# Make a lathe height gauge with not (much) thinking and figuring.



## Winegrower (Jun 8, 2019)

I have been setting up my new to me Takisawa 14" lathe.   Wow, is it fun to make chips with this.   It cuts steel like my old Logan cut aluminum.

But now all my tooling, accessories, DRO, etc. needs to be redone.    Buying a bunch of CXA tool holders, I quickly figured out that setting the tool heights for all those new holders was not so much fun.   

So I turned down a short rod to some arbitrary diameter that would fit in a 5C collet block, the square kind, and took it to the mill and milled down exactly half the diameter from one end, rotated it 90 and ran it through again, so there is a 90 degree pie shaped extension on one end.

Now, stick that in the three jaw, and the corner or apex of the pie is exactly on center, and the highest thing around.   It's easy to get a very precise tool setting now.

Here's a picture.


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## Canus (Jun 8, 2019)

Appears to be a great idea.  For my use I would mount the rod with the point down.  To each his own.


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## mmcmdl (Jun 8, 2019)

Canus said:


> Appears to be a great idea. For my use I would mount the rod with the point down. To each his own.



And adjust up .


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## Tozguy (Jun 9, 2019)

Winegrower said:


> Now, stick that in the three jaw, and the corner or apex of the pie is exactly on center, and the highest thing around. It's easy to get a very precise tool setting now.



The level of repeatability of the 3 jaw would be a factor.


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## Winegrower (Jun 9, 2019)

Interesting points.   Adjusting from the bottom would work, maybe preferable with some tools.  I didn’t consider that. Conversely, I set a tool upside down the other day and this would have been helpful.

Regarding 3 jaw repeatability, it seems to me that from the geometry, there is little effect for small vertical excursion errors about the center line.   Kind of a sine/cosine sort of thing.   Or “top dead center”.


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## kvt (Jun 9, 2019)

Problem is I do not have enough tool holders to fit all my tools,  Thus some times I have to change tools in the middle of a piece.   I would not want to be having to pull that piece out to adjust the next tool.  I have been looking making one like I have seen,   Bottom piece would set on either the way or the cross slide,   It would be adjustable,   Just in case I drop and bang it up and have to refinish the bottom or the top,   
The top would be made where you could move a disk and set your took wither from the disk on top of it, or even with the top of the bar.   
For adjustment in the middle thread it and Loctite a threaded rod in,   Then in the top thread it, and put in a set screw with a brass plug so you do not mar the threads.    Then if at any time you need to you could re adjust your tools or put in new ones, without having to remove your work.   
Also makes good when you need to check after replacing a bad insert, in the middle of a job.


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## Winegrower (Jun 9, 2019)

KVT, I agree...I also made a block to reference to the top of the “tool slide”, as the manual calls it.


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## Bamban (Jun 9, 2019)

I just take the easy way out, stick a dead center in the TS and align the cutter tip to the point. Then stick a small diameter aluminum in the chuck and face it and fine tune for a no center knob finish.


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## Tozguy (Jun 9, 2019)

This is my tool height gauge. The bolt head is faced underneath and the nut is faced to sit flat on the cross slide. The tool is adjusted up under the bolt head until it tilts the bolt.


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## jdedmon91 (Jun 9, 2019)

kvt said:


> Problem is I do not have enough tool holders to fit all my tools, Thus some times I have to change tools in the middle of a piece. I would not want to be having to pull that piece out to adjust the next tool. I have been looking making one like I have seen, Bottom piece would set on either the way or the cross slide, It would be adjustable, Just in case I drop and bang it up and have to refinish the bottom or the top,
> The top would be made where you could move a disk and set your took wither from the disk on top of it, or even with the top of the bar.
> For adjustment in the middle thread it and Loctite a threaded rod in, Then in the top thread it, and put in a set screw with a brass plug so you do not mar the threads. Then if at any time you need to you could re adjust your tools or put in new ones, without having to remove your work.
> Also makes good when you need to check after replacing a bad insert, in the middle of a job.



I had that problem until I was killing time in my shop one day and made a bunch up. Yes I could have bought them however making them was rewarding 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mitch Alsup (Jun 9, 2019)

kvt said:


> Problem is I do not have enough tool holders to fit all my tools,



An easy problem to solve:: Hint: use ebay.....


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## westerner (Jun 9, 2019)

westerner said:


> Joe Pie has a great video on setting lathe tool height.  Not specifically on setting a drill in a QCTP, but the concept he shows will help, I believe.
> Dhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MrjnIcscxI    Darn sure took the quesswork out for me, and when the lightbulb lit, I had to grab my shades
> If the link won't work for ya, because I am a total noob at MANY things, just go to Joe Pieczynski, and look for the  "Lathe tool height" video. He has helped me a whole bunch, just because he is a natural born problem solver, and just happens to run a very successful machine shop


I have built this tool for both of the lathes I have owned. Plus the lathe at work, and one for my good friend. I cannot find fault. YMMV.


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## MAKEITOUTOFWOOD (Jun 10, 2019)

Here’s the one I made.


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## savarin (Jun 10, 2019)

Mine was very simple, A length of 1.5" dia steel tube squared off both ends in the lathe.
A solid centre in the spindle and the tube sitting on the cross slide, use the centre point to scribe a line around the tube, do this from each end.
Replace back in the chuck and with a sharp point tool make a shallow cut right around the tube, do the same at the other end.
Simply place the tube on end on the cross slide and adjust the tool tip to the now clearly visible mark.
It doesnt matter which end is up.


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## Winegrower (Jun 11, 2019)

Savarin, that’s a winner, no math at all!


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## chips&more (Jun 11, 2019)

Sorry guys & gals, I don’t see the big deal in setting tool height. I just eye ball. Been doing it that way since I was born. When I face, then I adjust accordingly…Dave


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## Jim Dobson (Jun 11, 2019)

Interesting how many different approaches there are in measuring this critical measurement.


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## rpseguin (Jul 16, 2019)

Winegrower said:


> I have been setting up my new to me Takisawa 14" lathe. Wow, is it fun to make chips with this. It cuts steel like my old Logan cut aluminum.
> 
> But now all my tooling, accessories, DRO, etc. needs to be redone. Buying a bunch of CXA tool holders, I quickly figured out that setting the tool heights for all those new holders was not so much fun.



Congratulations on the Tak! 
They are nice lathes!
I just got a Webb/Whacheon WL-435 and I need to get it fixed up and running.



Winegrower said:


> So I turned down a short rod to some arbitrary diameter that would fit in a 5C collet block, the square kind, and took it to the mill and milled down exactly half the diameter from one end, rotated it 90 and ran it through again, so there is a 90 degree pie shaped extension on one end.
> 
> Now, stick that in the three jaw, and the corner or apex of the pie is exactly on center, and the highest thing around. It's easy to get a very precise tool setting now.
> 
> Here's a picture.



Good solution.
Indicating with it in a collet is preferable to a jaw chuck, of course, unless you take the time to dial it in.
Hardinge and others made precision ground bars for this sort of thing. 
Hardinge made theirs with a swivel top.
The length of their bars varied depending on the type/spindle of the machine, but you would put the base on the bedway.


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## mickri (Jul 16, 2019)

I put some dykem on my framing square and scribed a line with a dead center in the headstock.


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## Janderso (Jul 16, 2019)

Mine


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## pontiac428 (Jul 16, 2019)

@Janderso, great minds think alike.


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## Illinoyance (Jul 16, 2019)

On my South Bend 10K I took a piece of sheet metal and bent it to a 90* L.  I held the short side against the top of the cross slide.  I used a center in the tailstock as a scribe and slid the sheet metal part against the center to scribe the center height.

Easier and simpler is to chuck up a bar and face the end to leave a teat.  The point of the teat is center height.  Save the bar and use it next time you need to set a tool on center.


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