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Here's a project I never thought would be. A very big thanks to LJ Jim Jakosh for giving me his jig for picking up the holes on the flywheel made this possible. I was always very interested in this since he made a metal one for his lathe. So after a dozen questions he suggested that I could make one out of wood.

It works great, looks good, and I didn't have to do any alterations to the lathe. Going from 24 pickup holes to 72 really broadens the field for different projects. I made it to fit the existing screws that are in the back of the lathe housing. I could install it in a few minutes and remove it after I do a project with it or keep it on like it has been for a week. I gave it a quick test by making a small turned box and drilling 24 holes to see how accurate it is. It was a success. I did notice that 2 of the 72 holes I drilled for the index wheel are off a hair. A slight giggle with the pin and it goes right in. I used Maple for everything except the knobs, those were walnut, and a piece of angle aluminum to hold the pickup pin. Coated it with some lacquer. Total cost for the project was $1.80. I needed 2 metric screws to hold Jim's jig on the lathe while setting the holes and 2 metric screws to install the locking pickup pin on the lathe. Feel free to ask any questions or PM me and I will be as helpful as I can.
Thanks for looking.
Below I will give a quick rundown on some of the steps with more pictures.
I don't know how many different lathes this would be possible on but it is worth a look if you are interested in improving the indexing.

Gallery

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Awesome Dave.
Great job and I like your lathe.
Mine is the standard 1624-44

Bob
 

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Nice. I also have the 1624-44 and although I lust after the DVR, I still love what I have.
 

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A quick rundown










First picture is installing Jim's jig to pick up the 72 holes.

2nd picture is shaping and sizing the wheel and drilling the hole for the hand wheel.

3rd pic. Marking the wheel with all the holes.

4th pic. Drilling the holes in the wheel. This I'm sure is where I screwed up on the two holes. Should of made a sturdier jig.

5th pic. Building a pickup pin. This was a little hit and miss since I had to size it right to fit where I wanted it on the lathe and not look to bulky. It holds the wheel very tight. There is no play at all. The second knob (right one) cane be turned to either loosen or tighten the holding power if needed.

Next was assembling everything on the lathe, testing and enjoying. A picture of a quick turning and drilling some holes for the test.

 

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Well done! I mulled over trying to make one of these for months for my old lathe. My new one has indexing so no need. But if I ever have another one without it, I'll keep this in mind!

How did you knurl the knobs for the lock pin? Do you have a tool? If so, which one? I'd love to have one on-hand if I could find one at a decent price.
 

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Excellent job on that index wheel, Dave!
Now you can do 9 holes,18 holes and 36 holes that you could not get out of the 24 locations!! I already had an occasion to do 18 on mine and was thankful to have it.

cheers, Jim
 

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thanks for sharing" double",that go to my to do list
have a nice day
 

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Thanks for posting your index wheel. This is a jig I need for my lathe as well. Perhaps a project for after Christmas.
 

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Well done, great modification.
 

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great job Dave.
 

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Great add on, Dave! I, too, am interested in how you did the knurlng on the walnut knobs. Thanks for sharing!
 

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Thanks Bob and Scott Oldre. The 1624-44 was the same lathe I looked at for over a year. At the last minute before purchasing I bit the bullet and went with the DVR. The cost was tough but I decided to treat myself for a change.

Hi Ken and CFrye. If you look at the project I posted before this you will see the tool I made to do this. You can also purchase a texturing lathe tool. They have a few different types. What I like about the one I made is you can change the wheels on it for different texturing. Check it out.

Thanks Jim. You are a steely-eyed missile man coming up with these ideas. The wood wheel is great. Now I need to build a couple jigs for the lathe for more accuracy and to be able to use it better.

Thanks for the favorite Bambi. Glad to see others can take advantage of this.

Thanks Lee. This is a project you will enjoy making. It's not as hard as it might seem. You just need to take time to keep things precise. I'm guessing it took me 10 hours to build and a week thinking about it. LOL.

Thanks Brian. It's a heck of a change from the standard indexing.

Thanks for the compliment Jerry.

Thanks Charles. I agree, it is a cool add on.
 

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LOOK good!
 

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Looks professionally made Dave. I've seen these things on different posts for quite a while and I've always wondered if I need one or not. Quite honestly I'm not 100% sure what its useful for?

Do I really need one for my lathe?
 

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Well done Dave. Jim is a very clever fella.
 

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That's a good looking addition to your lathe Dave. Do you have a project in mind?
 

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Really great addition for the lathe, will put on the to do list. Well done Dave.
 

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Super job!!!
 

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Dave…Fantastic Project. I don't know anything about Indexing but seeing what you and Jim have achieved in the construction and use of an Indexing Device I am starting to get my head around it…Thank you for that, as it helps the beginners like me to appreciate and strive for more detail and precision in Wood Turning.

Good Progress Pictures also. I am sure we will see many projects where you have used your Indexing Wheel.
Thanks for posting this.

Regards,

Cliff.
 

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Thanks Joe.

Joe, It has many advantages of advancing your skills on the lathe. From drilling holes to fluting and so on. Now instead of having 24 settings on the spindle lock I now have 72. Believe me, I have a lot to learn too.

No doubt about it Tony, Jim knows his stuff.

Thanks John. Not right now. But I'll have an advantage later on.

Bob, good idea. you never know when you may need it like Jim has found out.

Thanks oldrivers.

Hi Cliff. I still feel like a beginner turner compared to a lot of other LJ's. I only did 2 projects in the last 5 years with indexing features. Building this helped me understand things a lot better.
 
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