Sherline 4400 Lathes - Assembly and Instruction Guide
Table Of Contents
- Safety Rules for Power Tools
 - An Introduction to the World of Miniature Machining
 - Machine Terminology
- The Customer's Responsibility
 - Learning More About Machining
 - Visit the Sherline Website for the Latest Updates
 - Lubrication
 - Initial Assembly of a New Machine
 - LATHE—Mounting the Crosslide
 - All MILLS—X-Axis Handwheel Installation
 - Digital Readout Handwheels
 - 5000-Series Mills—Mounting the Column
 - 2000- and 5800-Series Mills—Assembling and Mounting the Multi-Direction Column
 - Mounting the Motor and Speed Control Unit to the Headstock
 - Operation of the Motor and Electronic Speed Control
 - What to Do if the Motor Suddenly Shuts Down
 - Replacing Brushes on a DC Motor
 - Mounting the Lathe or Mill to a Board for Stability
 - Converting Machines from Inch to Metric and Vice Versa
 - ADJUSTMENTS
 - Two-Speed Pulley
 - Spindle Preload Adjustment
 - Gib Adjustment (Lathe and Mill)
 - Backlash Adjustment (Lathe and Mill)
 - Handwheel Adjustment (Lathe and Mill)
 - Saddle Nut Adjustment (Lathe and Mill)
 - Adjustment and Use of the Tailstock Gib
 - Aligning the Headstock and Tailstock on the Lathe
 - Squaring up Your Mill
 - Use of Cutting Oils and Lubricants
 - General Machining Terms
 
 - Lathe Operating Instructions
 - Digital Readouts, P/N 8200
 - Live Center, P/N 1197
 - Steady Rest, P/N 1074
 - Thread Cutting Attachment, P/N 3100
 - 3-Jaw, 4-Jaw and Drill Chucks
 - Accessories for Your Lathe
 - Guide to Approximate Turning Speeds
 - Inserted Tip Carbide Tools
 - Using the Cutoff or Parting Tool
 - Tool Shapes and Grinding Your Own Cutting Tools
 - Taper Turning
 - Faceplate Turning
 - Reaming
 - Headstock Drilling
 - Tailstock Drilling
 - Center Drilling
 - Removing Tools from the Morse Taper Spindles
 - Turning Between Centers
 - Holding the Workpiece
 - Inducing Chatter and Learning How to Overcome It
 - 3-Jaw Chuck Operation and Maintenance
 - Vertical Milling Machine Operation
 - Industrial Applications for Sherline Components
 - Longer Tables and Taller Milling Columns Available
 - Several Reasons to Consider CNC
 - Learning About CNC
 - CNC and CNC-Ready Sherline Lathes and Milling Machines
 - CNC Rotary Indexer (P/N 8700)
 - 4" Rotary Table (P/N 3700)
 - Tilting Angle Table (P/N 3750)
 - Mill Vise Set (P/N 3551)
 - Drill Chucks (P/N 3072) and Center Drills
 - Fly Cutters (P/N 3052 and P/N 7620)
 - Boring Head (P/N 3054/3049)
 - Mill Collet Set
 - Drill Chuck Holder (P/N 3074)
 - 3/8" End Mill Holder (P/N 3079)
 - Accessories for Your Milling Machine
 - Using the Mill Column Saddle Lock
 - End Mills
 - Cutting Speeds for Milling
 - Determining the Depth of Cut
 - Locating the Edge of a Part in Relation to the Spindle
 - Using a Dial Indicator
 - Standard Milling Versus Climb Milling
 - Types of Milling Cutters
 - Three Types of Work
 - Purchasing Materials in Small Quantities
 - Things to Consider Before You Start Cutting
 - Locking the Axes
 - Securing the Workpiece
 - Helpful Tips for Milling
 - General Description
 - DRO Machine Operations
 - Installing Stepper Motors
 - Lead Wire Connection and Color Code
 - Sherline Stepper Motor Specifications—Nmb Motors
 - Using Handwheels on the Stepper Motors
 - Stepper Motor Installation Instructions
 - Sherline CNC Motor-Mounting Instructions
 - Sherline Machine Technical Specifications
 
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part has helped establish a new era of product design.
2.  PRODUCTION—CNC can speed up the process on short 
run production parts. It can also take the boredom (and 
resulting mistakes) out of making the same part over and 
over again. 
3.  EDUCATION—If  you  are  thinking  of  becoming  a 
machinist today, you will need to know how to use CNC. 
Learning  on  an  inexpensive  machine  is  an  excellent 
training experience with no worries about “crashing” a 
more expensive, high powered machine.
4.  CHALLENGE—Some  simply  enjoy  the  challenge  of 
seeing if they can get a high-tech robot to do what they 
command, and a computer controlled machine tool is 
simply a special purpose robot.
Longer Tables and Taller Milling Columns Available
Sherline now oers an 18" long mill table that adds 5" of extra 
X travel as well as a 15" tall mill column that adds 4" more Z 
travel. Matching inch or metric, and manual or CNC leadscrews 
are available. These 
items can be ordered 
as a factory-installed 
option on new mills 
or can be retrotted to 
any existing Sherline 
mill. Call for part 
numbers.
10,000 RPM Spindle Pulley Set (P/N 4335)
The standard pulley set allows a maximum spindle speed of 
about  2800  RPM,  although  the 
bearings  are  rated  for  10,000 
RPM.  Sherline  oers  a  special 
pulley  set  that  gears  the  6000 
RPM motor up to 10,000 RPM 
at the spindle. A second pulley 
position  oering  a  maximum 
3000 RPM is similar to the high 
FIGURE 74—P/N 54182 
18" mill table
FIGURE 75—A typical Sherline 
industrial slide based on 
components from the tool line.
speed ratio of the standard pulleys when you need more torque 
but less speed. This high spindle speed is useful for engraving 
operations or using very small drills or turning small shafts. 
Although torque is somewhat reduced, this is not normally a 
problem because you will be removing only small amounts of 
metal in those types of operations. We recommend reducing 
the preload adjustment on the spindle bearings from .0002" 
end  play  to  .0003"  to  keep  from  overheating  the  bearings 
when using this accessory. Instructions to do this are provided.
Industrial Applications for Sherline Components
For many years, Sherline spindles, slides and motor units 
have been especially popular with designers of custom 
tooling for small industrial applications because of the 
low cost and the large number of Sherline accessories that 
t the spindle. In fact, we use them in our own production 
facility for a number of operations. Sherline is now offering 
a  complete  line  of  components  made  specically  for  the 
production tooling designer. As you would expect, the size 
range is best suited for smaller operations, but if your needs t 
within the specications of Sherline components, excellent 
design  results  can  be  achieved.  For  more  information  on 
products  from  Sherline’s  Industrial  Products  Division,  see 
our website at www.sherlineIPD.com.
DRO Machine Operations
CAUTION!
Read all operating instructions carefully before 
attempting any machining operations.
The Digital Readout in the Modern Machine Shop
Digital readouts are popular on full size machine tools because 
they make the life of a machinist much simpler. They make 
it easier to accurately set or change the table position and 
eliminate errors caused by misreading handwheel increments or 
losing track of multiple rotations. Now that same convenience 
is available on tabletop size machines with the availability of 
a DRO (Digital ReadOut) for Sherline lathes and mills. The 
compact electronics package and clever backlash compensation 
feature were designed by John Wettroth.
On industrial DRO’s, a sensor reads a highly accurate external 
scale. On Sherline’s DRO, the sensor reads rotation of the 
leadscrew. Because of the accuracy of Sherline’s precision 
rolled leadscrew threads and the short travels on a machine 
of this size, this system makes it possible to provide a DRO 
FIGURE 76—A digital 
readout makes life easier 
for the machinist.










