Taking a break from the orrery to make an index block. This is based on the Sherline Accessory on pg. 27 of the Accessories catalog. It will not be bored to fit collets at this time. The crude plan is pictured below.
A 2.5" length of steel hex was cut on the bandsaw. It was faced on both ends. One end was reduced to 0.750" for 1/2". A groove was cut in this end to serve as a thread stop. It was cut with the cutoff tool (significant chatter) in two cuts. This produced a 0.08" wide by 0.05" deep groove. All corners on this end of the part were chamfered.
The bandsaw cut an almost perfect 90° relative to the length of the steel hex. This was accomplished by simply bringing the guides closer to the steel being cut!!
Threads (3/4-16) were cut for about 1/4" on the reduced end of the index block. It was necessary to first drill a hole in the end for a tailstock center. The threads were cut 0.047" deep (0.758/16). The threads were lightly filed with a three corner file.
The six sides of the remaining hex stock were sanded 100-320 grit. This was followed by a light coat of paste wax. The sides were significantly pitted with rust, so the finish is far from perfect. The resulting index block can be seen below. It fits nicely into the three-jaw chuck.
I should put it in the vise on the mill and determine how accurate it is.