Dumb question.... what is indexing?

[Bob Noles]

Man..... I hate to ask dumb questions, but sometimes you just gotta know :eek:

I see the term "indexing" used a good bit on spindle turning and in many mfg descriptions of their lathes as a feature.

Just what is indexing?

There.... I asked and now y'all can laugh :D

[Raymond Overman]

Indexing allows you to break a revolution on your lathe up into equal parts. An indexing wheel has holes in it that correspond to angles (0-360 deg) within the circle. You can use it to create equal marks on a turned piece for fluting, symetrical carving, or alignment of jointery in spindle work.

Does that help?

[tod evans]

bob, the drive pulley or a seperate ring on the headstock is divided into any number of even/indexable divisions so that you can break the circumfrence of your turning into equal segments...02 tod

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Bob not such a dumb question from my perspective as I had the same one. Now I have another. Can anyone site any examples(pics) of how it is used?

[Jim Becker]

Chris, you NEVER use indexing when the lathe is running. It's generally used for doing other things, such as carving equally spaced spirals or other embellishments, putting sliding dovetails in candle stand spindles, etc...anything that requires repeatability or establishing exact radial angles from another point on the rotation of the workpiece.

[Corey Hallagan]

Glad you asked that Bob, I have wondered this myself!

Corey

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Two words--- Ornamental Turnery.

[Bob Noles]

Thanks y'all for helping me understand and thanks for not laughing too :p

Looks like maybe some others got a benefit from the question as well so now I don't feel too bad :cool:

[Lee DeRaud]

Two words--- Ornamental Turnery.Tyler will show up shortly to ask what the heck "turnery" is. :D :cool: :p

[Andy Hoyt]

Just tell him that it's a cousin to turnetry

[Lee DeRaud]

Just tell him that it's a cousin to turnetryHey, even a city boy like me knows that turnips don't grow on trees.:eek:

[Frank Chaffee]

Bob,
In these parts, there are two schools of thought regarding indexing.

First there is the Holy Turnity, with three indexing points @ 120° representing the chainsaw, the bandsaw and the lathe.

More recently another school has emerged know as the Holy Quaturnity, which recognizes four indexing points @ 90°, representing again the chainsaw bandsaw and lathe, and also the twisted one wielding the skewed tool.

Frank.

[Brad Hart]

speaking of indexing has anyone used the sorby indexing system? I have thought about buying that along with the boring kit for my mini?