- Posts
- 175
- Likes
- 178
Edwinowl
·Wow some great work there and super pics, thanks
Watchmaking: Crown Wheel Seat Repair
- Posts
- 27,818
- Likes
- 70,654
Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerA machinist lathe would have been a great help indeed. What is the advantage of a watchmaker's lathe? I know parts can be mounted on one with the precision collet but the handheld gravers seem difficult to master. Why aren't gravers mounted like those found on a machinist lathe?
In the hands of a skilled watchmaker, a lathe like using hand held gravers is incredibly efficient. This job is not an example of that obviously, because it would have been far easier to turn the wax chuck on a lathe with a cross slide and tool post. But for the work that watchmakers often use this kind of lathe for, I would argue that sort of lathe would be a hindrance, rather than an advantage.
Working very close to the lathe, using magnification, and being able to see what you are doing is the key. A "machinists" lathe (engine lathe) is not designed for working on parts the size that are involved here. When you are turning a pivot that is only say 8 or 9 100ths of a mm in diameter, not having a cross slide and tool post in the way so you can get close enough to see the work when using magnification is important.
- Posts
- 27,818
- Likes
- 70,654
Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerAwesome detail and easy to understand explanation.
I have a question about the final component though. Since you removed material, the crown wheel now sits a little lower. Do you have to do anything to account for it's new position, relative to the ratchet wheel?
When my engineering role included the need to incorporate machining of components, we referred to the final height as "stack height". Since the new "bottom" is lower, the stack height will be reduced (at least the way my brain is processing this repair it will be).
The amount of material I removed is very minimal in comparison to the thickness of either the crown or ratchet wheel, so there was no impact on the meshing of those two wheels.
- Posts
- 2,325
- Likes
- 6,669
Deafboy
··His Holiness Puer SurdusWorking very close to the lathe, using magnification, and being able to see what you are doing is the key.
Fair enough.
Just throwing ideas here: what if, instead of a loupe, one or two video cameras were setup around an engine lathe so the machinist can see the part without having being so close?
When working on my watches movements I never use a loupe; always the stereo microscope. That way I don't have to be as close to the part and I gives me a more relaxed stance. Unconventional maybe, but it works for me.
- Posts
- 27,818
- Likes
- 70,654
Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerFair enough.
Just throwing ideas here: what if, instead of a loupe, one or two video cameras were setup around an engine lathe so the machinist can see the part without having being so close?
When working on my watches movements I never use a loupe; always the stereo microscope. That way I don't have to be as close to the part and I gives me a more relaxed stance. Unconventional maybe, but it works for me.
If that's how you want to work on a lathe, that's up to you. I'm not here to justify things to you, so if you want to work differently, have at it.
As for working under a stereo microscope for all servicing work, if that works for you then great. It is certainly unorthodox, and in a professional setting not terribly efficient. I have no idea what your workplace looks like, but if you have a properly set-up (from an ergonomic standpoint) watchmaking bench, then working at it with a loupe all day every day, is not a problem.
- Posts
- 27,818
- Likes
- 70,654
Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakerJust watched the shear fence and I found it therapeutic and hilarious 😁. He put in some serious editing on his vids.
For sure...this one is long, but he always includes some little funny tidbit that keeps things interesting...I've linked to the start of the segment where he's missing one screw to assemble these things, and has an unusual solution....
Had a pretty good chuckle at this one. Very different from the boring old training videos I used to watch at work where the narrator would say "Remove the 24 cover screws from the access panel" and then they would show all 24 screws being removed...as if after the first one you really needed to see the next 23...
Similar threads
- Posts
- 19
- Views
- 424
- Posts
- 11
- Views
- 790
