There are relatively expensive toolholder systems around which take a lot of the hassle out of the shimming system

The easiest solution if you've got a decent lathe is a rear toolpost with an upside down tool

Set it once, forget about it forever, slide in anything from 1/8 to 1inch and it's instantly on centre height

Great for roughing down to size, then you only need to use the fiddly front toolpost system for your final finishing cuts

David,

Had a good laugh re your hacksaw teeth doing the rounds 

What on earth made them do that?

A Quick Change (QC) Toolpost if you can either afford or make one, will solve the never ending problem of packing.

JS has drawings for a DIY set that's been made by many, and you can be sure his designs work.

Until you use one, you don't know what you are missing

Could never go back willingly to a 'normal' toolpost again.

When I made the necessary bits to fit the QC to my BH600G, I had to fiddle/search for packing to use with the supplied 4-way Toolpost.

All I can say is – "heaven using a QC"

Geoff – Enough posts for today

Edited By OuBallie on 17/09/2013 11:50:38

Superglue the pack of shims if you like and keep the pack associated with it's tool with a rubber band.
It can be a bit fiddly trying to set it actually on the lathe. After setting one tool carefully take it off with packing and on a separate flat plate establish a new height guage whether as a scratch on a bit of brass or a fancy electronic tool setter. Then you can do your packing selection in a more convenient spot.

The trouble with QCTPs is the cost and never having enough holders. Pretty soon you are swapping tools or

Hi All

For packing I use steel bailing strip It comes in various widths. I got mine free from a bin outside a building site. (It is often used to tie timber and bricks into bundles), It is thinner than a hacksaw blade and quite flat. Cut the strip into the correct length with tin snips then lightly grind the ends and touch off the sharp corners. the black finish protects it from rusting I keep a separate stack for each tool. I also keep a few thinner feeler stock strips if the tool has to be set exactly on centre. My lathe has a good quality index able 4 way tool post with accurate positions. It works well for me.

Regards

John

18 you could buy a whole lathe for that.

There is a type of flip up tool holder similar to this but with a fixed base and a slotted holder that uses a screw under the tool block to adjust the height. Can't find a picture but it is much easier to make than a QCTP and the flip out to the way function is very useful.

Hi David

Have you considered a tangetial toolholder, made or bought. The Michael Cox design is quite nifty. I made one for a cnc turret I built so I didn't have to mess about with shims. I think Rik Shaw made a modified one with a stronger clamp. To set the height you just move the tool bit up or down to the desired height.

Cheers Michael

I know all this has been done before but new people keep coming along!. I have no problem using shim, any old shim, end up with a tin full after a year. Stick the main shim to the tool and use a thin shim if needed after sharpening. I looked at QCT's but decided to just buy another 4way toolholder, covers 90% of needs, and I'm sure is more rigid.

I have a genuine Dickson T2 toolpost and holders sitting on the shelf. I was going to fit it, but had two doubts. First, my 4 way toolpost sits on a serrated disc which makes it easy to consistently set the toolpost at selected angles, every 10° or 15° I think. Second, I was concerned about rigidity. It's quite a lot of work to fit the QC toolpost, and if it's not as rigid that's a bit of a downer. I reckon that six tools, all inserts, covers more than 90% of my turning, so it's not difficult to keep shims with each tool. The only caveat is, that as discussed in another thread, I should probably be taking a bit more care on setting tool heights. For the moment I think I'll be sticking with my conventional 4 way toolpost.

On another tack, it is often mentioned that the old way of doing things manually is the only way to get satisfaction. And since we're not in industry the extra time taken is not important. But, on the other hand many people swear by QC toolposts as it saves time, just like in industry. Bit of a logical inconsistency here?

Regards,

Andrew