Try This

[NodakGary]

I posted this in another thread but thought it may be of interest here too. I have a HF 9x20 lathe with the 4-sided tool post. I have fought a battle trying to get shims under my cutters to center them in the spindle center line. Today I measured the height of one of the cutters that is right on center and it measured .500 inches. I went to a local shop which has various sized cutters and bought 3 cutters measuring .500 on a side. Sure enough, when I mounted one of them in the tool post the cutting tip came exactly to the center of the pointed indicator I had mounted in the spindle. I don't have to fight with shims anymore or guess which shim to use with which cutter. I will get some more of these cutters tomorrow for sure. Now I don't have to buy an expensive QCTP either.
If you have been trying to get some smaller-sized cutter to work, try this. Each cutter is carbide tipped and only cost me $4.00.
NodakGary

 

[Bill C.]

Glad you are up and cutting chips. Centering can be a pain in the neck. I used to have to shim tool bits to the proper height on several different size lathes in my career.

 

[chips&more]

Great, this is a good thing. But, be aware that when you need to grind the face/top of a tool bit all that center stuff goes out the window. Also, grinding on a ½” tool bit can be a lot more strenuous than say on a ¼” or 3/8” tool bit. But, then you are back to shimming with the smaller bits. IMHO, being perfectly on center is not always necessary either. Maybe more so on facing if you don’t want to see that tit in the center. Otherwise, I think you will have some wiggle room and can be a little off of center and not notice a thing. I have been doing this HM for a long time and have been eye balling center for all that time with no problems. I do take extra set-up time however, with a facing operation, to avoid that tit in the center…Good Luck, Dave.

 

[ogberi]

Inexpensive feeler gauge sets make good shim stock for toolbits. I try to remember to grab one every time I hit a parts store.

 

[RJSakowski]

I had the same problem with the tool holders from Atlas for my 6" Craftsman lathe. At least the bits were mounted on a slight angle so sliding them in or out would change height. You could end up with a bit extended too far out for adequate support though. When I bought my Grizzly 0602, I bit the bullet and bought their QCTP (T10166) for $140. Removing the frustration from trying to shim the bits was well worth the cost. I also installed the same one on the Grizzly G4000 which I believe is the same as your HF 9x20. For additional tool holders, the Series 100 holders fit.

 

[RJSakowski]

If you are going to use the non adjustable tool holder, make up a reference block to sit on your bed or the cross feed deck. Adjust a bit to be on center with the spindle and measure its height above the reference block. Now when you put a new bit in the tool holder, measure its height without any shims. The difference in height will be the thickness of your shim pack. Since lathe tool bits are fairly uniform in size, you can make up the three or four shims to use with different sized bits. Use ogberi';s suggestion for shims to make up the difference for height changes due to grinding the tool.