MLA A-11 Cross Slide

The steel ( 1144 ) for the tool post mount came in todays mail. Got started squaring it up to rough dimensions.
 

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Decked the opposite side, and the top to bottom depth is at it's final dimension. Squared up the sides as well, but they're still oversize. Everything is flat, square, and parallel. Time to decide where the mounting holes will be, and what will get carved away. The 1144 cuts really nicely.
 

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A little more progress this evening. Sunk the holes to mount the block to the slide, and drilled and tapped the mounting hole for the tool post. Took a while to figure out the hole location, as I wanted them either completely covered, or completely exposed. Also wanted to use the t-slots and not swiss cheese the cross slide with mounting holes. This way I can jump the tool post to the middle of the slide when using a boring bar, to keep as much dovetail engagement as possible. Next will be an anti-rotation plate on on the rear right corner of the tool post. Then slope the sides of the post to get rid of what doesn't need to be there.
 

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Faced off the remaining mill scale on the corners, and put a bar across the back face of the tool post. Put a tool holder in the post and indicated it in square to the chuck, and then clamped the bar hard against the tool post, and tightened the screws. After finish work is done, will likely put dowel pins in it, and make it permanent. Next will be sloping the sides in towards to the tool post, to minimize the horizontal surfaces around the post collecting swarf, and then sand the sides. The top and bottom will get surface ground when I do the top and sides of the cross slide. That'll depend on when a friend has some free time to give me some Grinding 101 instruction.
 

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Finished the majority of the work after lunch today. Still have a lot of sanding to do, and grind the top and bottom. Test cuts showed a definite improvement in surface finish, and even better the parting tool actually works! That alone made it worth doing.

Also wanted to give a plug to the robrenz you tube channel
. This is where I got the idea to make the solid tool post mount, and ditch the compound unless I'm doing something special that requires it. I think Robin has one of the most interesting machinist oriented you tube channels out there. He's a very bright, and skilled machinist IMHO.
 

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Last edited:
Very nice work akjeff, thanks for sharing this!

I built one of those MLA castings made for a Southbend 9 to fit my Southbend so called Heavy Ten about 20 years ago I think it was. Works great, especially to have a Back Toolpost. Love it. I posted photo's of it on another machinist website about maybe 10 years ago if I recall. Very usefull accessory.
 
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