Tool Holder Hotel

ChrisAttebery said:
Mitch, Which lathe do you have? I'm not criticizing. I'm no professional. I'm just curious. Not too many hobby sized machines can handle negative rake tooling or inserts with large(r) radius tips. I started with a Shoptask 3in1, moved to a 12x36" belt drive import and wound up with a 13x40" gear head import. I've stuck with positive rake 32.50 or 32.51 inserts because that's what was ground into my head when I started machining. I got most of my information from Practical Machinist or the Chaski boards back in the 90's.
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My lathe is a Grizzly G4003G with 2HP.

I have turned mild steel with a 1/4" radius tool I stoned out of a 1/4" flat carbide brazed bit. The chips came off and turned a marvelous shade of blue, stinking up the whole machine shop from the smoking cutting oil.

I, personally, have never had a problem with negative rake tooling no my lathe ding mostly 6061 Aluminum, but occasionally mild steel. I also do not try to stress the machine or tooling to the max--I am not production, I am hobby and use lower speeds and feeds that recommended by the book, and smaller DoCs than the book, ...
I don't know If I ever had "practical" learning on using my lathe, but 2 decades of Taig micro lathe led me to slower and smaller gets the job done eventually. Surprisingly I don't seem to have finish problems using negative rake tooling on my lesser machines--which leads me to believe I'm doing something right.
 
Tolerent said:
Given a starting point with a few flat bottom (201 type) holders and a few with the v groove (202 type) bottom would you add some of each going forward or prefer the flat bottom over the grooved style when you did not know you would be mounting a round rod in the holder?

I am leaning toward 80% flat bottom holders. https://www.amazon.com/Accusizetools-Boring-Turning-Facing-0250-0202/dp/B017M9HLN0/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=250-201+bxa&qid=1586879926&s=hi&sr=1-4&th=1
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I would suggest the Shars version, you won't be disappointed!
Shars BXA holder
 
That’s a tough question it all depends on how deep your pockets are? I personally don’t like having to changing tools and I like to see what I have so I bought as many as my tray could hold. Some standard size, some xl, some with a groove for boring bars, some for threading, parting blades of different flavors. Some setup for facing, left hand tools, right hand tools. I e made acouple for large boring, dedicated knurling, one for mt3 so I can mount a chuck and drill off the carriage. I keep 3 just for the occasional switching of tool for specific purpose. I think allindustrial tools has the best price to quality for holders their nicely made and good finish. Have around 30 holders for the bxa. And then the smaller lathe has axa which I have about a dozen it never ends. When you think you have enough buy acouple more.
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GunsOfNavarone said:
I would suggest the Shars version, you won't be disappointed!
Shars BXA holder
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DO NOT buy those BXA tool holders from Shars. Those are 3” long verses the normal 3.5”. The set screws are set really close together too. I just sent an order back because they aren’t the same as every other BXA I’ve bought from them. They are more like an AXA with a BXA dovetail.
 
ChrisAttebery said:
DO NOT buy those BXA tool holders from Shars. Those are 3” long verses the normal 3.5”. The set screws are set really close together too. I just sent an order back because they aren’t the same as every other BXA I’ve bought from them. They are more like an AXA with a BXA dovetail.
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Now I have a dilemma as I found those apparently exact holders on eBay for $12.90 each with shipping for 15 units being $21.10and $16.64 sales tax they work out to 15.42 each. I could live with 1/2" narrower for that pricing. But, they also note two different post styles (piston or wedge) and that they are not interchangeable.??? I am getting a PM1340GT. Will these fit?

www.ebay.com

Shars BXA #1 Quick Change Turning Facing Tool Post Holder CNC 250-201 L=3.5" ^} | eBay

SHARS NUMBER. Certificate for each batch. WEDGE 202-947 0. WEDGE 202-9474(251-111). SET SCREW THREAD SIZE M10x19. WEDGE 202-947 1. HOLDER NUMBER #1. HOLDER CAPACITY 5/8.
www.ebay.com
 
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At that price I’d say go for it. Piston or wedge doesn’t matter as long as they are the right series. I paid $21 each and I wasn’t happy when they showed up.
 
My lathe cabinet has large drawers on the left & right hand sides. The left drawer has fifteen 101s and 102s (I have AXA). The right drawer has all the other tool holders (5 tool holders e.g. parting, boring).

I leave my cutting tools in the tool holders. Even with all these holders, I still have to change bits sometimes.
 
Tolerent said:
Now I have a dilemma as I found those apparently exact holders on eBay for $12.90 each with shipping for 15 units being $21.10and $16.64 sales tax they work out to 15.42 each. I could live with 1/2" narrower for that pricing. But, they also note two different post styles (piston or wedge) and that they are not interchangeable.??? I am getting a PM1340GT. Will these fit?

www.ebay.com

Shars BXA #1 Quick Change Turning Facing Tool Post Holder CNC 250-201 L=3.5" ^} | eBay

SHARS NUMBER. Certificate for each batch. WEDGE 202-947 0. WEDGE 202-9474(251-111). SET SCREW THREAD SIZE M10x19. WEDGE 202-947 1. HOLDER NUMBER #1. HOLDER CAPACITY 5/8.
www.ebay.com
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If you call Allindustrialtools with you order they will give you a deal on a bulk purchase have done it along with others. Their price is cheaper than shars with shipping and the quality is a lot better. There’s no difference in the holders so they will fit a piston or wedge doesn’t matter.
 
I have around 40 tool holders at my Grizzly G0709 and around 25 at my Clausing 5418. I'll be the first to admit it's excessive and I haven't used them all. Why so many, went down the rabbit hole as I was selling off a toy collection and had a lot of expendable income. Short version is I had the space and budget to overdo it.

My "go to" is a CNMG 3-size. If I'm turning between centers and risk getting tight to the tail stock center, I'll go to a RH 'T' or 'V' style insert.

The inserts are mainly Chinese, have had good luck with them. I'll stone the tips on occasion but frankly, for the price, they usually hit the trash once all of the edges have been used.

I generally part with a GTN style tool. Use the HSS T-shaped blade one also. For boring bars, I go with the largest bar that will fit the hole for rigidity. Other higher use ones are my knurler and 16ER threading tools. Have an indicator mounted too for 4-jaw dialing in.

Both lathes have one HSS tool mounted for turning on an interrupted cut which can hammer and snap carbide inserts. Also have some spare holders. Most of mine came from CDCOtools.com back in the day when BXA facing ones were $11 each and facing/boring (has a 'V' groove cut in the bottom to center up round bars) for $12. Shipping was always WAY too much, so would pick up 10 at a time which made them around $15 each delivered.

I measured the height difference between my Clausing and Grizzly lathes have a ground spacer for use on the Clausing so I can grab a Grizzly tool and throw it on the Clausing without having to adjust the center height.

Bruce


BXA's on my G0709 lathe. Rack is Unistrut with aluminum brackets that fit in the dovetail.
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BXA's on my Clausing lathe. Same style rack & brackets
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Insert storage at the G0709, similar storage at the Clausing.
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More inserts and boring bars at the G0709. Have a 06IR and 08IR threading boring bars not mounted to tool holders plus a few other miscellaneous bars.
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More insert and boring bar storage.
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