05-29-2018, 07:53 AM
Hi Eugene,
First of all, welcome to the forum.
What Dave referred to as "zeroing" the taper means adjusting the angle of your lathe's compound slide until it matches the angle of your spindle nose EXACTLY. You can do this by holding a DTI or dial indicator in your tool post. Place the tip of the indicator on the nose taper and move the lathe compound slide (not the carriage) back and forth to run the indicator across the taper. Adjust the angle of the compound slide until the needle of the indicator no longer moves when you run across the taper. In other words 'zero' movement of the gage means you have adjusted your lathe compound to the exact angle needed to cut that same angle on another part. I hope that makes sense?
![[Image: normal_IMG_0144.JPG]](http://www.nam-engineering.com/cm/albums/userpics/10008/normal_IMG_0144.JPG)
First of all, welcome to the forum.
What Dave referred to as "zeroing" the taper means adjusting the angle of your lathe's compound slide until it matches the angle of your spindle nose EXACTLY. You can do this by holding a DTI or dial indicator in your tool post. Place the tip of the indicator on the nose taper and move the lathe compound slide (not the carriage) back and forth to run the indicator across the taper. Adjust the angle of the compound slide until the needle of the indicator no longer moves when you run across the taper. In other words 'zero' movement of the gage means you have adjusted your lathe compound to the exact angle needed to cut that same angle on another part. I hope that makes sense?
Willie