What tool are you using I can happily ctr drill and turn down to a 3/32" shaft and use a MT3 revolving ctr.

YYes that's the basic Idea. I tend to use a 10mm shank 55 degree insert tool which leaves a 5 degree clearance to the live ctr.

You can also grind up some HSS to a similar shape. Also you don't need such a large section tool though depending on your toolpost it may clash with the tailstock Ctr unless you have a lot of tool sticking out in which case one of the Dickson extended tool holders comes in handy

You can get half centres for turning right up to the centre.

Roy

Make an extended carrier for a small tool bit. Either a simple U slotted bar with small hex socket grub screws to hold a suitably small piece of square tool steel or bore a steel bar to take a round tool bit boring bar style albeit pointing out the end rather than sideways. Broken centre drills and small milling cutters make excellent round toolbits. Bit short when it comes to grinding but shaping them in the holder works just fine and gives you plenty to hold. Nice heatsink so they don't burn your fingers so fast too.

Arrange things so the toolbit angles up a little, Armstrong holder style, to give simple fine adjustment of tip height by sliding the bit in and out. Need to get it just so on this small work.

You may well find that making the bit holder wider so the tool is actually off to the side of the four way block gives more room around the tailstock and centre. No issues with stiffness as this is a light cut job. Plenty of room to make the holder far too strong, especially if cantilevered out the side.

I'd long considered making some U channel holders for small tool bits but it always seemed too much trouble . Then I lucked into a couple or four in a "can you use this rubbish" bonus box given to me by a non machining friend. First time I used one convinced me that not making some when I first thought one would be nice was, ahem, exceedingly stupid. Some round bit holders in there too but for larger sizes.

Clive

I have a tailstock for my watchmakers lathe ( make unknown ) that has in internal taper like the headstock to take collets.

Roy

For getting a good finish even on silver steel in small lathes get yourself some of the aluminium carbide inserts that Jason show in his 1st picture. These inserts are fantastic on small lathes, they are unbelievably sharp so watch your hands on them. They work great on aluminium, brass & steel. Both tool holders & inserts are available from online sellers very cheaply & are good quality considering the low prices from the right sellers. I use nothing but these now on my little Sherline lathe & get a close to a ground finish even on steel.

If the arbors are long and slim, you could make up a Roller Box, as used on Capstan or Turret lathes.

Rollers Leading locate on the round raw material, with the cutting tool just behind, (3mm or s less).

Rollers Trailing locate on the newly turned diameter. For this, to set up the box, you need to turn a short diameter close up to the chuck. Once set, you can than extend the raw material, (which does not have be round ).

Recently, I made up a Reversible Roller Box, which can be used in either configuration, but so far remains unused!

The rollers are small ball races. Having a Micrometer barrel available, that is used to control tool advance.

Howard

Fascinating job Nigel. Always good to see old machines restored sympathetically.

I've seen something close to Shear Steel being made on a couple of TV documentaries where they demonstrated how historic steel was made. There are people in the UK and US who know how. The furnace could be built in a back garden but there's a fair bit of skill needed. The iron is made as pure as possible and then the slag is beaten out of it. TV makes the next stage look quick, but my 1875 source quotes an iron bar 7/16" thick taking 9 hours to convert, and mentions the importance of the carburising heat being kept uniform throughout, not easy. Once the raw steel is available purifying is done by repeated folding and hammering – an enormous amount of forge welding, ideally repeated twice to make best quality 'Double Shear Steel'.

Although very expensive to make my 1875 book isn't enthusiastic about the result: 'Steel so produced cannot be said to be perfect' and 'During the last few years the manufacture of this steel has been limited, mechanics preferring a soft cast steel, which is much superior…'

The amount of time, effort and skill that went into making the original clock is amazing. I reckon the 1710 maker would have killed to get his hands on your cheap but lovely Silver Steel!

Dave

Have you thought of getting a straight shank ER16 collet (1-10mm) that has collets in 1/2mm increments to use in a normal 3 or 4 jaw lathe chuck. The absence of a draw bar would be an advantage, as you could slide the work in and out.