What size QCTP for a 9x20 lathe

[Mayhem]

A friend of mine has just purchased a second hand BVB-25L lathe and has asked me to help him tool it up (perhaps the blind leading the blind!).

He has seen and used my lathe and wants to get a QCTP for it. The specs look similar to a 9x20 lathe, so I am guessing that a 100 series (AXA) will suit but this lathe does look tiny to me. These are listed to suit up to a 12" swing, so I'm sure it will fit but seeing it next to mine just places doubt into my mind! Actually, looking at the specs again it equates to a 10" swing.

He will be buying the QCTP from Jeff Beck at Tools4Cheap, who I bought my 400 series (CA) QCTP from and experienced fantastic service and shipping.

[EdK]

I used an AXA size on my 9x20 and it fit just fine. He should be fine with the AXA size.

Ed

[lazylathe]

AXA will be perfect!

I have also had great service and super fast shipping from Jeff at tools4cheap!
Also looking at a QCTP from him.

Any preferences on piston over wedge?
I prefer the wedge but what does everyone else think??

Andrew

[EdK]

OK, this debate can get heated but it's a good discussion to have so here are my 2 cents on the subject.

I had a piston style on my 9x20 lathe and it worked OK. Then I got rid of that lathe and got my current lathe, a 14x40 lathe, and bought a Phase II piston style QCTP for it. It seemed, again, OK. I kept reading about how much better the wedge style is so when they were on sale at Enco with a 20% discount code I bit the bullet and bought one figuring I could just sell the one I didn't want to keep and not lose too much money. I LIKE the wedge style much better than the piston style. To me it just feels like it locks the tool holder more securely. I don't know if it actually does but it seems to. So I kept the wedge style and sold the piston style. I don't regret it at all.
Now a friend of mine bought the wedge style for his lathe, the exact same lathe that I have, on my advice. He did not like the feel of it at all so he bought the piston style and likes it much better than the wedge style so he sold the wedge style. Both were Phase II brand so go figure.

YMMV

Ed

[PixMan]

Ed,

That's pretty strange. I've used both styles over the years and in my experience the wedge type offer the superior feel and repeatability. The reason is this: With the piston type, the force is applied in such a way that the piston must force the toolholder block straight out and equally upon each side. That rarely happens, so the block can be skewed to one side or the other to some degree. Depending upon the flatness of the piston face and it's perpendicularity to the dovetails, it may actually push the blocks to one side. That would actually help repeatability.

With the wedge type, the action always firmly nests the dovetail opposite the wedge into the mating surface, regardless of the block's variation in dovetail width, depth, and angles. This action assures the tool position repeatability. The wedge then engages it's own dovetail side firmly for the rigidity.

My older Dorian CA-size QCTP has a hybrid version of the two. It's "side piston", sort of. The "wedge" projects from inside the dovetail on one side. I'll have to get a photo of it to explain it better, but it works quite well.

[Mayhem]

He will buy the wedge. I have the wedge type which I bought based upon PixMan's recommendation at the time. I had also read countless posts on various sites that supported the choice. So, in the end, it was a no brainer.

[Rickabilly]

I use a "mini dixon" style qctp on my 9x20, it works just fine, I think I got it from RDG here in the UK,

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/Quick...Sets_.html

The Dixons were a factory option on the 600group lathes so many Colchesters have them, I would recommend this style to any one interested, but am building my own system, to standardise across all of my lathes, using a 34mm post and holders that clamp around this post, 34mm give me adequate support for heavy turning on my Mascot but is small enough to fit on my 9x20, by standardising I get the benefits of being able to have all my attachments fit all of my lathes, so toolpost grinder, graduation marker, toolpost drilling head, etc will suit all the machines.

Best Regards
Rick

[Bill Gruby]

Aloris AXA or equivalent. I use the Aloris on mine,

"Billy G"

[Mayhem]

I really need to stop telling my friends that I am heading OS! Most of the purchases I have sitting in Ken's house are for my mate who's lathe and QCTP were the basis of this thread.

Now another friend is interested in getting a QCTP for his lathe. He has the local equivalent of a Grizzly G4015Z combo lathe/mill and he is interested in getting a QCTP. I measured the distance from the top of the compound slide/vise to the centre line and it is only a smidgen over 2" The manual specifies the swing at 16.5" over the bed and 11.5" over the saddle.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone here has the same (or similar) combo lathe/mill and whether or not they have fitted a QCTP.

[krv3000]

hi well i have just bin geting one as a thank you present its a bison S00 T00B witch fits a boxford thats wat the bstands for but they do S00 T00M
witch is for a miford the only difrence is the mawnting hole in the midel as its smaller for the miford apsalotle brill tool post but the dawn side is the cost of the holders as the one i got only came with one holder and sper holders are neley £40 a pees  the lathe its fited on to is a compact 8 and its the same sise as the origenel one withch they no longer mack so a type thats ment for a miford or a boxford shud fit i had to mod the fixing bolt to get the one i got to fit but no mater wat type you get you may have to do this any way