Retrofitting The Lee Faceter for a Digital Readout

(Editors Note: This is the second in a series of articles on how to convert your faceting machine to a digital readout. The last installment was general. This and following will give detailed instruction for specific machines.)

The machine is disassembled and a 0.252 hole bored in the angle shaft to accept the potentiometer shaft.

A 6-32 hole is tapped in the angle shaft to lock the potentiometer shaft. A small flat is filed on the pot shaft to insure there will be no rotation and drift of calibration in use. The setscrew is short enough so it does not interfere with the counterweight shaft, resting below the surface of the angle shaft.

A mounting clamp is made to attach the potentiometer to the machine’s frame, and the pot and clamp are assembled onto the shaft, and the 6-32 setscrew locked.

Now the machine can be reassembled.

The small box is mounted on the frame so that it does not interfere with the head when it it raised to 100+ degree positions for stone inspection. The frame is tapped in two places for 6-32 screws.

The DPM was to mount on the standoffs (6-32 threaded couplings) as shown. Unfortunately we…