On Feb 12, 9:32*pm, "Ed Huntress" wrote:
"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
Jim Wilkins wrote:
The old lantern / rocker / American style tool post is easy to make...
I don't want to speak for Jim, but I think that "advantage" is a slight one
at best, which I'll let Jim explain. If you read really old (early
20th-century or before) machinist handbooks you'll see several types of
"spring" tools that were made to work with springy setups. They're long
gone.
Ed Huntress
Ed described their versatility very well. I made this one from a bolt
to be able to use the lathe:
http://picasaweb.google.com/KB1DAL/T...59874580966978
The initial bootstrap "tool holder" was a strap clamped by bolts and
fender washers trimmed to fit into the tee slot on the compound. The
chain-drilled slot was very rough at first but that didn't matter,
only the spherical washer and the bar that rests on it need to be well
finished. I fitted the bar by smearing blueing on the washer and
repeatedly filing off the contact marks, mostly with a coarse rasp
that left the crosswise lines. The clamp bolt should be hardened or it
will mushroom on the end, as you can see. I will need to grind that
one down with a Dremel to get it out.
Instead of the spherical washer and rocker bar you could use a stack
of large washers or a section of water pipe. A threaded joint cut from
pipe and a fitting would be adjustable for height. As Ed said they
have no real advantage in use, but they are easy to make from common
hardware with simple equipment. That one was turned between centers
and drilled a little crookedly on a drill press.
I still use it occasionally when I need a less bulky tool post, for
instance to turn a ball by swiveling the compound.
This is the tool post I like best, the Multifix, which is quick and
solid like an Aloris but rotates almost like a rocker post. Chinese
clone tool holders from Tools4cheap fit the Swiss center column
perfectly.
http://picasaweb.google.com/KB1DAL/H...33382447691698
I found it for $50 while on a treasure hunt for a used Aloris or new
Phase II.
Jim Wilkins