Dividing (Workshop Practice)

Save your money, go elsewhere.Yes, its a basic book on dividing. If you have never had a geometry or drafting course in your life, it might be useful, but Carr-Lane (used to, might still) offers a nice booklet on covering ship math and covers the non-chip-making parts of this more concisely. Dont bother with the book if you have spent any time in a shop, taken a basic shop class, own a copy of Machinery's Handbook or my personal preference, "The Clock & Watch Makers Guide to Gear Making" by Robert D. Porter. The former covers the subject in far greater detail and in coherent english (yes, Harold Hall's book is in english, but its written in "dated british hobbyist", not "modern technical"), and the latter does everything this book does, is written more coherently, and discusses gearmaking in the process.Hall's book covers some jury-rigged dividing setups for the lathe, drill press and mill, and some of them look shaky enough that you might be better off eyeballing. After very brief mention of commercial units, he describes in words, pictures and diagrams a horizontal unit built from plate (the object at the bottom center of the books' cover) and how it might be used. There isnt anything especially wrong with it, but honestly, not necessarily much right with it either. Assuming your Google-fu is poor and you miss the *large* number of articles on this exact topic, there are other versions that Hall himself designed (the one made from the set of castings) that are better looking and more compact, it isnt as economical as a spin indexer that you can pick up for (as of this writing) $50 here on Amazon, and is inferior to the setup that Porter describes in his book. The only thing out of this that I did like was a dial engraving unit that was used to finish out the last few pages, but again, there are a not insignificant number of designs out there.

It is a very good book that covers all of the necessary information for completing basic dividing. Also it sorts out a lot of the different ways in which you could approach dividing so that you for instance know the difference between an indexer and a dividing head and what the pros and cons of each are.The only downside are long sections devoted to performing dividing without the basic equipment. It can be done, but there is no reason to try with the low cost availability of these items now. It's like showing someone how you can push a car around and it still works like a car without ever using the motor. There just isn't a reason other than showing that it is possible.So other than skipping the chapters involving string and exposed gears and homemade stops the rest of the book is invaluable to someone who just picked up their first dividing head or rotary table and wants to get some work done.

I personally found this book to be very interesting. Harold Hall explains in detail how to make 3 differend dividing heads, also included are plans to build an automatic line engraving tool to make your own machine dials. I found the chapter on using X-Y co-ordinance to drill holes on a pitch circle diameter to be most interesting (good for drilling holes for a model engine cylinder head or making a custom index plate to divide prime #'s). In this chapter he teaches you to use spread sheets on the computer to do multiple calculations such as micro-soft excel program. All the prints are in metric dimensions, but if you're using inch measurments & have the skills & equipment to make them, then you shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to a useable print in inch increments.

A welcome addition to my "Home Shop Library".

I have read other books by Hall that mention Dividing and reference this book, so I got this book.Read it through and I still do not know how a dividing head works.I am brand new to any machining and flunked out of machine shop 2 fifty years ago,so I do not have any shop experience to help me understand what is written about operationI could make one, from the instructions, then I'd understand how they work.Once I get some shop experience and read his books three or four times maybe it will soak in.

I own many of Harold's books and each one is awesome!Very well written and easy to understand. The text is accompanied buy clear, excellent photos.Each book is a mini bible of machining techniques and processes.As someone who is teaching himself the machining trade, I find his books invaluable.Thank you Mr Hall for sharing your skills and knowledge with us!

This was a Great Book. I am a Master Machinist with 45 years experience. I learned and Rediscovered a few things in set-up and Mathematics. WCS

This book is very well written and a good reference even for an old Tool Maker. Will buy more of the series.

Not really what I expected; I own a dividing head and was looking for some theory and tables for using it. This book, although very good, does not give that. It gives instructions on how to build a dividing head, with very scan tables and information as to actual use. If you want to make a dividing head, this book is great. If you want to learn how to use one, it falls very short.

The service from the seller was fine and I would buy from him again. I purchased this book as I had already read others in the series and need to relearn the processes as applied to a milling machine for a future project. I last used a milling machine whilst at school (about 50years ago for those who would ask) and bought this in part to jog long dormant memory. This book will enable you to understand the principles, practice, the vocabulary and has some projects to get you going. You will then learn by doing, talking to those more skilled, further reading (and no doubt making mistakes).

This book comprehensively covers all the major methods of dividing. The author takes the reader through direct and indirect indexing methods using spur as well as worm and wheel gear trains and there are useful designs of dividing head that can be built in the home workshop. From my viewpoint the only real downside is that the author over complicates the maths. From the point of view that the reader should understand from first principles, it is well intentioned, but it makes the method advocated somewhat cumbersome. Nevertheless it is a good little book packed full of useful hints and tips.

Earlier on in my engineering life I have used the dividing head quite often, but boy are there a lot of things to forget, but it's all there in this little book.

This is an essential book for beginners and Tyro engineers. It has essential detail and methods of how to set up and use a dividing head and comes complete with drawings so that one of two types of simple diving spindles can be made.It has worked out tables of required gear settings to carry out dividing tasks.