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| My Attempt at making a A2Z QCTP Holder |
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| wongster:
Hi, This is not much of a project log as compared to those I've seen on this department. But I've wanted to pen down with pics my newbie's attempts at making things with my little machines with my little knowledge. Hope you folks don't mind. I've gotten this little boring bar with 4mm shank from an online retailer in UK. A kind gentleman from Ireland bought it for me to help me to reduce shipping cost. But looking at the available tool holders, I found nothing to go with it. So I thought of making my own tool holder for it. So the adventure began with me sourcing for a 60 degree dovetail cutter locally. Got a Dormer with a shank of 12mm, which is 2mm off my biggest ER16 collet. So I asked around in this forum and the kind folks here taught me various methods of holding the cutter between centers to turn it down to size. With that done and test fitted to my ER16 collet, I started preparing the aluminium stock of 25mm thickness but rough cutting it on my little Proxxon bandsaw. It took me a while to cut through the slighter larger than 50mm width due to the power of the bandsaw (with bi-metal blade). Next, I fastened it on my tooling plate I bought from Sherline. The smoother factory edge was used as a reference edge which I indicated it in so that it is parallel to the X-Axis. Though the stock is now in line with the x axis, moving the indicator up and down shows that the stock is not parallel to the z-axis. Thought I just trammed my mill.... I'll do that again in my next session. But anyhow, the pic after indicating it for x before I stop my work: I'm using the xbox controller to turn the stepper motors but am not doing up any gcode to run the cut. I More pics will be available when I continue my work. This is to avoid being accused of spending too much time in the shop, neglecting my dearest wife. Comments and suggestions are welcome to aid in my learning process. I'm just doing whatever I think its right but hey, I'm a loan officer working for a bank with no engineering background of any kind. Regards, Wong |
| winklmj:
Good luck on your adventure. And in case you didn't know, mill out the "slot" for the dovetail with a regular end mill and save your dovetail-cutter for just that--the dovetail sides. If you're holding the dovetail cutter with a collet--keep an eye on the cutter that it doesn't pull down into the work. Perhaps your collets hold better than mine did but I had that problem until I switched to a end mill holder (many use collets with no troubles at all). Unless you want to try your hand at precision measuring with dowel pins, you can use the tool post itself for test fits as you slowly widen the dovetail. Finally, if you've got the material--easier to make a few "blanks" while your at it. Never know when you'll need another holder. Have fun! |
| wongster:
Hi Winklmj, That's a nice holder! Do you have pics taken showing the making of the brass nut? I'm still figuring how I am to approach this. Yes, I got the idea of having to mill the slot before using the dovetail cutter from the threads in this forum :mmr: I'll keep a look out on the cutter in the collet. Didn't think of that. The reduced shank is slightly less than 10mm. Not by choice but a mistake in counting the handwheel turn. Thanks for sharing. Regards, Wong |
| winklmj:
Yeah, ummm, I "made" the nut by running down to the local nut-n-bolt hardware store and buying it :) For 25 cents it just didn't seem worth the trouble to make one. |
| Bernd:
It's quite a nice project. I haven't seen anybody use a Sherline to make a QCTP holders. :thumbup: Very informative. Thanks for showing how to. Also we'll try to help as much as possible to get a newbie up to speed. :beer: Bernd |
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