Ivevgot an el cheapo Chinese lathe, it's ok for what it is but I'm under a bit of stress regarding the existing tool holder arrangement.
Every time I do something I have to mess around inserting shims etc for different tools.
I am a complete amateur in turning and would appreciate some advice in building a tool holder with the facility to simply adjust tool height with no drama.
Ive no doubt that there would be a proprietary readily available item but cost for me st least, is a factor.
Thanks guys,
Norm.
G day Norm,
First up,to get you going try using sticky tape to keep the cutting tool matched to the shim pack, this makes set up a bit easier until you get your QCTP.
I am just 300 Kms or so down the highway a bit from you at Mackay and own a 12 x 36 generic Chinese lathe .The start point for you will be the size of your lathe as that will determine what the dimension of the proposed tool post will be.
Do you intend to use High Speed Steel tooling or will you opt for carbide?
I mainly use high speed steel as it is much cheaper and versatile in that ,I can shape (grind) it it to any profile I desire.
As I said the size of your lathe determines the size of the tool post needed.I was fortunate to receive a quick change toolpost with my new lathe.
To help you understand the topic better,I have cut and pasted the following from UK lathes.
<Size: When you see a lathe branded as, for example, 4" x 24" what does this mean?
The "English" method of sizing a lathe is to quote the centre height - or "throw" - the distance from the centre of the chuck to the nearest point on the bed. In this case the centre height is 4" and the distance between centres (the maximum length of material the lathe can accommodate) 24".
With a “bigger-and-better” attitude the Americans of course quote the largest diameter of a workpiece that can be turned clear over the bed - termed the "swing" - and so, in the example above, the American sizing would be 8" x 24". Some American makers, South Bend for example, also quoted the bed length as part of the specification; however, this is an irrelevant figure - it neither tells you the longest piece of material that can be turned, nor the length of the lathe. How big to go? Well, bigger is not necessarily better - and moving larger machines can be an expensive proposition. For most home machinists and small repair workshops something between a 3” x 15” and 6” x 30” machine will be ideal. >
Also the power of the lathe determines the size of slot cut in the tool post block to take the tool holder ,my 12 x 36 lathe takes a 5/8" or 16mm tool holder which holds a 1/4",3/16" or 1/8" HSS tool.
I normally use 5/8" square cold rolled steel bar bored down the axis to hold my HSS steel cutting tools.I do have some Carbide tooling but the special tool holders shaped to fit individual carbide cutting tools are very expensive.
Norm, if you can tell us what the size of your lathe is we should be able to go forth from there.
If you are going to make your own Quick change tool post you need to consider what machinery and tool are available to you.Quite often many of us who reply to inquiries forget the beginner may not have the equipment that we do. For instance to make the dovetail it is better to have them done on the mill ,but what to do if you don't have a mill.
Cheers
Ozwelder