ML7 Quick Change toolpost problem setting tool up

[spike47Participant @spike47]

Hi

Have just got a quick change toolpost for my ML7, but there is a issue with it, were the tool when slid into the holder, it bottoms on the cross slide top,not letting it to go further down to set the tool, it needs to drop about another 4mm to set my 10mm tool to centre, has in pics attached, not sure were to go with this problem .

 

Spike

[HollowpointParticipant @hollowpoint]

You have several options:

Use 6mm shank tools

Mill away the bottom of the lathe tool

Mill away the bottom of the tool holder

Mill the slot larger

Add a spacer to the bottom of the toolpost. (This could just be a disk of steel, essentially a large thick washer).

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I’m not sure the last suggestion will work as the tool holder will still hit the top of the cross slide.

I’m not a myford man but even the toolposts sold by Myford only allow for a 5/16″ (8mm) max tool and the one you have is not a myford one. There is no real reason to us e10mm tools unless you can’t avoid excessive tool stickout so as Hollowpoint says think about taking some metal off teh bottom of your tools if they are the insert type. If HSS then just get some smaller ones which are also quicker to grind.

 

Can you post a photo of one of the tool holders so we can see if ther eis enough material below the tool slot to allow for that to be reduced in thickness.

[PeteParticipant @pete41194]

What type of tool shanks? High Speed Steel, (HSS) replaceable tip or braised carbide? I can’t say it’s true for all brands, but before I had a decent mill, I was successful trimming a couple of MM’s off the bottom of an over sized Mitsubishi replaceable tip turning tool by setting it up in the 4 jaw independent chuck and taking multiple and very light cuts. You would need to indicate the bottom of the tool shank to ensure both ends are square to the chucks rotation first, but it should work for non HSS tool shanks. The better replaceable tip tool shanks are hardened of course, but mine was at lest semi machinable with carbide.

[IdlerParticipant @idle1]

Some of those indexable shanks can be tough to machine. I ended up holding a 13mm solid carbide end milling cutter in the lathe 3-jaw chuck to machine down indexable shanks clamped in the toolpost on suitable packing.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

You could try doing this,the two in the background are gen myford and the two in the foreground are homebrew.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Just measured some Myford Dickson toolholders and the bottom ledge varies from 6 to 6.7mm. As the topslide to centre distance is 16mm you might just get away with 3/8 tooling if you choose the toolholder.

Until Spike sends a picture of his toolholders it is difficult to see why he has tools 4mm above centre

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Not sure why the top slide protrudes past the block except it’s not a Myford tool block.

Most are like Bernard’s where the actual tool holder can travel below the block.

The easy option is to put a thick spacer (matching the block dovetail root to stud width) under the block, if the stud is long enough obviously.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

How’s that going to help, the toolholder is bottoming on the topslide surely.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Good point well made etc etc

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Picture of a tool holder and in situ would be immensely helpful

[MichaelRParticipant @michaelr]

I don’t know how much the tool post needs to clear the cross slide, but could you plug the tool post fixing hole and drill a new hole to allow the tool post to be repositioned to allow the tool holder to clear the cross slide.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I find sometimes needing turning the entire QCTP at an angle to the top-slide; e.g. to suit a particular tool geometry or more often, when the slide has to be rotated to allow the tailstock closer to the work.

That would be negated by machining the tool-holder blocks or moving the stud so the blocks can descend past the slide-surface.

The simplest solution is to use smaller tools, or machine down the height of the ones you already have!

(We should remember these lathes were designed when it was normal to stand the tool directly on the slide surface, or at best, to use a basic 4-way tool-post with a fairly thin base.)

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