Good Idea?

[dulltool17]

Just to clarify my earlier statements on this, the setup as pictured has some serious shortcomings and more a safety hazard than anything else. The concept, however, is quite valid and I've used it numerous times over the years. A big part of this job is all about using your imagination to minimize setup time and living long enough to be able to determine what's safe and effective versus what's not. For instance, I have one internal threading tool used for threading suppressor tubes that will also face off the tube and chamfer both the OD and ID. I got tired of all that swapping out of tool holders so I ground up a tool that covers all four operations. Looks like nothing you'll see in a textbook, I suspect.

I'd love to see a picture of this.

 

[ddickey]

And you can see that the tool had been mounted sideways at some point. If I see the machinist's on my next day shift I'll ask them about it.
By the way we just got a brand new CNC machine. they took out one of the old lathes bed for room. I swear this bed must have been 10' long.

 

[ghostdncr]

I'd love to see a picture of this.

A quick sweep of my toolboxes in the basement couldn't produce it, but I'll post a pic when I do locate it. It may be in one of my boxes at work, too. The sketch below should illustrate how the tool is shaped and what it does, though. I've always ran this tool with 0° rake and since it's almost always used on 60-series aluminum tubing with a light touch, it's been working out fine for several decades, now. Low-pressure suppressor (.22LR, 9mm, 300 BLK, and the like) threads don't generally see frequent disassembly or great deals of stress, so holding the thread form to exacting ANSI specifications has never shown to be necessary, in my experience.

I mentioned this tool only to highlight that as machinists, we can often come up with ideas that, while they may not be "textbook" in nature, can be realized here in the real world and work out just fine. The OP's original pic shows a lot of bad stuff going on, but the setup has merit and with just a little tweaking could be used to safely speed up operations, producing more work in less time with less effort. Most employers seem to appreciate that.

 

[Downunder Bob]

View attachment 230160

I would try to avoid this set up, but if I had too, I'd first cut both tools back to an acceptable length, then place a piece of flat steel on top of both tools, so that it can be clamped properly with only the two screws. BTW why are the two other screw holes not being used.