavoidable errors than the regular machine releasing tapers.

[Charles Jambon]

On Charles Jambon Said:

But I also found the spindle bearings were badly worn so I ended up making a completely new spindle with E11 collet fittings and “normal bearings” that I have been using for several years with far cheaper 1/8 inch parallel shank (and other) cutters. The spindle design was summarised for the Stevenson Trophy in 2024.

I can find the cutter grinder mod, but not the spindle design. I’ve ordered an ER 11 holder… was probably just going to bodge two sets of deep groove bearings around it somehow which will almost certainly be less than ideal. I’d really appreciate a bit more guidance!

[renardiere7Participant @renardiere7]

Jack, firstly apologies in the delay getting back to you. I had a look through the bits and pieces I have. It looks to me as if the grinder holder is just a simple V groove that locates the tapered shank of the cutter. Sorry I have repeatedly failed to remember to take my phone with me to get a picture.

Secondly, I seem to recall that Stefan Gotteswinter did a video about building a spindle for his Deckel pantograph which was based around a parallel shanked ER11 holder. Different machine but the principals are the same.

[Charles JambonParticipant @charlesjambon]

I will have a look to see if I can find my design drawings for the E11 spindle. I do remember it was quite difficult to find bearings and wavy washers (to provide preload) that would be robust but still fit inside the overall envelope of the original spindle with its integral bearings.

[Charles JambonParticipant @charlesjambon]

I managed to find the workshop drawings for the E11 Taylor Hobson Spindle. They were done old school pencil on paper but trust you can see the most important dimensions. They are a bit of a cocktail of metric and imperial in order to get all the threaded items into a confined space and use available threading equiment where applicable. All threads were lathe cut and finished with a die or tap if available. The pulley is keyed to the spindle in a similar way to the original with a captive short flat key across a flat at the front end of the spindle. Not all the pieces are drawn up – in particular the spacers that support the wavy washers ( W61590) that provide the necessary preload. I found 15 N preload was about right but had to juggle the number of wave washers and flat intermediary washers to get the right set up. I also had to internally grind the wavy washers to clear the spindle because the standard washers have bores that are too small. It is well worth while calibrating the stiffness of the wavy washer stack (actually measuring with a load gauge and height gauge and not calculating N/mm using the standard formulae)  and measuring very carefully the shoulder and spacer distances to get the right preload. The bearings are standard thin race SKF 61901-2RS1 (12mm x 24 mm x 6 mm) and Dunlop 61700 -2RS (10 mm x 15 mm x 4 mm) and they have worked very well over many years. But the original Taylor Hobson design is by far the most elegant and I hope to regrind the races at some stage and get the old one working again – albeit with taper shank cutters.

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Wow. Proper drawings!

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Taylor, Taylot Hobson were high precision engineers (Their photograhic enlarging lenses would ouperform high quality Japanese ones!)

The thought of the taper being 7/8 per foot is quite appealing for a British comany, if not Morse taper. Diameters will give a clue as which one – 2MT is 2 degrees 52 minutes from memory

(I would expect to find that the threads used on the machine were Whitworth form, possibly BSF rather than the coarser BSW)

Howard

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

Threads were getting worryingly thin on the main leadscrew so I bodged a new one from std TR12 threaded bar off Amazon. Now to bodge a nut. I wonder how long a 100% infil PLA 3D print would last? Shame I can’t print delron.

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