November 2020: A Better Way to Set the Compound

A Better Way to Set the Compound

by Leon Ridenour

The etched aluminum degree plate on my lathe compound has become difficult to read due to wear and age. It doesn’t help that wear and age happens to eyes, too.

When faced with moving the compound to a specific angle, I clamp a thin, steel parallel in the three-jaw chuck. A precision angle plate matching the desired degrees of offset, or a stack-up of several, is held in place on the compound with a magnet.

By adjusting the cross slide and the compound’s angle, I line up the angle plate with the parallel. When viewing the light between the angle and the parallel, it’s easy to see the slightest of misalignments and I’ve found this method provides much more accurate results than by using the degree plate.

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