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Richard, I picked your post, not because I'm disagreeing with what you said but because because coincidentally I happened to make a couple of arbors this morning from 1 inch CRS. The requirement was to provide a No. 8-32 threaded portion x .575 long and then shoulder the 1 inch rod to .812 dia x .400 long. The roughing cut was .250 DOC as shown in the photo below:Richard-TX wrote:I have a 12x36 import lathe and have not had any rigidity issues with the imported BXA QC tool post/holders. I have taken off .250 at a crack without issue.
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coincident with the edge of the 1/4 blank - grinding back the front of the tool to sharpen it doesn't disturb the relationship of cutting edge to spindle centerline. It doesn't take much time to grind a tool like this and it will last for scores - maybe hundreds - of hours with only a touch-up every 1/2 hour of operation.Richard, I picked your post, not because I'm disagreeing with what you said but because because coincidentally I happened to make a couple of arbors this morning from 1 inch CRS. The requirement was to provide a No. 8-32 threaded portion x .575 long and then shoulder the 1 inch rod to .812 dia x .400 long. The roughing cut was .250 DOC as shown in the photo below:Note that that's the depth of cut, NOT the reduction in diameter, and the feed rate was .005/revolution - the coarsest I could feed without slipping the drive belt. One more finishing cut was required to get to the .162 dia before threading no. 8-32.So, what's my point?The fact that the .250 DOC and .005 feed occurred on an EIGHT inch lathe, with a rigid 4-way toolpost. Over one cubic inch of steel removed each minute - no sweat, no strain. The mating part of the arbor, also made from 1 inch CRS, was easily parted off on the same 8 inch lathe. Translating the cutting forces directly downward, rather than cantilevering the cutting tool away from the centerline of the toolpost allows a 350 pound machine to perform much the same work as a pound machine if the tool is rigid and if the work is within the envelope of the lathe.The convenience of the QC is indisputable. For those that dislike shimming cutting tools to height - why do it? I don't - I made four or five adaptors for 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 square tools that fit snugly in my 4-way and bring the cutting tool exactly on center. I don't even remove the tools for sharpening, I sharpen in place on the toolpost with a diamond file. It's routine maintenance - like clearing the machine of chips, vacuuming, lubing critical areas and so forth - makes machinery last a l-o-n-g time when carefully maintained, right?I rarely grind any top rake on the tools, just side rake and front relief, so the top of the tool is never touched with a grinding wheel and is always centered. Same for parting tools: I made two holders that fit in the 4-way for 3/32 x 1/2 HSS parting blades and the tip of the parting blades are always on center. In the above photos, a carbide tool is seen (for roughing) and a 1/4 HSS with lots of rake (for finish cuts on aluminum - the project-du-jour).Please note that, although there is significant positive rake, the cutting edge iscoincident with the edge of the 1/4 blank - grinding back the front of the tool to sharpen it doesn't disturb the relationship of cutting edge to spindle centerline. It doesn't take much time to grind a tool like this and it will last for scores - maybe hundreds - of hours with only a touch-up every 1/2 hour of operation.As I mentioned in my original post, every two or three years I toy with the idea of making or buying a QC system but why? What I have is a setup that will take cuts in my 8 inch machine as heavy as the average 12 inch lathe can take with a QC toolpost ...I'm not necessarily disagreeing with anyone in particular, I've used Aloris systems on many larger machines and they work just fine. BUT when one has a SMALL lathe, one quickly learns to take advantage of every detail to allow the little machine to work harder and mine has been working real hard for over thirty years now, LOL.I have no problems boring either, I simply remove the 4-way toolpost and substitute my home-made boring bar. If there is any problem with deflection, I support the tool with a small machinist's jack:As mentioned several times previously, the best improvement I ever made on this small machine was simply adding a support rod directly beneath the edge of the 4-way toolpost, at the location where it can be most useful for improving rigidity:The addition of this 3/8 diameter rod between cross-slide and toolpost makes the structure as rigid as a "plinth" while still allowing the use of the compound-slide. I perform many operations with the compound and cannot think of taking it off and on when I don't have to.Cheers,Randy CP.S. edited to clarify a few points
If you want a quick change post, go with the Phase II AXA wedge-type post. Don't bother with the piston type even though they're cheaper. Wait for Enco to have a good sale. The Phase II product is fairly well made, even if they do tend use kind of crummy set screws to hold the tool bits. You can replace their screws with better quality ones.
For a 9" lathe, even the AXA is bit cumbersome for some projects so don't throw away your lantern tooling. I find the quick change post gets in the way most often when I"m trying to turn something between centers where it seems to clash with the tailstock. However, the quick change posts do have their advantages, particularly when you have multiple tooling operations for your project.
Keep in mind that the base plate for the holder will not fit in the slot on top of your carriage compound so you will have to find a way to machine the plate they give you so it will fit. Or make a new one that does fit using your lathe.
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