Jim Wilkins wrote:

The old lantern / rocker / American style tool post is easy to make
out of a large bolt and much less fussy to use if you mill riser
blocks that locate tool bits or Armstrong-type holders at the correct
height. Don't grind any top rake on the tool bits so the cutting edge
stays at the same level. They won't cut as freely but they will be
less likely to dig in, which is valuable on a flexible home-made
machine.

After scurrying to Google to see what these things look like I am not
entirely clear on the advantages of the lantern type holder: Is it because
they can accommodate different styles of tools at different heights (needing
the risers as you mentioned)? Are the tools held at a different angle from
the quick change toolpost? I thought they were both essentially horizontal.

Also, the way the toolbits ar held in the respective toolposts suggests that
the QC holds the bits more rigidly. In the lantern type there is a sort of
fulcrum where the holding screw comes down on the bit. Are you saying this
is actually an advantage in a floppy machine?

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC