HOME -> DIRECTORY -> Hammond -> Micro-Gauge
Adjustment
NOTE:
click on any outlined image for a close-up view
One Great Feature of
the Classic Hammond Glider Trim-o-Saw is the precision
side guide. The Micro-adjusable side gauge can give you a
reproducible precision
cut within 1/72 of an inch - easily, although it is
capable of giving you 1/144" of an inch accuracy as well.
It's so darned accurate, that the thickness of the blade -
or swage of its teeth (if using a swaged blade) - have to
be accounted for - and can be... Easily.
Just how easy? Well, you decide. In the meantime, take a
look at the photos below that point out specific things to
look for...
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PHOTO
1 The Hammond Glider
Micro Gauge Adjustable Side Guide. When the
large brass thumb plate is depressed, the half-nut
is released and the guide can be slid left or
right - or raised up and off of the guide rail....
When the thumb plate is released, the guide snaps
into place at the current pica. Then the points
can be selected using the gauge shown in PHOTO
8
Once the gauge is set, it can be locked into place
by swinging up the small lever to the left of the
thumb plate. (Just be sure to release it before
trying to change the setting.)
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PHOTO
2 The magic happens
here - with many subtle adjustments
available...
The pointer can be seen on top right - and
pointing to the rail scale in the preceding photo.
The half-nut is that big brass piece in the
center. The thumb plate and locking lever can be
see on the front (to the left in the photo).
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PHOTO
3 These Brass Pads
apply adjustable pressure to the slide rail to
make it slide smoothly and keep it tight, but
still removable. The center one locks the guide in
place once a measure is set.
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PHOTO
4 The two outside
"slider" brass pads
are adjusted using these two screws
on the outside of the unit. The locking pad is
adjusted using screw in the lever - and locked
into place using the set screw on the side of the
lever.
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PHOTO
5 These two little
set screws hold the half-nut adjusting screws
from moving
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PHOTO
6 This screw - one
of the "half nut adjusting screws", plus
another on the opposite side - can be adjusted to
move the half-nut back and forth to set the
pointer to the pica length - quite a bit of
adjustment available here.
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PHOTO
7 The Half-Nut
can be moved left and right to align the gauge to
the pointers using the large screws on the sides;
then can be locked into place by the set screws on
top.. This must be done with the guide installed
on the rail, but the set screws left loose as you
adjust the two screws to align the pointer.
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PHOTO
8 When all else is
done, the set screw shown here can release the clicking dial gauge to be
twisted to zero and then locked into place. 1
point accuracy - at any length up to 78 Picas -
about 13 inches. Half points can be selected as
well for 1/144" accuracy....
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To test my adjustments, I did some really extreme
cutting.... First, I cut some 18 point slugs to 1.5 picas
- 18 points - one at a time - to make 18 point em quads....
It worked. I lined up 8 of them and they mic'd out at 12
picas - exactly. I
actually cut some perfectly usable 18 point em quads on
my saw...
Then I cut some 4.5 pica slugs to make 3-em quads, lined
up a bunch of them and, the total aligned perfectly with
the gauge settings. I cut some 6 pica slugs and lined up
five of them to fill precisely 30 picas. Every cut passed the test -
to 1/144" inch accuracy and better, but beyond my
scope to measure... And I did it over and over again with
the same reliable results...
You really can't get that accurate with any other
commercially available saw that I know of...
Next photo-essay
under development: Servicing Challenge High-Speed Quoins -
cleaning, lubricating, dis-assembly, "what's going on
inside"...
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last updated
June 25, 2018
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