Author Topic: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe  (Read 18214 times)

Offline raynerd

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Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« on: January 24, 2013, 03:01:06 AM »
I appreciate there isn`too much involved in making this but after a bin full of scrap recently, I needed something for my confidence! I decided to make a rear tool post for my cowells and do a decent job of it. These are £40 to buy from Cowells.
A kind chap on the yahoo group provided dimensions, I purchased a piece of 25mm square steel bar, slotted it and made a start!



Faced all the sides square, mainly to make it look nice! Got a decent finish but my machine vibrates too much and still leaves little hair marks.


Nothing much to it I know, but took my time and it looks nice!
Next thing was a tnut, 1/2inch wide but with something like only a 2 mm height at the sides. Was a little tricky but I seemed to get a decent finish again, rightly or wrongly with the big facemill.





I could have just locked it all down with a nut but I choose to make a handle. It unlocks and locks back on quicker than my qctp on my boxford! I must admit I want a qctp for the cowells and rather than trying to making one, I'm strongly considering just making lots of square tool holders with a similar lock down handle.

I wanted to give it a nice finish so tried to blue it. I've blue small pieces of steel before for clock and watch projects but nothing this big (still tiny I know!). Heated it with a blow torch and dunked it in car oil when it looked about right. I think in hindsight I left it a couple of seconds too long so I lost a little of the real deep blue but it still looks a good colour. Hard for my camera to pick out....



Then looking good on my cowells! Just need to buy a standard hss parting tool. I got one of those small one with a parting blade and it doesn't sit properly and sticks out the back too far!




Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2013, 03:48:54 AM »
By 'ek Chris!  :bugeye:

That looks proper professional. Well done!  :clap:

I might have a small, blade type parting tool, which will fit. If I can find it........  :scratch:

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline andyf

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2013, 04:21:07 AM »
Nice job, Chris.

Good idea about the QCTPs, too. Though shims might need to be adjusted when tools are sharpened, it hardly seems worth involving yourself with dovetails and height adjusters when you can get away with simple blocks which don't need much metal. They would probably be more rigid than dovetails and clamps on such a small scale, anyway.

Andy
Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Rob.Wilson

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2013, 10:59:59 AM »
Now that turned out well Chris , good to see you took the time to chamfer the job  :thumbup:

Your bluing looks spot on .


Rob

Offline Meldonmech

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2013, 01:49:04 PM »
Cool job Chris, good finish and fits in well with the rest of the machine.

                                          Cheers David

Offline raynerd

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2013, 01:57:54 PM »
Cheers guys! Yes, I certainly took my time over making it, despite it being pretty straight forward and I guess it pays in the finish and quality.

Andy, I will try the tool post idea shortly and then see how it works out.

David, that would be amazing... A thin parting blade type tool would be ideal. My friend has a taig with a similar rear parting tool but I can't find anything that small.

Chris

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2013, 03:24:28 PM »
Chris.
Found it!  :)




10mm high blade clamp. 6mm high under toolpost screws......




I can't get on with it. Too small for me.

Pm your name & address. I'll post in the next few days. Snow permitting.......

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline John Rudd

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2013, 03:44:09 PM »
Nice job Chris and very well finished... :dremel:
I like the oil finish too but sometimes it takes a lot of heat to get the parts hot enough for the oil treatment... :scratch:
Last lot of parts I treat that way ended up melting the container they were in!! :doh:

You could almost fry chips in it, the oil got that hot.. :D


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Location:  Backworth Newcastle

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Offline ieezitin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2013, 07:42:33 PM »
Chris.

you have made a sweet job out of that wonderful lathe, the tool post is Pukker a nice addition to the shop.    :ddb:
If you cant fix it, get another hobby.

Offline PekkaNF

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2013, 03:35:28 AM »
Nice one. That is really good looking.

That lathe has a screw register for chuck? Rear tool upside down? How thin blade you need?

Pekka

Offline raynerd

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2013, 06:17:17 PM »
David's parting tool arrived and fits just perfectly on the lathe! Nice and sharp, centred well and I get nice curly chips scrolling off!! :-)

A donation made to David's charity, many thanks!



Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2013, 03:41:33 AM »
Everyone's happy!  :thumbup:

Thanks Chris. 

David D
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline andyf

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2013, 04:03:10 AM »
I'm jealous, Chris. Must get round to making one. Glad you spotted the error on your original sketch in time, and turned the locating tenon through 90 degrees!

Pekka - though you can't real;ly see it from the pics, I'm sure Chris will be using the tool upside down, so it doesn't unscrew the chuck.

Andy

Sale, Cheshire
I've cut the end off it twice, but it's still too short

Offline raynerd

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2013, 03:07:20 PM »
Pekka, sorry, I missed your post. I will of course be using the parting tool upside down.


Andy, yes, it works well and I'm very pleased. It is certainly really handy having the tool in place but with the speed in which it can be removed and replaced, I've actually got it off the machine and slide it on and lock it down when needed. Andy, I should have corrected the diagram as I knew I'd drawn it the wrong way the second I'd done it!!

I've got plans for the file rest now. So, when I come to a stage in my clock build where it would be handy, I'll make it!

Chris

Offline PJW

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #14 on: December 19, 2015, 05:25:31 PM »
Hi, I have just bought a Cowells lathe & will be copying both the QCTP & the rear tool post, can any one supply me with the details of the parting tool used in it please?

Peter
Old Guys Rule the Dark Side of the Shed!

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #15 on: December 19, 2015, 06:03:44 PM »
can any one supply me with the details of the parting tool used in it please?
Peter

Peter.
 Sorry, the pics have evaporated, over time........  :palm:

It was probably, one of these.... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-8-mm-Square-Parting-Tools-Cut-off-Tool-for-Lathe-From-Chronos-/301711272591?hash=item463f64aa8f:g:0DsAAOSwHnFVyzCM

They also do a 6mm one......  :thumbup:

David.
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!

Offline PJW

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #16 on: December 19, 2015, 06:11:33 PM »
Thanks Dave, I have not been on the forum for a while went on windows 10 & lost the link!!!*****
Old Guys Rule the Dark Side of the Shed!

Offline Stilldrillin

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Re: Rear Tool Post for my Cowells Lathe
« Reply #17 on: December 19, 2015, 06:13:13 PM »
Thanks Dave, I have not been on the forum for a while went on windows 10 & lost the link!!!*****

Windows 10? I'm just about to take the plunge.......  :scratch:

David.
David.

Still drilling holes... Sometimes, in the right place!

Still modifying bits of metal... Occasionally, making an improvement!