It has a gizmo called a radial clamp. It actually has a pair of them. Each one has 2 holes in it and it clamps the blank and the pattern rigid at 1/3 points and still allows them to rotate, when you are cutting the inletting in a stock. The vibration is cut drastically and one to one duplication is possible then with a Hoenig.
The Hoenig is also a true 3 axis machine and can do a plunge cut in the y (vertical) direction. The others can not. The Dakota can approximate it but that is it.
Thanks Chic, do you or any one know of any pictures of this setup? I have searched for Hoenig but haven't been able to come up with any sites. I planned to use jacks under the pattern stock on my Dakota Arms duplicator to keep the pattern stock from bending. I haven't had a vibration problem but if you slip and let the arm and follower bounce on the pattern it will of course transfer the extra depth to the stock you are cutting. This is why I planned to use jacks but if I could get a look at the radial clamp I might be able to make one for my machine.
The Hoenig is 5 axis and is the most versital on the market. I have used one since 1987 I have owned an Allen and an older Oliver that I bought from Jerry Fisher in 1979. I have also used a machined designed and sold by by Dale Goens quite a bit. the Allen I owned would reomve wood faster than the Hoenig but the steadyrest system was a joke. In fact I had to rebiuld the Allen to cut at all accurately. i
Chic is almost correct. The Hoenig is 5 axis and is the most versatile machine on the market. I have used one since 1987 I have owned an Allen and an older Oliver that I bought from Jerry Fisher in 1979. I have also used a machined designed and sold by by Dale Goens quite a bit and found it excellent. I believe only 6 of these where made The Allen I owned would remove wood faster than the Hoenig due to the Stanley router motor but the steadyrest system was a joke as was the alignment for the head-stock and tail-stock. In fact I had to rebiuld the Allen completely to get it cut at all accurately despite Don's claims to it's precision.The Hoenig is an outstanding machine I wouldn't make a stock without one today and I have made many, many stocks and patterns from the blank.
D'Arcy, I guess I was using the nomenclature related to coordinate geometry that relies on an X,Y and Z axis. I am not that familiar with where the other 2 axis come from in metalworking but I have heard of the idea of more than three. Although for the life of me I can't figure where there are more than one involved in the Hoenig, unless your count the linear bearing tracks on each side as an axis. I have Ray Price's Hoenig machine in a crate at present but only until I ship it off to it's new owner. Wish it were mine but I do not want to be in the business of stock duplication for folks.
Thanks D'Arcy and Chic, Chic, the 4th axis is the router and follower can be rotated to angle their position and the 5th axis is the rotation of the pattern and the stock.
I'm designing a copy of the Dakota arms machine...Anyone help with some dimensions?? I would like to know the all the shaft centers of the parallellograms, and height spacing if possible. Thanks in advance!!
