# QCTP dovetail tool holders. ArrrGH!! Ack gag.



## swatson144 (Jun 2, 2012)

Once I became a hobbyist and lost all funding for tooling except what is left of sending a child and a wife through college, I have been making a fair lot of my own tooling.

I am very comfortable on the lathes but the mill/drill is a bit of a conundrum. So I bought a ghetto DRO. Makes everything better for me and cutting dovetails for tool holders is a lot easier. I was looking at some of the ones I went over sized with  realized I screwed up consistently. 

In this example I was a few thou out and ground a piece of keystock to shim  between the post and the tool holder.



Now when I need a custom holder that will seldom be used, I can just use one of my rejects. 




I'm getting better with fewer rejects but I'm thinking the rejects\shims may be better than using A36. Since the shims are hardened.

Steve


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## PurpLev (Jun 2, 2012)

swatson144 said:


> I was a few thou out and ground a piece of keystock to shim  between the post and the tool holder.
> 
> Steve



heh... been there done that. just another learning step. what did you use for material for those holders and what dovetail cutter did you use?


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## swatson144 (Jun 3, 2012)

A36 and 1018 is the materials. I made the latest one of AL. I really don't mind buying the 10$ tool holders from CDCO but I haven't found a source for blank tool holders that I can use to make my own tooling like decent cutoff etc.

I made the dovetail cutter 



I have no idea why I said key stock instead of feeler gauge material. 

Steve


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## Que (Jun 3, 2012)

nice but I like the dovetail cutter you made even better.


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## Rbeckett (Jun 3, 2012)

That dovetail cutter is way cool.  What did you make it from?  Looks like a repurposed drill bit with a carbide insert for a tooth.  Way better than the LMS set for way less money... I like it!!
Bob


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## swatson144 (Jun 3, 2012)

There is a little bit more on the dovetail cutter here http://www.totallyscrewedmachineshop.com/projects.htm . In a nutshell it started life as a 1 1/4" piece of 1018 CRS. The shank was turned to 3/4" so I could use a boring bar holder to clamp it while I milled the socket for the insert. It has done a fair amount of work so far and still on the original insert. I've always despised HSS dovetail cutters because the slightest error and the tip ends get trashed. With this one if I actually manage to break the insert just screwing in another gets me back to playing. It does a nice job and a climb milling cleanup cut smooths the cuts right out.





Steve


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## jumps4 (Jun 3, 2012)

I built the same cutter but I have a problem when using it. the screw for the insert will loosen. I can tell it is happening by a change in sound.
I dont want to use loctite, have you got any suggestions. loctite would work if I heated it to remove the screw to keep from breaking it.
steve


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## swatson144 (Jun 3, 2012)

I haven't had any problems with the screw backing out but I am using an actual replacement screw from one of my insert holder sets.



It has a bell shape that fits the insert and since the hole is ~ .002" closer to the center it forces the insert firmly against the holder. Probably a countersunk screw would work as well I'd think.

Steve


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## jumps4 (Jun 3, 2012)

me too thats how i got my screw
I'll check the flatness of the mounting surface and probably use loctite next time
thank you for the reply
steve


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