# Grizzly G0494  Quickchange Toolpost



## drtho999 (Oct 31, 2015)

I just bought the G0494 and before I bought it I talked with the salespeople and was told that it had the 400 series Quick change toolpost   Well I bought some tools for it and when I got it home found that it actually has the 300 series QC TP.  Well I found a deal on a set of phase II 400 series but the G0494 has the smithy style bolt in the cross slide instead of the T-bolt.  Has anyone ever changed out the smithy style for the T-bolt style.  Any suggestions on the easiest way to change this.


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## tmarks11 (Oct 31, 2015)

So your compound slide has a hole for the bolt of the QCTP rather than a t-slot?  How annoying.  Unfortunately Grizzly no longer has the manual or drawings for that model online, so I can't see exactly what the existing arrangement looks like.

QCTP generally comes with a solid block of steel with a threaded hole through it that has to be machined to fit your t-slot.  

Is your compound slide threaded to accept the QCTP bolt, or is there a nut underneath it?

Nice lathe otherwise from the looks of it, hope you got a killer deal.

Make sure the Phase II that you are buying is a wedge-style, not piston style (phase II comes in both styles).


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## Chipper5783 (Oct 31, 2015)

Could you just make the bolt?

You may have to use some sort of a patch up job, so as to use the toolpost to make its' own bolt (so you would end up taking the compound slide apart twice - not that big a deal).  I have two lathes, they both have the arrangement you described (just a hole through the top of the compound - no T-slot).  I wanted to change one from a turret to QCTP.  The other had a nice QCTP, but no holders and I could buy a post and many holders for the price of 3 new original holders (so I go the whole new set).  They are also older machines, so there is no way I was likely to find an off the shelf fit.  Anyway, long story short - I just made the center bolts (on my machines it really wasn't anything special).


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## wrmiller (Nov 1, 2015)

Many smaller lathes don't use a t-slot to mount the tool post. In the case of my SB 8k I simply made a new bolt to put my Aloris on.


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## tmarks11 (Nov 1, 2015)

In this case we are talking about a monster lathe, 16x60, 5140 lbs.  Something Coolidge would like... except for the country of origin...

The biggest challenge I would see is that the phase II threaded stud isn't long enough, or has the wrong threads to thread into the compound slide (assuming the hole in the compound slide is threaded).  Doesn't seem insurmountable, the OP should be able to turn some round stock with the right threads for both the top nut and the base.


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## drtho999 (Nov 1, 2015)

tmarks11 said:


> So your compound slide has a hole for the bolt of the QCTP rather than a t-slot?  How annoying.  Unfortunately Grizzly no longer has the manual or drawings for that model online, so I can't see exactly what the existing arrangement looks like.
> 
> QCTP generally comes with a solid block of steel with a threaded hole through it that has to be machined to fit your t-slot.
> 
> ...


I slide has a hole in it and it appears to have a wedge style nut in it.  I have not pulled the slide off yet but I am sure I can get the bolt and nut out.  I will have to pull the nut to know for sure what it looks like.  I am going from a 300 to 400 series so the existing bolt is smaller than the phase II bolt.  It is a wedge type QCTP.  It was on close out and I had a 10% off coupon.


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## drtho999 (Nov 1, 2015)

Chipper5783 said:


> Could you just make the bolt?
> 
> You may have to use some sort of a patch up job, so as to use the toolpost to make its' own bolt (so you would end up taking the compound slide apart twice - not that big a deal).  I have two lathes, they both have the arrangement you described (just a hole through the top of the compound - no T-slot).  I wanted to change one from a turret to QCTP.  The other had a nice QCTP, but no holders and I could buy a post and many holders for the price of 3 new original holders (so I go the whole new set).  They are also older machines, so there is no way I was likely to find an off the shelf fit.  Anyway, long story short - I just made the center bolts (on my machines it really wasn't anything special).


I am thinking about threading the bolt or the nut.  If I thread the bolt and leave the nut as is then I can still use my original QCTP.


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## drtho999 (Nov 1, 2015)

tmarks11 said:


> In this case we are talking about a monster lathe, 16x60, 5140 lbs.  Something Coolidge would like... except for the country of origin...
> 
> The biggest challenge I would see is that the phase II threaded stud isn't long enough, or has the wrong threads to thread into the compound slide (assuming the hole in the compound slide is threaded).  Doesn't seem insurmountable, the OP should be able to turn some round stock with the right threads for both the top nut and the base.


the Phase II threaded stud is longer and larger than the original stud.  I thought about making a sleeve for the original stud but it is not long enough.  I think the simplest solution is to thread the nut in the slide or make a new nut.


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## drtho999 (Nov 1, 2015)

tmarks11 said:


> In this case we are talking about a monster lathe, 16x60, 5140 lbs.  Something Coolidge would like... except for the country of origin...
> 
> The biggest challenge I would see is that the phase II threaded stud isn't long enough, or has the wrong threads to thread into the compound slide (assuming the hole in the compound slide is threaded).  Doesn't seem insurmountable, the OP should be able to turn some round stock with the right threads for both the top nut and the base.


I was surprised to find the slide did not have a t-bolt.


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