Low-Tech Indexing With No Tools - Quick Machining Tip #28 

The LibreOffice Suite contains a program called Draw. Draw is a pretty powerful drawing software that is very accurate. It is very similar to the MicroGrafx Draw package first released in the mid-1990's, but has evolved. It is not CAD, but you can make highly accurate technical drawings with it. You can make patterns (like this) easily, and print them on an inkjet printer. LibreOffice is "free," but a donation is appreciated. I am a user, and not paid or employed by them.

You can use a slitting saw by simply inserting a wood or metal plug of the same diameter as the opening to support the edges during the cut.

Interesting quick indexing.Thank you.

I did a similar thing with wood shop students years ago. One of their assignments involved fluting a small column lengthwise on the wood shaper around the periphery of an approximately 2” diameter dowel that they previously turned straight on a wood lathe. I made an extremely primitive fixture to hold the dowel on center at each end with screws. (A length of wood with an upright piece of wood on each end.) A third screw off center on one end locked the dowel from turning as well as serving as an “index plunger”. An equally divided paper disc, quite similar to what you show, was provided to each student to glue to one end of their dowel thus allowing the correct position to insert the third screw to allow equal spacing of the flutes around the dowel. A rub collar below the flute cutter on the shaper spindle ran along the length of the fixture regulating the depth of cut. It was amazing how evenly the flutes were dispersed around the dowel using this simple method and how nice they turned out to the human eye at least. After fluting the dowel was split in half on the bandsaw and sanded flat on the cut side on a stationary belt sander to produce two nice matching fluted half columns as a decorative accent to a mantel clock.

Good one. Quick and easy.

I'll have to keep that one in my back pocket for when I'm in the garage. Great tip for sure.

Good tip

Nice trick! I’ve seen others put such a thing on their lathe. So I pose the question to you, how would you perform this level or maybe tighter tolerance on a lathe or mill without a dividing head or maybe not even a rotary table? Maybe a part two video?

How did you make the drawing?