Tool Holder Hotel

[Tolerent]

Here's my selection so far:

OD:
Non Ferrous CCGT 32.51 RH, Center (Chamfer and Face), LH
Non Ferrous TCGT 32.51 RH 15 degree, LH 15 degree
Ferrous CCGT 32.51 RH, Centered (Chamfer and face), LH
Nikcole Mini Systems THE-THE-7-1/2RH.500 (external threading and grooving)
Shars 11/16" Retrofit GTN-2 cut off and grooving blade

ID:
Shars 1" SCLCR Indexable Boring Bar - CCGT 32.51 inserts 1.25"+
1/2" SCLCR Indexable Boring Bar - CCGT 32.51 inserts 0.625"+
3/8" ???? Indexable Boring Bar - CCMT 520 inserts - 0.375"+
Shars 5/8" Indexable Threading Internal Threading Bar - 16IR inserts - .75"+

Home brewed BXA dial indicator holder.

2 empty BXA - 201 style holders for job specific HSS form tools, solid carbide tools, etc.

17 holders total.


Here are some pictures of the rack I made. This was only about 2/3 of the tools I have on it now.

Now THAT's what I was looking for...

The standard has been set lets see something that makes Chris wish he had done it your way.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

If you have the tools and time,make your own like I did. So you will have fun and save some $. That is if you have a milling machine

 

[Tolerent]

If you have the tools and time,make your own like I did. So you will have fun and save some $. That is if you have a milling machine

I imagine I will be tooled up for the lathe before I have a milling machine and the ability to heat treat finished products.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

My thought was setting a tool on a holder properly takes a lot more time than swapping out holders. At $20 each a holder is cheaper than the time value of just a dozen or so tool swaps.

It takes a lot more time, about a minute versus say ten seconds. It is time I am willing to waste, though, in order to keep the number of QCTP holders reasonable. Swapping an identical tool out in order to use different inserts (lets not even get into swapping inserts, for reasons well covered) doesn't require any changes to the toolholder height, and can be done while the toolholder is clamped in the QCTP.

Something also to keep in mind when mapping this out is roughing vs finishing. You can basically use the same insert for all materials when roughing, then use material-specific inserts (or HSS) for finishing. Parting is pretty similar - I've used the same carbide insert on aluminum, copper, stainless, 12l14, brass, and cast iron. It parts. What you probably want to concern yourself with is the specialized toolholders for the finishing pass, and just have a basic set of roughing tools.

 

[ChrisAttebery]

I *KNOW* that there are guys with a lot more tools than I have, but for what I do this set up works pretty well. There's always some other tool you wish you had though.

Yes, you can swap inserts back and forth and yes they are close enough to the same height that you shouldn't have to adjust them every time. But I've found that invariably the wrong insert is in the tools when I need them.

I've tried to use the same insert in all of the tools that I can. I use Dragon brand non ferrous polished inserts from Carbide Depot that have a 25 degree edge and they are sharp. For ferrous I use light finishing inserts. They don't have an aggressive chip breaker, but IMHO my 2hp13x40 lathe isn't an industrial machine and shouldn't be taking huge cuts anyway.

All of my CCGT OD tools were all machined from 1045 steel on my CNC converted G0704 mill. I haven't hardened them. I recently made a couple fly cutters that use the 100 degree corner that the turning tools don't use. Running a carbide fly cutter at 4500 RPM and .005"IPT is heaven compared to using a HSS fly cutter.

 

[Aaron_W]

At a minimum you need as many as the number of tool changes needed on a particular project. More than that is a luxury, less than that kind of negates the advantage of the QC tool post. The usual starter package with 2-3 basic holders and 1 each of the specialty holders is a decent start that should cover your needs. Maybe throw in a couple extra of the basic holders as they get used the most.

Being able to set up a tool one time and never again would be nice, but what you really want to avoid is having to change tools in the holders during a project. It isn't so much the time it takes, as the inconvenience of setting up a new tool holder in the middle of a project. Setting them up prior to starting actually goes pretty fast.

 

[greenail]

if you have a 3d printer you may be interested in these cleats i designed. They work well and print fast. they only really need one screw. they are sized for oxa holders but the design would work for any of the dove tail type holders. I just zip them to the wall with a screw and they are easy to move around.

Oxa 0xa quick change tool post holder holder by greenail

simple holder for shars OXA tool post holders. Hard to show these since you don't really see them. I printed with .8mm nozzle and they took about 10 minutes to print.

www.thingiverse.com

 

[Mitch Alsup]

I have 20 201-xxx holders, 18 in use, 2 spare.

I mainly use CNMG tooling. Here I use 32.51, 32.52, and 32.53 inserts depending. I also have CCGT inserts for the same holders for softer materials.
Of these I have the 80º tool holder and the 100º too holder so I can use all 8 edges. Right, Left, center 80 and center 100.
I use TCGT boring bars in 3 different sizes 6mm and 7mm use small inserts, 8, 10, 12, and 16 use big inserts 32.5x
I have 3 interior threading bars 6mm, 8mm, and 13mm
I have 2 exterior threading bars.

Some of the lesser used tooling lives in its square plastic boxes until needed.

I buy inserts in lots of 10, and when I buy insert tooling, I buy 3 different nose radii for turning, and boring, and fine and coarse threading inserts.

 

[ChrisAttebery]

Mitch, Which lathe do you have? I'm not criticizing. I'm no professional. I'm just curious. Not too many hobby sized machines can handle negative rake tooling or inserts with large(r) radius tips. I started with a Shoptask 3in1, moved to a 12x36" belt drive import and wound up with a 13x40" gear head import. I've stuck with positive rake 32.50 or 32.51 inserts because that's what was ground into my head when I started machining. I got most of my information from Practical Machinist or the Chaski boards back in the 90's.

I mainly use CNMG tooling. Here I use 32.51, 32.52, and 32.53 inserts depending. I also have CCGT inserts for the same holders for softer materials.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

you need exactly as many as you need plus 2 or 3

I had 5, then 11 and recently made another 22. I have 5 spare and will probably be making a couple of new tools to use some of those. Changing tools or inserts is a pain in the bum, which is what prompted making the extra 22. Now I just have to print up enough holders to put the tool holders somewhere other than on my bench, getting in the way.