sherline lathe tool post choice and cutters? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2025, 11:01:45 pm
content: I got a small sherline lathe that might work so long I did not screw up the head stock too much getting the most seized and corroded thing that ever occurred off of it.I bought a 3 jaw chuck from their website, along with a 1/4 inch tail stock chuck.I thought I could try it out to drill a hole first before investing more.Anyway, if it works I will need to make a decision about tool posts, cutter and the center.Should I go with 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch cutters? The 3/8 inch one supports the carbide inserts. The 1/4 inch require resharpening.Questions:1) should I start with 1/4 or 3/8?2) There is ALOT of options. What is good for a beginner?https://www.sherline.com/product-category/accessories/lathe-accessories/tool-posts/3) the compound slide looks interesting because it has more capabilities, because it rotates. But it is limited to 1/4 inch cutters, and it has increased complexity that might make it harder to learn to use. It looks like it mounts in the back of the lathe (non standard). Is this something you would use only when you need it?https://www.sherline.com/product/1270-compound-slide/#description4) are single use sharpened tools or carbide inserts better for learning? I am interested in brass, copper, but some steel is not out of the question because I can do heat treatment and that is interesting5) Should I start with a live center (ball bearings) or a dead center (oil) ? To me the live center makes sense, but I am not sure because its adding a moving part. Dead center seems antiquated. Its alot cheaper though.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2025, 11:35:33 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on September 29, 2025, 11:01:45 pmIt's been decades since I looked at that lathe. On it and the similar Unimat you may not be able to use 3/8" cutters. If you can, then use them.I suspect it does not have a quick change. If it's a solid block (not the rocking type used many years ago on larger lathes), you might be able to mill the bottom to allow a larger holder. Center height above the compound is what you need to measure. Is the tailstock MT1? If so, you can do a lot with it. For a few years after moving to Cleveland, I had an apartment and bought a Prazi SD300 just to make model parts. (Main reason is I could easily carry it upstairs.) You can still do stuff with a lathe that small, but it take a lot of time. The lead screws are not very accurate. So, it's a lot of cut, then measure.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 12:09:01 am
content: it says its morse taper 0, but you can buy morse taper 1 type.Why is that important?Some one jammed some shit into the head stock that made it nearly impossible to remove. It did not have the set screw or pins or whatever on the side holes, but it would just not budge. I had to get a big wrench and vise grips (after I marred it up with other pliers) set to death. Then it loosened up a tiny bit and spun endlessly for a long time with giant friction that made me think I was undoing a thread??. With alot of prying and spinning the part slid out of there. I wonder if it was glued in or something. I cleaned it up by spinning it on a file to make the face and round bit flat and cleaned up the threads when I slipped once or twice. Hopefully I don't have to replace that middle shaft part. The part that spins is not a taper it is just a cylinder that is supposed to have a set screw. Some how they made it work without a set screw. But it looks like you don't use the interior part for mounting a chuck, only the threads. I probobly should have taken it apart and used a puller of some kind. Maybe mount it between two tractors. The only thing close to this bad was the gears on the variable inductor I had, which started tearing the brass before letting go of the shaft. I wonder if this shit welds itself together after decades. This part did not look corroded either after I pulled it off. And with the inductor I got pretty much the same one again in a new order, and the gears popped off with little effort. Sometimes it just gets mega-stuck.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 04:20:36 am
content: lol wtf, on ebay almost every single auction is priced substantially higher then the new stuff from the manufacturer for sherline. I wonder what kind of BS reason the sellers have for that. Some of these items are 50% higher then retail !with the same part #!~

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 05:07:33 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on September 30, 2025, 12:09:01 amYou need to mount tooling in a tailstock for it to do anything but take up space.QuoteHard to picture what you mean. Sounds unlikely one could press something into the spindle assembly tightly enough to make it expand that much.QuoteDying to see pictures of the mess you are making.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 12:27:09 pm
content: do you mean there is more direct to tail stock tooling that can be used for jacobs 1 taper instead of jacobs 0 taper?Like those drills with the jacob taper end? so the idea is that you don't need to use a chuck on the tail stock?I thought of drills, reamers, live centers, and taps as tools that would be suitable for a tail stock. I wonder if there is a MT1 annular cutter adapter lol (the weldon type for magnetic drills). Die holder ?I could invest in a JT1 tail stock, but I don't know the specifics of what it will get me. What are some examples to help me calculate the cost and utility of this?For MT1 so far I found1) die/tap holder thing2) er16 collet holder, which I guess could give it pretty wide drill holding capabilities if you bought all the collets3) boring bar head (people say that putting a boring bar head on the tail stock is possibly the worst place to put it)for #2, I see you can get the ER16 chuck on the MT0 taper too.So far it looks like the tap/die holder is the biggest thing, and I guess it would be stronger/more capable with MT1 if you use tailstock collets?) . I don't see any place that is selling direct to JT1 tools like drills, reamers, taps

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 02:29:19 pm
content: I suggest 1/4" HSS tool bits. There is no reason for 3/8" tool bits or carbide on this small of a lathe. I use those on my 10" and 13" lathes. I use 1/4" HSS on my little Taig (similar to your Sharlene).Your tool post is most likely going to be a block of aluminum with a slot and allen set screws for the cutting tool. The commercial carbide inserts often do not have a sharp enough edge to be practical here. I would not waste any time, money, or effort above centering on a 1/4" HSS tool setup and put something like wingnuts to clamp the tool bit for convenience.You can sharpen carbide with a diamond wheel, and here I would suggest brazing carbide bits onto a steel blank, or just buy brazed carbide tools, if you need a harder cutting tool (psst - HSS is your friend).Figure out if you have MT0 or 0JT, then get a dead center and a live center, and a decent drill chuck mounted on the appropriate tapered shaft.But some drill sets and safety glasses.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 03:36:37 pm
content: I hadn't checked. It seems Sherline and maybe others have QC tool posts for that lathe that are sized for 1/4" tools..https://www.sherline.com/product/2280-quick-change-14-tool-holder/#specificationsI'd still use 3/8" if they fit. Although, I doubt the 3/8" QC (AXA) will fit. Most important, that size is almost universal for any larger lathe one is likely to have at home. They are like oscilloscopes, you can't have too many.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 03:40:57 pm
content: https://tryally.com/

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 05:23:35 pm
content: $400 bux with 10 holders and a box to put them in.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 07:04:26 pm
content: Little Machine Shophttps://littlemachineshop.comNot the most inexpensive, but at least they don't look at you funny like my local tooling place does when I ask for MT2...It's only taken 10 years to get the local tooling place properly trained for the odd requests of university shop machining and a personal mini shop. Now, However, I am a preferred customer, and they find they sell a lot to amateurs who are fed up with internet ordering.Usually with a Sherline its worth just replacing the damaged parts. Both of my Sherlines sold for far more then I paid for them. The lathe is worth keeping just for brass and aluminum mini-work. "A man can have a lot of fun in Vegas with one of those"Steve

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 07:23:10 pm
content: Quote from: LaserSteve on September 30, 2025, 07:04:26 pmExaggeration? The Hardinge HLVH and Monarch 10EE both had MT2 tailstocks. I can't imagine the TS or myself needing anything better for a manual home shop.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 08:26:39 pm
content: Their main customer base these days are dozens of CNC shops. Manual gear is a quaint past time in this manufacturing town. Usually used for training, making tooling, "Government Projects", and fixing mistakes in commercial service.We have at least five used machine tool and machine tool rebuilding companies within a 25 mile radiusBurned Out Bridgeport mills here go for a song.I was trained on a Hardinge lathe. I helped convert the thyratrons over to a very nice VFD salvaged from an elevator rebuild. Beloved here, but not common.MT2 is tiny by local standards. They do stock a bit of it, but anything I need they get in 1-2 days anyways.Steve

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 08:31:48 pm
content: Sherline? Flimsy little thing. You can cut plastic, aluminium and perhaps brass with it. Stay away from steel.But fine as a toy.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 08:37:43 pm
content: Sherline at least works out of the box as a nice toy. Both of my 7x10 mini-lathes, while quite useful, were best viewed as a parts kit. Scrape the ways in order to hold half a thou over six inches, switch to quality bearings, tail stock mods, real motor controller from K&D, go to metal gears etc.Steve

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 08:44:30 pm
content: Someone gave me a live center and a inverse live center (concave) (they don't know what it was for, old machine shop garbage) that has a 1/4 inch cylinder on the back as a shaft that is maybe 3/8 inch long. It looks basically correct in size for the lathe but its not tapered.Is there a taper to set screw 1/4 inch hole insert that can let me use this live center?And the taper part that popped out of the lathe (it has some screw on it for special fixture, so its not useful for me) has the following dimensions on the non-rusted part (that was engaged with the hole)wide dimension (end of taper) - 0.3535 . If I measure with the caliper flat against the flange at the end of the taper, its 0.358, but I am measuring discolored materialnarrow dimension on the start - 0.3225length - 0.682 (non corroded, engaged). 0.788 from back face to flangemeasured with small mitutoyo caliperDoes not really agree with any of the dimensions i found. I hope its not something weirdI think its this part that was inserted into the tailstock. The morse 1 version has more features on it that this one lacks.https://www.sherline.com/product/morse-0-arbor/#descriptionso if there is something that goes from 1/4 hole with set screw to morse 0 it would save me some money because I could use the two live centers I got.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2025, 09:25:21 pm
content: Also I am interested in grinding, I see they sell a grinding tool holder. Is there some high quality extension like flex shaft that can attach to a dremel and go into that? Then I can do simple things like using scotch brite buffs, or perhaps polishing wheels. Like narrow, so you can get small diameter tools near something spinning in the lathe.Might be kind of silly because I got pretty good at the bench tool, but sometimes holding those parts and spinning them in your hand gets old and its kinda dangerous lolLike a good one, so you can use a shitty dremel as a power source but the grinding is handled with precision in the little assembly at the end.Is there some small 'rotary coupler' made with premium precise heavy parts in a small form factor that can attach to a common flex shaft? Or perhaps at least some 'gear box' that you can use to make one? I had some really nice gear boxes before (worth several hundred) but they did not look to be designed with grinding in mind, I think it was for encoder spin ratio measurements, with precise little brass gears. Proxxon has alot better collet system, but is there some lathe-specific tool, so you don't need to use something meant for human hands??I don't know how much "power supply rejection ratio' you could get from a 'gear box' and the flex shaft to get rid of whatever the hell goes on inside of hand held rotary tools. I was thinking about it like power supply, test leads and probe end, with the motor in the tool and the test leads = flex shaft + dremel, and the probe end the 'rotary coupler'. Then again, with the flex shaft I am sure it effects rotation of the end based on deformations of the spring, and I bet this has an effect on the surface finish.... in that case... how about just a "tool post" that is the grinder (motor and collet). It seems like you could fit that whole tool inside of a tool post with a power plug? Can you maybe just mount a suitable motor with a collet on the nib to make a grinder? I feel like someone tried this before. Like a good swiss motor. I wonder if they spec something out with really tough bearings that would just work directly.This is probobly too advanced for me to try, I am sure for the basic things I can just put whatever tool in the little grinder holder, and I am guessing that the lathe base mechanisms might be the problem, not the grinder tool, for trying to turn it into a precision grinding machineBut just having a little compact block that mounts to the lathe with a power cable and a switch to just have a integrated thing would be cool. It looks stupid with a hand tool hanging off the side IMO. Its like distracting and tackylike this, with features reoriented so its mechanically possible and makes sense not to hit the work or lathe features. Kind of built like the milwakee installation driver (picture #2)https://www.protoolreviews.com/milwaukee-m12-fuel-installation-driver/

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 03:59:19 am
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on September 30, 2025, 03:40:57 pmany comments as to why you're linking them? seems fine, but there are plenty of decent qctps that will fit a small lathe and their site seems oddly bereft of any information beyond some pretty pictures and a buy it now link.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 08:45:45 am
content: Re: Tool post grinderGrinders may seem rather crude machines when you picture some woodsman grinding an ax on an inverted bicycle type of white stone. That's deceiving. A good grinder has a high precision and strong spindle. If you compare a Dremel with a Dumore (https://www.dumoretools.com/hand-grinders) hand grinder, there is no comparison in ease of use. I even have a 1/4 to 1/8 adapter for the Dumore 10 that I use so I can use Dremel points in it if required. I almost always use a 1/4" mounted point I also have Dremels (3) and use them around the house for such things as cutting music wire, rough grinding, and cutting tracks on a PCB.I tried a Dremel mounted to a tool post once, and it was a mess. Perhaps, it would be best to get your Sherline up and running, then measure the runout on the spindle loaded and unloaded. A major downside to using a tool post grinder is creation of highly abrasive dust. Be sure the lathe is well protected and cleaned afterward, particularly if you do it dry..

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 10:47:50 am
content: that might be another good accessory to buy or make some way to attach a dial indicator / arm to the lathe. I have a compac swiss one that I did not figure out how to interface with the sherline. I think you can put it on the bed but if you want to measure some work piece maybe there is a better place for it. Like if you are working on something big (possibly plastic)

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 11:06:27 am
content: Its certainly *possible* to do crude but useful toolpost grinding with a Dremel flex shaft, as I have done so on a Chinese 7x14 minilathe, but the poor bearings in the 'business' end of the flex shaft are against you. If you made a dedicated toolholder that replaced the flex shaft handpiece and had decent bearings inside it it could be reasonable, but the runout inherent in the Dremel collet system will mean you need to re-dress the stone every time you change tools. With a Sherline, lack of rigidity is your main enemy, so your grinding spindle housing should probably be designed to mount direct to the cross-slide, bringing the grinding spindle to center height without any adjustment. Ideally it should be machined from an aluminum block (the extra rigidity of steel is not worth the expense on a Sherline) but you could probably make a reasonably good one from a 3D printed thin ABS shell filled with glass-fiber reinforced epoxy granite.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 11:13:45 am
content: oh yeah this would have to use proxxon collets the dremel one is like a broke joke (just like the dremel motor brushes for the brushed motors). designed by the guy who invented wet news paperI like epoxy sand/'granite, I put lead shot in there too.What bearings are suitable for this purpose? High speed and I think they should be able to take some side loading from the pulling at high speed. I feel like sometimes the rotary tool wants to 'orbit' the work piece when it digs in

author: mikerj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 12:06:20 pm
content: Quote from: metrologist on September 30, 2025, 05:23:35 pmDecent machine tooling is very expensive because they require a bunch of precision machining themselves, and they are made from suitably tough/hard steel. You can't compare this to the Indian & Chinese junk (and I speak as the owner of said junk).

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2025, 06:44:42 pm
content: For grinding, I made this tool post holder (for a lathe that's somewhat heftier than the Sherline).The hole is 23 mm for grabbing a Proxxon hand drill collar.It seems I forgot to oil it after last use.

author: mathsquid
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 01:23:25 am
content: Quote from: abeyer on October 01, 2025, 03:59:19 amIf sherline tools were the force, Luiz Ally would be Yoda. He's the owner of Tryally tools and is well-known in the sherline community. He's a master machinist and his tools are considered to be the best you can get. If you want to see what sherline tools can do in the hands of an expert, take a look at his youtube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@tryally.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 01:46:35 pm
content: that dremel tool post is built different then I would have thought. Normally to hold a round you drill a hole and cut a slot, so its like a crab claw.Which one is better mechanically, the wrap around or the crab claw?The idea is if you wrap around then you can put the bolt in the back and have more clearance right?It looks kind of like a beefy pipe clamp

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 02:11:20 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on October 02, 2025, 01:46:35 pmEvery tool post grinder I have seen allows clamping of the spindle as Benta's does. Maybe if you post a picture of your design, it would be clear what you meant.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 04:01:03 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on October 02, 2025, 01:46:35 pmNot Dremel, Proxxon. The Proxxon hand machines often have a precision 23 mm collar, so only a small slot is needed for a snug fit.Yes, better clearance is the idea.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 08:39:43 pm
content: I mean this is what you usually see. With a small disk on grinder it makes sense to shave every mmwww.betontop.com/product-p-605781.htmlHmm, how could you minimize that thickness?For a single part for a precise tool post.What is the best material. I figure the basic answer is tool steel.If anyone wants to think about it, how much more room can you save by trying to go to some super alloy? I wonder if you can seat it with something exotic too, like a metglas strap or something real thin and strong.Can you just shove it in a semi circle with a spring steel clamp that is fastened real tight to push it into the seat? I was thinking something like a steel zip-tie strap, attached to one of those 'whistle shaped' latches (stereotype 1940's whistle... so it yanks on some feature on the strap when its seated)... especially if you put some kind of key on the rotary tool itself. Like what if you drilled a little hole for a pin or two to fit into? Or a key groove? Or strait up cut a tapered dovetail into the rotary tool so it fits on a counterpart and is seated with a single screw on the back to push it down ? (you could make a plastic filler piece to stick into the groove when its being used as a hand tool). Then it would have the maximum clearance.https://proxxon-us-shop.com/products/flexishaft-110-pCall me crazy but I think it might be possible to solder a dovetail like on measurement tools on the side of that aluminum shaft on the extension tool. Lol, and braze another one to the lath cutting tool so it sits in a tool post. Cd solder should make it effortless, from what I have seen in my experiments. 3/8 tool post should hold it good and it would have maximum clearance. MIght be a really cheap and easy experiment if I can find some suitable parts from starett or whatever. hmmmhttps://www.mcmaster.com/products/dovetails/Hmm or just solder the handle to something that screws into the bed. For a $60 tool there is no need to have it modular. Then you can get a monstrous lap joint, so long you can take that aluminum tube off the grinder for soldering. It would just need to be very carefully shimmed to make it true. Actually this would be the best method it would undoubtedly dampen all that vibrating shit if you made it heavy. Even replace the aluminum tube body with steel.I might buy the proxxon extension shaft to experiment to see if the wall is solderable with my various aluminum solder things and then buy the tool if it works out. I have been dying to try to do a big aluminum solder joint for some reason for a while now. The angle of the solder joint is wrong, I mean like if you drilled a hole lenght wise and cut it in half, so the tool has all of its natural clearance.If I could make it fit in the tryally post some how, they would be awesome too.If you could actually just press a lever to switch it out, instead of having to do a whole bunch of nonsense with screws and such.... then it could be a natural and convenient way to post finish stuff.Lol, given the surface area too, you can probobly just glue it on with a good epoxy. I bet it would be pretty dimensionally stable if you chose the right glue, the surface area is huge and the force is not that high. DP460

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2025, 09:56:47 pm
content: Ok I got the 3 jaw chuck and the little chuck on there and it looks like it works. The spindle thread was little rough, but I guess thats what happens when you do things my way. I took it on and off once, and wiped it with alcohol, then put lithium grease (tooth paste consistancy) on the thread and it looks OK. I think I should have cleaned it from the box, even though it appeared to have been well protected, some grime was on the thread.The only concern I had was the morse 0 taper for the little drill chuck started spinning when I drilled the exit hole through a brass rod. But this is the suspicious brass rod that was trolling me before. Anyway I reseated it and it works OK.So it looks like the machine can drill a #31 hole in a small piece of china brass. I guess its time to buy a tool post.Should the sherline 3 jaw chuck run smooth or be kinda rough and require the tools to operate? I suspect it might need a cleaning, but I am not sure, it looks greasy in there.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2025, 11:49:55 pm
content: I mean, you could at least post some unlisted YouTube videos. Would it be motivating if I posted some of my Taige?

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 12:04:01 am
content: A three jaw chuck should have a consistent 'feel' though that may be fairly tight or reasonably loose(a Sherline ordering option)or anywhere in between, over the full travel of the jaws. If it has any tight spots or is otherwise uneven, its well over-due for stripping down, cleaning, inspection and re-lubrication and reassembly.If the spindle nose thread or its mating thread on the chuck has any burring or galling you may need to clean it up with the correct size of thread file taking care to remove as little material as possible and only from damaged areas. A small chuck like the Sherline ones should mount or dismount by hand only needing the tommy bars to snug it up, or initially loosen it and to stop the spindle spinning as you turn the chuck. Read Sherline's manual for the size of chuck you have . . . .Sherline recommend light machine oil for general lubrication, or synthetic teflon grease for the few places grease is needed. Don't grease the chuck mounting thread - its impossible to keep a greased thread dust and grit free whenever it is dismounted in workshop conditions, and any dirt in the thread can cause it to gall and bind. OTOH it *must* be kept lightly oiled (explicitly *NOT* WD40) so it doesn't rust and seize. Clean and re-lubricate *every* time you fit it!

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 04:37:11 pm
content: Speaking of oil, stuff like the threads and explicitly for the ways, they make this stuff called Way oil. You can just get chainsaw bar and chain oil. The stuff is more sticky so it doesn't just run off as fast as regular oil. There is almost no place for grease. And taking apart newly acquired used machine equipment necessitates disassembly and reconditioning - or at least clean out the other guy's schmoo...I also mix ATF and kerosene or used motor oil and ATF with Kerosene, for cutting oil. WD-40 or kerosene is a good cutting fluid for aluminum. Or you can buy the expensive stuff.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 05:57:35 pm
content: For a lathe that has a T-slotted cross slide like the Sherline (or my own Sieg C1), it is relatively simple to construct your own toolpost grinder / mill. Clamping a fairly basic body block down before drilling the bore with a drill held in the lathe chuck ensures that the milling chuck is at centre height.I must tidy mine up one of these days but it is perfectly functional and rigid, unlike a dremel with a tiny clamping area and large rear overhang...P.S. These days, ER11 collet holders and shafts are cheaply available as an alternative to using a small 3-jaw drill chuck.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 09:11:05 pm
content: exactly that, but with grinder there is right angle problem. Ideally you would want some small gear (worm gear?) so you can offset the rotating bit from the motor to get the most work from 1 inch wheels and stuff that seems common for that arbor size.My kitchinaid blender can handle 'hog jobs' and it uses a worm gear. But IDK how that would work out at 30krpmI don't know if its better/more reliable to just use a gear to have it spin on the same plane, or a right angle thing. Theoretically with a right angle it would be smaller with more adjustment travel range.Who sells robust little gears that could be used for this fast purpose?And I got the cutter post from little machine shop. Its cheaper then sherline and tryally. Sherline is borderline too expensive and tryally is too much, because I don't know if this machine will be suitable for my purposes. It's kind of sad you can get like some chinese monstrocity for the price difference in a tool post.I don't think I will take a beating in re-sale on the tool post anyway, if I decide to get something nicer.. it seems like they sell so long you don't let it explode with rust.People seem to say that the height adjustment is critical, so it ruled out the cheap posts that use shims. I mentioned shims and people started looking at me really funny. I guess its too unprofessional for someone that used lathe for work purposes to have to shim the cutter tool.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 09:58:13 pm
content: OTOH a traditional toolpost + shims can be more rigid than most small quick change toolposts. If you cant afford enough toolholders to dedicate one to each tool that you use at least semi-frequently so you don't have to fiddle with the height adjustment for every tool change, you aren't going to get full benefit from a quick change toolpost vs a traditional one, with the shim set for each tool kept with the tool so you don't have to pick the correct combo out of your organised box (or worse disorganised heap) of shims every time.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 10:08:51 pm
content: I disagree. QC tool posts increase productivity enormously. Tool holders are not that expensive, and it is easy to get a new tool on center. Lacking that, just a little "feel" will tell you whether it is cutting correctly. As they say, a poor craftsman blames his tools.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2025, 10:46:04 pm
content: I think conceptually the standard tool post is more stable with a proper shim. But I asked two manual machinists from different places and they look at me like I am deranged. They LIKE that adjustment screw. I think they would consider the equipment 'not practical to ever use' without it.a one piece tool made of steel that is forged and ground specifically for the part you are making after you center it in the lathe lol. I wonder if that is how some super precise things are made.. it would look like a clothing hanger hook. Perhaps just weld the stock on the arbor too. Jeffery bezos brass door knobs

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 04:26:34 pm
content: If you had your choice of Sherline or This:https://youtu.be/4pK3O43Jddg?si=WnGvbAT5i5oQlM0xSee second half of video... I think it's obvious you'd keep the Sherline..Steve

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 08:33:03 pm
content: that's pretty nice I was using a file and a drill press before, his work looks much betterWhat it makes me wonder is about attaching a electric variable speed chain saw to some kinda sprocket with a bicycle chain.BTW I do like belts, especially for drill presses, because it can avoid accidents. Belt tends to slip, when you are misusing machinery that would probably do something bad if force was transferred.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 08:37:48 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on October 08, 2025, 08:33:03 pmA file and a drill press is when right there it was time to buy real machine tools. I had worked in a machine shop before and all through college days.You would use a DC motor direct drive.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 08:43:26 pm
content: yeah it seems that when you avoid having to make parts that require rotation it gets a little funky/non standard and extra complicated.Then you end up with a tools 'geared' or 'sized' to the 'hole saw cutout standard'. Probobly not a good thing when your "e-series" is "hole saw punchouts"

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 09:48:43 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on October 08, 2025, 08:43:26 pmPlease translate. Is it gibberish, palaver or something else?

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2025, 10:06:41 pm
content: Something struck me a little odd about this discussion during dinner According to Google, the shipping weight on a Sherline lathe is about 30# or even less, depending on model. Isn't all of this talk about rigidity of hardened steel tool posts a bit superfluous compared to that? That's less than 1% the weight of a Monarch 10EE lathe. Just make the tool holders out of hickory or cherry.EDIT: The very first lathe I used was a jeweler's lathe, and the triangular cutter was held in my fingers. I still made a usable stem for a watch with it.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2025, 05:58:07 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on October 08, 2025, 10:06:41 pmMy description was "flimsy". Your observation is 100% correct, though the comparison tp a 10EE is a bit over the top.But minimum weight for a small lathe is IMO 100 kg (200#).

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2025, 06:27:04 pm
content: The 10EE sticks with me because I keep kicking myself for passing up on a 1960's model in great shape for $3500 at HGR (Cleveland area) in about 2004. I drove home, and called back in less than 2 hours and it was gone. A dollar a pound was pretty good.I agree on the 200# number. In the 1970's, I had a South Bend 9" light with manual change gears Strippped down and without the motor, it was probably in that class.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2025, 06:51:01 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on October 09, 2025, 05:58:07 pmLooking at the Sherline catalogue, it appears that the low height steel bed is mounted on an alloy casting, with the saddle, cross slide, headstock and tailstock being made of anodized Aluminium. That would explain the low weight. I'm not sure about the wear characteristics of anodized aluminium against steel.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2025, 09:35:34 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on October 09, 2025, 06:27:04 pmThe South Bend 9" is light duty only. If we're talking lathes that can do some real work, the South Bend Heavy 10" is about the minimum. Hard to get these days, they're loitering in the basements of a lot of hobbyists.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 03:57:04 am
content: Ok it looks like it works. One of the gibs was a little out and the motor was a little loose. I was able to resize a piece of brass, a piece of titanium and a copper tubing.I tried what might be a long hardened steel pin in there, and at very shallow cuts it made this weird wavy texture on parts of it that measures a few thousanths deep. I think this indicates that its deflecting but I am not sure. It looks like 'wrinkles'. It starts smoking on the cutter very fast.I thought the way that the little machine shop tool post attaches is suspicious (it uses 1 screw), so I drilled two countersunk holes in the little steel plate with the thread, so the end post screws into the plate with the big thread, and two 10-32 screws hold it the lathe. I ordered some dovetail nuts, because the ones I have are made of aluminum.The steel plate appears to be case hardened, I was not sure so I drilled the holes in a 3 step process with carbide drills (proxxon sensitive drill press) to a slightly too tight fit (lack the proper drillbit) of a 10-32 screw, and then I used an alumina stone of the correct diameter to 'hone' it into shape on a drill press, and countersunk it with a carbide 5 flute countersink.I am surprised it does not fit with 4 screws to both dovetails, but the little steel plate is too small to reach both of them. Its a bit strange to me, since you have a big fat tool post (3/8) that terminates into a 10-32 set screw....and the 3 jaw chuck was having holding trouble at first, but after a few attempts it runs smoother and holds tight. I ordered a number of carbide center drillsI was wondering about making a 4 point attachment steel plate for the center post, but the problem is the 3/8 thread. I could make the holes out of a pre-hardened steel plate, but I seriously doubt I can thread it. I thought about making it out of tool steel which I can heat treat myself, but I have zero experience with this, and I am suspicious I can just make something inferior.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 09:16:52 pm
content: the dowel pin is probably vibrating like a guitar string.ROT is no more than 3x diameter stickout from the chuck.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2025, 10:25:50 pm
content: yeah it would be interesting to see it with a slow motion camera I wonder what is going on there. It could be a unique texture for aesthetics