Worthless Diaform wheel dresser

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

Hi All,

I picked up a Diaform wheel dresser at an auction with some vague idea it might be useful (or valuable) but neither seems to be the case. Especially as its missing the tool holder.

However… its very nicely made and contains some interesting bit and has X & Y slide capability.

If I can't find anything to do with it its going in the skip.

Which seems a shame.

Anyone got any ideas? I'm up for CNC anything or welding bits to it, cutting bits off as required.

Thanks,

Wilson.

Ps. these pics are from the web but are of the same model as I have.

P.P.S. If you want it & have a real use for it, you can have it. Pickup only from G52 4JW.

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

Lovely piece of kit but yesterdays news now. We dropped these in the early 1970s in favour of "Optidress"

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

I had an Optidress years ago. Even they're old hat now. I sold it to a guy from India who was the only interested buyer.

Its all CNC now isn't it for wheel dressing?

[SteveIParticipant @stevei]

Hi,

What is the model number? I might be interested. I have an old J&S 540 surface grinder I plan to rebuild.

Thanks,

Steve

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

Well, its definitely the one you can see half way down this page :

**LINK**

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

By shear coincidence, from the same place, I have the Radius/Angular Wheel Forming attachment seen in the next image on that same page.

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

And I had one of these:

**LINK**

… all the attachments for a 540 but without the actual 540… ce la vie.

[DustyParticipant @dusty]

Learnt my craft as a template maker making templates for the diaform, seem to recall the templates were made at a ratio of 10/1. Then progressed onto much larger templates for things like engine beams for jet aircraft the beams were made on hydraulic copying mills. The templates were all made by hand by filing. Start by using a 14" half round bastard file to within a few thou and then progress down to finish by draw filing. Setting up to check for dimensional accuracy could be a bit of a so and so for some of these, bearing in mind that some were over 5 ft in length and a couple of feet wide overall. Teaches you a lot of things especially about cumulative error.

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

OK, right so, I've had a whacky idea….

This is a tool to form wheels using a cutting diamond following a profile.

Lets turn this on its head.

How about I replace the diamond with a tool to be ground. Use the profile to control the movement of the tool against the wheel.

Two problems spring to mind:

1) The profile will have to be reversed.

2) The wheel is not a single point cutter like the diamond.

Of the two, the second one is going to be the real problem.

Thoughts ?

Wilson.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Use the corners of the wheel, but that does mean getting the two sides to line up.

Neil

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

You can get knife edge diamond wheels…

[wilson logan 1Participant @wilsonlogan1]

Repetitive form tool grinding beckons!

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