As most of you know, I have been rebuilding my workshop for about the last year, and now the time has come to start getting things organised.
On my lathe, I use a size T2 piston quick change toolpost (I think known as an 'Aloris' type in the US).
During the rebuild, I have been setting up all my toolholders to perfect centre height as they have been required, but they have been left strewn about the workshop on the nearest flat and level surface. So armed with a couple of lengths of 6mm bar given to me by the neighbour who stripped the cot down, I am finally going to get the problem sorted.
The die filer was set up with a hacksaw blade and 60 pieces of bar were cut to length in no time. 30 @ 50mm and 30 @ 40mm.
Half way thru the turning of the bars. All the short ones have been done.
I put a full point on one end and a feed in taper on the other. The pointy bit won't stay that way for long, I will be banging that end with a hammer, and a small flat should be formed on the end. The long ones were soon brought to the same state of machining.
This bit is the experimental bit, getting all the bells and whistles sorted.
After rooting about in the back room, I found a bit of that light brown stuff, I think it is called wood. It hate the stuff with a passion, but needs must.
Two of the bars were pushed tight up into the dovetails, and after a slick bit of measuring and calculation, I found the centre between the two bars.
A line was drawn, and two 5.9 holes were drilled 33.5mm apart, this is to ensure that the holders slip nicely onto the bars without forcing them.
The long bar was tapped down into the hole until 40mm remained protruding, the same was done in the bottom hole with the short rod, but leaving 30mm sticking out. By having different lengths of bar, it allows the holder to be located on the top one, and that then helps guide it onto the bottom one.
This is how the holder fits on.
A view from the front.
So now I knew the system would work. Now to the problems that occur in use.
Depending on which side the holder is mounted onto the toolpost, sets up how the tools fit into the holder.
So what I did, was got the two stickyoutest holders with mounted tools I have, and set them side by side, give them a little clearance between each other, and found the position the next set of bars should go in.
Two more pins located, nice gap, that will do me.
On the last set of racks I made for my old machine holders, I did it the normal way. That is, have a single bar and hang the holders on the bar, like using a coathook.
I have set up a pic to show the problem with that system. Under certain conditions, the holders end up in the position shown, screw to screw.
As you can easily see, this new setup will allow double the number of toolholders to be hung in the same space.
These are the dimensions I used with 6mm bar and T2 sized holders. If you want to try this system, you will need to work out the dimensions for your particular holders and bar.
So now the system has been proven, I will be up at dawn tomorrow, funny hat on, check shirt, axe over shoulder and Monty Python's 'Lumberjack Song' pumping out of the MP3 player.
Goin' to get me some more of that 'orrid brown stuff to finish the job off.
Bogs
