Woodturning is said to be the safest form of woodworking, that said it can still be dangerous and care should be taken at all times

The methods and procedures I show here are what I do at the moment and feel safe doing, I am not suggesting that you should do things the same way, that is up to you, if you don’t feel safe doing it one way find another way of doing it.

Above all take care and remember if this is your hobby it is supposed to be fun so enjoy it.

Now mark out the hole positions on the ring by inserting one pointed end in the grove and turning the calipers.   Then put the other end in the grove for the next hole and continue until all holes are marked.

If you have done everything accuratly and luck is with you the distance between the last and first hole will be spot on.   I have found that a difference of about 1mm either way between the first and last hole doesnt show on the work piece but any bigger than this will.  

If the difference is too big check all your measurements, change the calipers and try again on the other side.

The next job is to drill the holes but before you do this decide on what you are going to use as the pin in the indexing arm.   I used a nail which had a diameter of 2mm so I drilled  2.5mm holes.

I used my drill stand for all the drilling but a hand drill can be used just as well.

Your index ring is now finished so fit it on the lathe to act as a guide for making the arm.

Making the arm is very simple I used a small square piece of timber and cut it to the lengths I needed, then drilled a hole through both for a nut and bolt for the hinge then pre drilled the hole for the nail and fitted it.

To use the system I put the ring on the spindle register then screw the chuck with the work in on to hold it tight.   Then I clamp the arm to the lathe bed and I am ready to go.    My lathe bed is square so it is easy to clamp the arm to it but you might find it easier to clamp or fix the arm some other way.

As I said at the beginning this system is designed to be used only when the lathe is stationery never turn the lathe on with the index ring in place.

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