TTS Tool Holder Block

[rwm]

I am pondering how to build something to hold my TTS tool holders while I change cutters. Right now, I just have end mill holders and ER20 collets.
There is a commercial product like this:


That's cool but I don't have the space to mount it right now. I want something that I can quickly clamp in the vise. Also, that holder won't work well with ER20 ball bearing nuts because the flats are on on the wrong end of the nut usually.
So I am here:

 

[rwm]

30mm wrench

 

[rwm]

 

[RJSakowski]

Tormach makes a bench mounted tool changer for the TTS system. https://tormach.com/compact-tts-tool-tightening-fixture-33034.html

It's pricey but you may be able to find the sprag clutch elsewhere and make your own.

 

[BGHansen]

Here's a post from a Tormach Operator's Facebook page. I can't vouch for the "RC121610 one-way bearings" reference as being the same as Tormach's $50 bench-mount ones. I have the Tormach one mounted to a HF tool cart along with a couple of 5C collet racks that were bushed to 3/4" for the TTS tools.



I mounted a couple of 5-C collet 30-place racks to a HF tool cart; the 5-C holes were bushed with UHMW polyethylene with 3/4" holes for the TTS tools.


Tormach's tightening/loosening fixture. Insert in one side to tighten, insert into the opposite side to loosen. I believe the Facebook post has 2 bearing mounted in both orientations so the wrench is on one side of his holding plate.

 

[rwm]

That is pretty slick. I had not seen that.
Mine will be less effective and bulkier but will only cost $48.95.
Actually, I could see the one way bearing being a pain in the a$$ if you have to micro-adjust the height of a tool with several tighten/loosen cycles? I guess if it's going in a CNC you would just measure and program the offset. In my manual machine I sometimes try to match tool heights.

 

[rwm]

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

Looks like a nice build. I've seen the commercial options advertised.

With the caveat that I'm new to CNC toolholder and Tormach (I purchased a 770M in early November), I can see the usefulness of having a holder when changing tools but I don't see the necessity.

I purchased a mix of ER20 (standard?) collet holders, another ER16 (I think - for existing collets), multiple sizes of the grub screw / Weldon flat type, standard drill chuck holders, a boring head adaptor, two different probes and a floating tap holder. With the exception of the probes, all of these don't require rigidly securing the shank of the tool holder to swap out the actual tools.

The probes and others that are basically just adaptors - I could see needing to rigidly hold the holder to remove the body of what ever is being adapted (the boring head or probe), but that doesn't happen very often. If a case arose for that, I'd put whatever it was in the spindle to get a better grip on the tool holder if needed.

Is there something about the ball bearing nuts that requires this? Am I doing something I shouldn't be when changing bits? I guess the risk of dropping a holder with an expensive end mill in it and damaging either warrants the insurance of always using a holder when changing tools.

Again, looks like you did a good job.
Is there a reason that I really should get setup with holder holder for changing tools?

 

[rwm]

@dbb-the-bruce - Are you saying you do your tool changes in the spindle? I would personally find that cumbersome. I would rather have it on the bench especially given how easy it is to pull out remove the TTS from the spindle. The torques spec for ER20 standard nut is generally about 40 ft/lbs. When the nut lets go you can easily bust a knuckle! I also worry about dropping an end mill out onto my vise.
You might by the $8 one way bearing shown about and give that a try? It would make a good project.



I added some padding for when the tool drops out of the back end of the holder! Please ignore those pesky saw marks.

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

So you are putting the tool and holder with the tool pointing down? Or is that through coolant holders let tools fall out the back (top)? I haven't seen a holder with through hole.

Where are you getting the ER TTS holders? the one in the photo doesn't appear to be from Tormach.

I get the utility of having some fixed thing that has a firm grip on the holder, but it seems like a "nice to have" to me, at least at the point I'm at. I've got 4 grub screw type holders and 7 ER collet holders. I'm not currently checking the torque on my ER collects I just go with "plenty tight but not gorilla tight". It hasn't been a problem yet but I haven't come close to pushing the machine to its power limits.

All my prior experience is with a bench top manual mill or lathe and a small desktop CNC machine. The CNC machine has a fixed ER collet spindle - so for that machine at least all tool changes are "at the spindle" but it's ER 16 and the bits are all 1/8 diameter shank, busted knuckles is not a thing.

My Tormach 770M is my first experience with a tool holding system and I love that aspect of it. I got the power draw bar which I would consider a necessity. If I get to the point where I'm doing anything close to small production runs on a regular basis, I'll add an ATC.

Regarding my "changing tools at the spindle" comment - I was just trying to imagine any situation where I'd need a really firm grip on the tool holder. The only thing I could come up with was any of the adapter style holders that screw into some other thing like a probe or fancy cutting head. I'd definitely try to get it done on a bench first in that case, in vise with some wood blocks or something. All of the ER collect holders just require two wrenches so - yeah, I wouldn't even consider doing that at the spindle.

BTW - I also got the spindle speeder attachment (I often work with very small end mills that need high RPMs). The spindle speeder is setup like my desktop CNC mill with a built in ER collet holder, so all tool changes occur at the spindle.