# QCTP - Tool Holders



## caster (Jan 26, 2015)

I made this QCTP and seven tool holders but it seems that you always need more holders than you have and wined up changing tools in the holders. So I decided to make some more holders. 






I purchased 12" of 1.25" square 1045 stock, cut it into 5 billets and faced them on the 4 jaw. 




Mounted on the 3-in-1 milling machine, touched off, located the groove and milled.






Taking 50 thou cuts, got to within 10 thou and did a finishing cut






I now have 5 soon to be holders grooved and ready to have the dovetail cut.

More to come

Caster


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## Bishop (Jan 26, 2015)

That's awesome, I've seen a few people making their own holders but I think your the first I've seen make their own QCTP nice work. 

Shawn


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## caster (Jan 27, 2015)

[SUP]Having survived the "Epic snow storm" I got some time in the shop this morning and I cut the first dovetail.

[/SUP]





Here is my setup 




And the results





One down, four to go. "I love it when a good plan comes together" 

More to come

Caster


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## caster (Jan 27, 2015)

I finished cutting the dovetails, now to make the holders. I am thinking of making a parting holder.  The one I use is a 1/16" x 1/2" mounted on a T type holder held in a tool holder, seems redundant one holder too many. Additionally I like tangential cutters, here too I have a holder being held by a tool holder, redundant.  I will machine one of the holders to be a tangential cutter.  The freed holders will be used for a knurling tool and a chamfering bit.  I will get a long hss tool bit that extends beyond both ends, grind 45 deg cutting edge on each end. This will allow me to mount it perpendicular or horizontal to the work.




More to come

Caster


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## thomas s (Jan 27, 2015)

Great job and very good pictures thanks for posting. thomas s


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## Doubleeboy (Jan 27, 2015)

Excellent job on the toolholders, could you tell me how many passes you made to cut the dovetails, light cuts , heavy cuts?
Thanks
michael


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## caster (Jan 27, 2015)

Hi Michael,

The dovetails are 0.191 deep.  I started with a 0.070 followed by two 0.055 and finished with 0.011. I used plenty of wd40 and maintained a slow feed.

Unfortunately while working out the dimensions for the tangential holder I realized that I don't have enough material to clear the horizontal facing dovetail of the QCTP. I need 3/8" more added to the cutter side.  I must admit I did not think about the varying holders until I finished cutting the dovetails.  Given the materials I had, I don't know if I would have sacrificed a holder to have a tangential holder. Either way here are the plans for the tangential holder.  I will make and show the parting holder.





Caster


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## Doubleeboy (Jan 27, 2015)

Thank you for the info and drawing.  How is your repeatability with the piston post?
michael


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## caster (Jan 27, 2015)

The QCTP holds steady, rarely will a holder loosen. When it does its me not turning the handle enough.  There is some tolerance, each time a holder is locked it will be slightly different.

Caster


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## caster (Jan 30, 2015)

So I got some time in the shop and decided to make a parting tool holder.  I layed out the groove and the centers for the holding screws and cut the groove.






Nice fit.  While the mill was set up I decided to cut a plain holder as well.






Using a wiggler I positioned the drill, drilled the holes and tapped.  Used the drill to center and start the tap and finished by hand.







Cut relief for the hold screws and trial assembly.  Did the same for the simple holder







To finish I chamfered the edges





A little deburring and sanding and we have the finished holders.




I have three blanks left.  I will finish them as need arise. I used 1045 steel with the notion that I would harden the holders.  Ironically its too cold to fire up my foundry furnace which doubles as a heat treating oven.  That will have to wait a few months. 

Caster


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## T Bredehoft (Jan 30, 2015)

I'm green with envy, your skill and tools.


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## chips&more (Jan 30, 2015)

Very Nice! And on a Smithy(?) to!


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## caster (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks all,  yes its a Smithy at-300 I bought in the early 90's

Caster


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## Andre (Jan 30, 2015)

Good work on those holders, consistent chamfers and surface finish. But whats really impressive is that you did it on a Smithy machine. Nice work!!!


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## caster (Jan 31, 2015)

Although I finished the holders I still needed depth stops.  I had some 1" round scrap laying around turned it to remove the rust, center drilled and knurled.








Drill and tap.





Now I had an opportunity to test the newly made parting holder. Align it with the chuck, part some, then chamfer.






Finish parting




Deburr and insert the tap to verify the thread did not get damage. Project complete as soon as I get some 1/4-20 nuts.





Caster


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## brav65 (Jan 31, 2015)

Great work, I am a new guy to this world and love to see real projects being completed.  Thanks for sharing!


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## cederholm (Feb 1, 2015)

Wow, those are very nice.

- Carl


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## Rick Leslie (Feb 1, 2015)

Like everyone has said, nice work! And that was my first thought: on a Smithy... )

I've got to get busy making more holders as well. Thanks for taking the time to document your projects. I'm anxious to see what you come up with on the tangential holder. 

Every time I go to use my lathe, my first thought is "I need more tool holders".


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## Andre (Feb 1, 2015)

Never knurled before, but if you notice the tops of the diamonds on your knurl are flattened. Not quite sure but I believe that means you didn't go far enough in OR went too far. 

Nice work on the holder depth stops, what will you use for the threaded rod? Allthread?


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## caster (Feb 1, 2015)

The Smithy at-300 has been my only lathe/mill for the last 20+ years.  The model I own is no longer manufactured. It was succeeded by the Midas model and I guess the Grizzly G4015Z (It looks pretty much the same) which are significantly improved.  There were several challenges that I needed to overcome.  The machine has metric lead screws but the dials are marked in imperial.  Both the carriage and cross slide screws are 2mm pitch and the dials are graduated in 2 thou increments 80 thou for a full turn. Well 2/25.4=0.07874 but the dials indicate 80 thou, you lose 1 1/4 thou per turn. The quill dial graduations are 40 thou, difficult (impossible) to get thou accuracy. The dials are not accurate and difficult to work with. There is an inherent compromise when building a 3-in-1. Here the mill column is a square screw that allows the mill head to swing and be raised/lowered, its locked by being pinched by a single screw.  This is not the most ridigit  setup.  It does not happen often, but often enough, when milling a large cut (which I learned to avoid) the mill head can slip.  The quill is locked the same way as the mill head, a single screw pinching the column.  Unfortunately after many years of use metal fatigue caused the quill lock to break, I had to fabricate a new pinch mechanism. Finally, the motor is designed to work both 220v/50hz and 120v/60hz.  It has worked well and has been uneventful although the RPMs displayed are based on 50hz so all speeds are 20% faster than indicated.  Not so much of a problem but threading is a challenge. I guess this was originally a 220v/50hz metric machine kludged to be 120v/60hz imperial, if it were kept as metric it would be an OK machine.  These days digital calipers are inexpensive.  I mounted one on the quill and another on the cross slide.  I fabricated a carriage lock and mounted a dial indicator to measure the carriage movement, I can measure 1" movement accurately then I need to reposition. Having overcome these challenges I now can work accurately.  It's a hobby to me and it took a long time to develop the craft but perseverance prevailed.  

The thing to learn here is that no matter what you are dealt you can overcome.  Innovation and ingenuity are key.









Caster


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## caster (Feb 1, 2015)

Andre,  Yes I could have gone deeper but the knurler produces sharp uncomfortable to me peeks.  I wanted to have some texture on the depth stops to prevent my fingers from slipping. Looking at the results of the first pass I thought it would do. You are right again, got some allthread, cut to 1 3/4 and used red loctite.

Caster


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## COMachinist (Feb 1, 2015)

Hi Caster
I have to take my hat off to you, you are one heck of a machinist I also have a AT-300 Smithy but I don't do any thing besides drill with it any more. The lathe part will not stay engaged any more although it never was really a grate even new. I now have a G0704 all scraped in and CNC converted and I have Clausing 4800 12x36 that is light years better than the AT-300 lathe ever was. Very nice tool holders. 5 star all the way. 
I figured I was the only one that bought a AT-300 Smithy. don't see many around.:thumbzup3:
Happy machining.
CH


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