Sherline is a machine tool builder founded in Australia and currently headquartered in Vista, California, USA. It builds miniature machine tools (microlathes and micromills) and a wide range of tooling to be used on them. Within the miniature segment of the machine tool industry, Sherline is one of the most widely known brands. According to Sherline, their line of OEM accessories (chucks, vises, rotary tables, and so on) is more comprehensive than that of any other builder of machine tools, regardless of machine size.
Sherline tools are often used by hobbyists for making nearly any kind of part that can be machined, as long as it fits within a miniature machine tool's limits of slide travel. Sherline's products are also used by industry. They provide an inexpensive way to build custom tooling using modular components (XY tables, machine slides, etc.).
Sherline's sales are global. Its product line helps to put machine tools in places where traditionally they would be unlikely to go by lowering the threshold for market entry. Its turnkey CNC systems are some of the least expensive CNC machine tools on the market, making it possible for individual hobbyists to enter a market that in past decades was almost entirely industrial.
Tooling
Sherline equipment follows industry standards for tooling and fixturing allowing for 3rd party attachments as well as ease of design for custom tooling.
Headstock
Sherline's most common headstock for both their mills and lathes is the "Sherline Standard Morse #1 Taper Spindle Headstock" This headstock includes the following features:
- Morse Taper 1
- 3/4" x 16 TPI for compatible tooling
Tailstock
- Morse Taper 0 is most common, but Morse Taper 1 is available.
T-Slot
Sherline T slots are 1.5" on center between slots and have the following dimensions:
Slot width, top: .25″
T width, bottom: .40″
Upper slot depth: .10″
T Slot depth: .10″
(Total depth: .20″)
They are usually threaded to 10-32.
Dovetails
Note that Sherline dovetails are 55.5* instead of a more common 55* or 60* dovetail.
History
Sherline's history begins in the late 1960s when Australian engineer Harold Clisby developed a compact lathe under the product line "Sherline 1000" that was revolutionary for hobbyists and small-scale machinists. This lathe design caught the attention of Ron Sher, who began manufacturing it under the Sherline name. The company was then established in the United States in 1974 by Joe Martin, who recognized the potential of these machines in the growing hobbyist market. He also bemoaned the lack of regidity found in the Unimat Over the years, Sherline expanded its product line to include milling machines and CNC systems.
References
- Martin 2004, pp. 272, 346.
- ^ Martin 2004, p. 272.
- "Sherline Standard Morse #1 Taper Spindle Headstocks". Sherline Products. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- "Standard Dimensions of Sherline Tools". Sherline Products. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
Bibliography
- Martin, Joe (2004), Tabletop Machining: A Basic Approach to Making Small Parts on Miniature Machine Tools, Vista, California, USA: Sherline, Inc., ISBN 978-0-9665433-0-8. Originally published in 1998; content updated with each print run, similar to a "revised edition". Currently in the fourth print run.