Home made tool holder

[GaryK]

I've been reading posts here about dovetail cutters they they got me thinking. How to work around them if you can.

1. I've thought one way was to make three pieces with the 60 deg angle cut on two of them and then screw them together.

2. Another way was to grind your own tool and using arbor press shave the material away like a shaper.

3, Use a shaper.

4. Then finally how they probably make them in production. Broach them. That tooling would cost way too much for a home machinist.

Then I came up with another way. My KDK tool post doesn't require that the bottom of the dovetail slot be the "correct" depth to work.
In fact it never comes into contact with the tool post. It just holed the holder against the post with the dovetail.

So I came up with the following. I made the first one out of aluminum first to test the idea (I knew it would work). I'll end up using it
to mount my indicator.

First I start out like you normally would with a slot.



Then I'll mount in my 30 Deg tooling


The machine the angle.


Done



It works perfectly. Since the bottom of the dovetail doesn't even come into contact the missing material makes no difference.


It won't work for all projects, but where it does it's very fast and easy to do.

Gary

 

[oldntired]

Neat trick! Thanks for showing us. Another method is with a shaper.

 

[barn]

I'll have to give one of the aluminum ones a try. I could use an indicator holder. Great idea. Thanks.
​

 

[Mike Nash]

That is so completely cheating and I love it! :thumbsup:

 

[Analias]

Very cool.

Projects like this make me wish I had a bucket of aluminum and steel drops that were roughly that size. Anyone know the best place for scrounging small pieces of stock like to muck about with?

 

[bcall2043]

Gary,
That is one neat work around idea!

I assume that your QCTP has a piston type lock, is that correct? I can see clearly (in my head) how this would work with the piston type tool holder. It would seem (again in my head) that the wedge type tool post would pull the holder down against the bottom. I like you idea and may have to try it if you think it would work for a wedge type tool holder.

How did you measure and maintain the correct width?

Benny
The Orphanage Never Closes

 

[GaryK]

Gary,
That is one neat work around idea!

I assume that your QCTP has a piston type lock, is that correct? I can see clearly (in my head) how this would work with the piston type tool holder. It would seem (again in my head) that the wedge type tool post would pull the holder down against the bottom. I like you idea and may have to try it if you think it would work for a wedge type tool holder.

How did you measure and maintain the correct width?

Benny
The Orphanage Never Closes

The QCTP is more of a wedge type. Check out this post HERE and you'll see what I'm talking about.

To get the correct width I just kept creeping up on it and testing it out. I almost over shot it. It's on the wide side. I will make a go-nogo gauge using an original holder as my model for future builds.

Gary

 

[Daver]

That is awesome!. And so long as the meat of the back is at the proper depth I see no reason the wedge type QCTP shouldn't work perfectly as well.

 

[8ntsane]

Now that's probably the easiest way to do dove tails for QCTP holders. I like this idea.
Though as Gary mention making a go, no go gauge for future builds, its a great way to build tool holders.
The go, no go gauge, is a one time thing, and would be well worth the time to make one up. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for both piston, and wedge type. Gary, what size end mill did you use to cut the dove tails?

Nice work

 

[GaryK]

Now that's probably the easiest way to do dove tails for QCTP holders. I like this idea.
Though as Gary mention making a go, no go gauge for future builds, its a great way to build tool holders.
The go, no go gauge, is a one time thing, and would be well worth the time to make one up. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work for both piston, and wedge type. Gary, what size end mill did you use to cut the dove tails?

Nice work

I used a 1/4" endmill. You could start with that size and as soon as you get ready to break the plane at the bottom of the dovetail switch to en even smaller endmill.
This would decrease the amount of undercut.

Gary