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One of the most annoying things about some small lathes is how you adjust the compound angles. You have to back off the compound slide to reveal 2 cap bolts, loosen them, change your setting and tighten them. Then crank the compound all the way back in. Not the right setting? You get to do that all over again!
I've come up with a simple solution. It's a small bracket that attaches to the back of the compound and gets locked down with a 1/4-20 cap bolt. (from the outside like it should be!) Making angle adjustments are a breeze now. The way it is designed assures you will lock down the setting without the fear of movement.
I made it from a scrap of angle iron and attached it with 8-32 cap screws. I used my rotary table to cut a curved slot for adjustments. There are (2) 1/4-20 threaded holes, one on the right side and one on the left. Depending on what side of 0 you are on will determine which bolt hole you will use. The 2 cap screws under the compound remain but only get lightly snugged down so you can still turn the top. The new bolt on back is what locks it in place.
This goes well beyond 45 degrees on both sides of the scale but if you run into some very odd off the scale setting, you can always remove the cap bolt and resort back to those cap bolts under the compound. The bracket can stay in place.
I've seen a few different idea's out there on how to fix this problem but I think mine is the most simplistic. You have to agree, the materials are certainly cheap enough!
Also shown in the photo's is a simple way to add a lock to both your cross slide and compound slides. (2) small cap screws were added to each. Just a 1/2 turn on both and your locked in place. Back off 1/2 turn and your back where you started. Your gib settings will stay as you had them.
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