Hi guys! I’ve been without internet due to a winter storm for more than a week. It’s good to be back!

Luckily I only lost power for 1 day following the storm. So I had a lot of time to play around with my newly constructed 3D printer. One of the first parts I made was a Quick Change Tool Post (QCTP) Tool Holder that would attach to the back of my Grizzly G0602 lathe’s backsplash. Here you can see 5 tool holder storage brackets clipped in place, with my trusty Diamond Tool Holder hanging on the first bracket.

I have an AXA (#100) piston-style QCTP and I needed a good way to store my tool holders. My tool holders were too tall to fit into all but the biggest drawer on my Kennedy tool chest, and I had other stuff occupying that space. So my tool holders always seemed to sit on the benchtop or on a clean part of my chip tray near my tailstock. Not ideal. I’ve knocked them off more than once – and they ALWAYS land cutting-edge down.

Then Norman sent me some cast aluminum tool holders that were an excellent yet simple solution to the problem. But they needed to be mounted to the wall to be used effectively. I didn’t have a wall nearby to bolt them to (I have metal shelving along every square foot of my shop walls) so I bolted them to a piece of 2×4 and clamped that near my lathe. That worked, but it wasn’t an ideal solution either.

So instead I took cues from Normans design and created an ABS plastic version that would clip to my G0602 backsplash. I’m very pleased with the results! Here’s a closeup:

The parts aren’t perfectly smooth like what you’d expect from an injection molded part. But then again, they don’t need to be smooth to perform their function. My 3D printer lays down layers of plastic in very thin (.010 or less) layers with an accuracy/resolution of .003 to .005 – just fine for a part like this. Each part takes a little over an hour to print, so they aren’t as quick to manufacture as an injection molded part either. But the setup cost for an injection mold for a part like this would be in the thousands just to have the mold made. I think that’s probably the reason nobody has bothered to manufacture a part like this before – they’d have a hard time making their money back on the initial mold investment if they sold the parts for $10 a piece. But having the ability to print a part like this eliminates the financial barriers associated with bringing it to market.

I’m going to list a few of these on eBay at $8 each. If ProjectsInMetal members/visitors would like to buy some I’ll sell them for $7 and cut eBay and their fees out of the equation. They are very light and thus inexpensive to ship. About $4 for the set of 5 that I sent to Norman (from Seattle to Texas via First Class Mail). Shipping outside the USA will be a bit more, but I won’t overcharge.

If the parts prove popular and a lot of people buy them I may look a little harder into an injection mold. But for now I’m extremely happy with the printed version. They are very strong (you’d have to try hard to break them) and fit my tool holders very well. As for the backsplash, the G0602 has a lip that is folded forward .06, and down .05. If you have a different backsplash with similar dimensions the brackets would probably fit with little to no modification. But if necessary they could be easily filed to fit a slightly larger backsplash lip. They won’t, however, fit a backsplash folded the opposite direction. But I could easily re-design the clip if you’ve got a lathe with different dimensions. Just let me know.

If you’d like to purchase, please use the PayPal button below. If you have trouble using the PayPal button, please send me a private message via the forum. Right now the only color I have is Black, and I have 10 in stock (but I can make more). Thanks!

G0602 QCTP Tool Holder Storage Bracket: $7 USD 

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Hello there folks, I’ve had my lathe over a year now, and I’m sick to death of fiddling with the little bolt to loosen the tailstock. Something always seems to get in the way. So after a bit of research I thought I’d have a go at making my very own tailstock camlock. Note: I’ve included drawings in PDF format at the bottom of this post.

The problem.

The solution.

Here we see the tailstock as a whole:

Finished camlock.

So I started by machining a new clamp plate, this measures 42.00mm by 25.4mm. It is 5.7mm thick. The grooves come in 8.5mm from each edge and are 2 mm deep. The hole is 10mm in diameter and is 15 mm from the right hand edge and 13.5 mm from the front edge (closest to the camera in this picture)

The clamp plate.

Next I machined a clamp bolt from 10mm steel bar (of unknown grade) which was threaded on both ends using an M8 die. The bolt is 56.3mm in length, the larger threaded portion is 12.2mm to the shoulder, the smaller threaded portion is 9.2mm to the shoulder. Then I attached a bolt on the end, and put it in the lathe to shorten the length of the nut so that it would clear the bed.

The clamp bolt.

Next I made a cam receiver, it was made from 12.7mm hex stock, centerdrilled then drilled to 6.8mm, then tapped M8, once this was done, it was cross drilled 8mm.

The receiver is 17.6mm in length. The cross drilled hole is halfway along the length.

The Receiver

After these were done, I made the cam. This was done by offsetting the work in the four jaw chuck. This would be easier to do on an individual four jaw, but I don’t have one, I only have a self centering so I offset it by putting some packing material in. The cam was made from 10mm steel (unknown grade) and is 47.2mm in length. The offset portion is 13mm long and 7.8mm in diameter.

Turning the cam.

I did this at quite a slow speed, because I was worried about the work coming out. I wasn’t sure how secure it was. Either way it turned out well.

Finished cam with handle attached.

The cam was pressed into a bit of steel that had been drilled to the same size as the cam, then cross drilled to accommodate the handle.

Here is an overview of the parts

The only thing missing from the image above is a spring that is used to keep the clamp plate away from the ways when it is unlocked.

In Use:

Here the tailstock is unlocked.

Here it is locked.

Note the nice knob on the end of the handle, this was made using my ball turning attachment. I haven’t shown the handle because the dimensions aren’t critical.

To conclude:

This has been a very worthwhile project, saving me lots of time and frustration. If I was to make it again I would make the part of the cam that goes into the receiver slightly longer, so that I could put a circlip on it so that it wouldn’t come out.

Although this is for the Clarke Lathe, I’m sure that you would be able to modify it for your machine. As promised, here are the plans:

  Camlock_for_a_Lathe_Tailstock_by_Gareth_Bellringer.pdf (262.7 KiB, 311 hits)
NOTE: You need to be a registered member (and logged in) to download this file. You can register or log in using the "Log In" section located in the upper left corner of the site (don't worry, it's free to register and your email address will be kept private). Please note, subscribing to the RSS feed is not the same as registering. Also, registering for the site will grant you forum access, allowing you to log into the forum using the same username and password you used to register for the site.

Thanks for reading.

By Gareth Bellringer About the Author

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I’m sure many of you have already seen the “captive nut” in one form or another. I came across it a few years ago and forgot all about it until it showed up on the forum recently.

Here’s Gareth Bell’s Captive Nut:

And here’s another version by Jerry:

It’s a great project for the beginner for a couple of reasons, but mostly because it allows you to practice single-point threading. Once you’re done you’ve got quite the conversation piece that will puzzle and entertain kids and adults alike.

For more information (including links with directions on how to make your own) visit the original forum post by Gareth.