# Extra Tool Holders



## Coilmotorworks (Jul 8, 2013)

What do you do when you are on a budget but need extra tool holders for your Levin (Tripan) http://www.levinlathe.com/page15.htm quick change tool post? After viewing what they want for individual holders I broke out the dove tail cutter and just made some. I made them using aluminum but plan on making some out of HR too. I made a total of 6 and they took about an hour each to make.


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## hinte (Jul 8, 2013)

So tiny! It's like baby QCTP


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## Omnimill (Jul 9, 2013)

Nice! I like the look of those.


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## gus (Jul 9, 2013)

The Levine QCTP cost bomb. And you made yours for peanuts. You are my hero.


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## Coilmotorworks (Jul 9, 2013)

The price (see the link in the original thread) of the three piece set is a shocker no doubt. If I bought the extra 6 tool holders I would have shelled out $2250 plus shipping from Switzerland. These do come up for sale once in a while on eBay which there is a set right now for $700. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Levin-Rapid...9?pt=BI_Tool_Work_Holding&hash=item1c33b30a0b


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## MawitÃ¶ (Jul 9, 2013)

well that toolpost on your sherline looks great, don´t take too much space.
have you mounted it on a round piece of metal to lift it up ?? are you using 1/4 tools?

Thanks for sharing man.


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## Coilmotorworks (Jul 9, 2013)

Mawito, I've included a couple pictures that better depict how the post is mounted. The holders are for 3/16" tooling. The size is a perfect match for the Sherline. The Levin QCTP is even better on the Taig lathe which is handy capped by limited cross slide travel which is hurt further with a larger QCTP. If the price was inline with the other QCTP out there this would no doubt dominate the market. Unfortunately the price will assure it as unobtanium for the common basement machinist.


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## MawitÃ¶ (Jul 10, 2013)

> The Levin QCTP is even better on the Taig lathe which is handy capped by limited cross slide travel which is hurt further with a larger QCTP.



Haha, yes and that´s exactly the problem that i have, i have a qctp in my list of projects for a long time now. But also converting it to metric so i can put longer leadscres so i can get a little more travel, and i´m even thinking in making a longer bed with leadscrew. if i have time i´ll try to post the mod´s i have in mind so people can tell me what they think.


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## Coilmotorworks (Jul 12, 2013)

I've converted two Taig lathes to use a lead screw for the saddle travel. Installing the lead screw was the single best mod for the Taig in my opinion. The second best mod was adding a variable DC drive. 

I would love to see the cross slide mod when it is done.


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## gus (Jul 13, 2013)

Coilmotorworks said:


> I've converted two Taig lathes to use a lead screw for the saddle travel. Installing the lead screw was the single best mod for the Taig in my opinion. The second best mod was adding a variable DC drive.
> 
> I would love to see the cross slide mod when it is done.



Hi Coilmotorworks,

Please post when you get cross slide feed done and going.
Dreaming of doing one for the Sakai Lathe.

Gus now in Osaka shopping till he drops.


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## MawitÃ¶ (Jul 14, 2013)

Hi Coilmotorworks, i forgot to ask, how big are your dovetail cutter for this job? that look like there´s no much room for big tools, the smallest i found where 16mm.

thaks


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## Coilmotorworks (Jul 15, 2013)

Hey there Mawito
I am unable to measure them at this time but it seems that the cutter used for this job is a 60 degree that is .375 in diameter at the big end. I pick up cutters like that at our local model engineering show.

I am almost tempted to make the QCTP it self so I can have one for another lathe. Most of the operations needed to make it are just basic boring and milling operations. Hmmmmmm...


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## MawitÃ¶ (Jul 16, 2013)

haha thanks if you do post .

Well that´s close to 10mm wich is nice but i´m thinking in getting one with the diameter as the female dovetail measurement and doing it in only one pass in aluminum, i dont know if my sherline mill can do it.

I´ll pick up a couple of them and try.

Thanks


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## Coilmotorworks (Jul 17, 2013)

Finding an exact sized dove tail cutter is not very easy. I use the round wire method to size the male and female dovetails. The dovetails on the tool holders you see in this thread were cut with one pass of a straight sided 2 flute milling cutter, three planned passes with the dovetail cutter and were a perfect fit, first try. If you do it right the Sherline will handle it just fine. You just can't cut the whole dovetail with just the dovetail cutter.


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