Another alternative: Learn to use the lantern style toolpost (in other
words, learn to grind tools for it). I have an old Logan which came with
(most of) a lantern post as well as a newer style tool holder. I got the
missing pieces and find that I use the lantern post almost exclusively. The
reason I prefer it is that I have much better control over the cut. The
newer style posts are, of course, superior if you want to run tools with
replacable carbide inserts. But the problem with them is that the cutting
forces tend to be a lot higher and the older machines tend not to have the
power or rigidity to get good results. I find that the only time I use
carbide is for cutting stainless, but I don't do that very often. I run
mostly aluminum and a carefully shaped tool in the highly adjustable lantern
post gives beautiful results with a minimum of profanity. Of course, you
have to have a good tool grinder. Mine is a cheapie, but I made a good tool
rest (normally set 7 degrees off from the centerline of the wheel) bought a
good "fine" wheel for it and keep the wheel dressed square. I'm the first
to admit I have a lot to learn about the art of grinding tools, but I find I
can make one that does what I want without a whole lot of effort.

Jerry
"Jaggy Taggy" wrote in message
...
On my recently acquired Reed & Prentice lathe is an old style tool holder
(lamp post style??) which really sucks.

But the alternative, get a modern stable setup, is a bewildering task.
There
are many styles and a large swing in prices.
My lathe is a 12" and I could spend anywhere from about $100+ (Enco,
piston
style) to a small fortune for a KDK holder and what I really need to get
is
an education in the differences.

Can anybody here help me with this??

Regards Uwe

PS. I do not do production work, rather slow poke experimental tasks.