QA 120 Quick Change Toolpost onto HAFCO AL 250 Lathe

[conrodParticipant @conrod]

Just turned 71 and spent birthday money on a Quick Change Toolpost for my HAFCO lathe to replace the standard 4 way. The salesman said “you just need to drill and tap cross slide for bigger stud, and put a nut under for more strength”.

Got home and whipped off crosslide and thought no way will I do that,,,,gotta be better way see photo 1 the standard stud is 10mm dia and short while the QCT is 14mm and long,

Had a cuppa and a think,,need sleeve 14mm dia drilled and tapped 10mm to fit over lathe stud and long enough to poke out above QCT where it will be threaded 14mm for QCT supplied nut. Had a second cuppa and the penny dropped!!!!just need to get a 14mm bolt, drill and tap 10mm and drop it in from the top and “Bobs your Uncle” see photo 2

So reassembled cross slide with QCT on (sloppy 14mm to 10 mm fit) dropped in the tapped 14mm bolt (couple of length alterations with hacksaw) and she locks up and looks great, replaced the daggy QCT lever with my old “lucky 13 ” handle fortunately same thread ,,,see phot 3 ….

Doesnt get any better than this.

[conrodParticipant @conrod]

Found some 100mm x 25mm flat bar in “come in handy someday bin” and thought I could fabricate a solid compound rest for greater rigidity .Looks good to me

[conrodParticipant @conrod]

Got bored with the rigid toolpost and having to use a spanner to change the angle of the tools so decided to make a locking nut with handle and go back to normal compuond rest. However the stud was 14mm fine pitch and I didnt have taps for that, only 14 normal pitch so fished out a 14mm bolt, cut of the head and made a stud. Tapped the compound rest and whipped up a nut with knob. 

[conrodParticipant @conrod]

After a few cups of coffee I decided that the stud was a bit loose in compound rest (original hole slightly over the recommended drill size) and that my old foreman would be disgusted with “an amatures fit” so I should do a “propper tradesman like job”. The slide is 15mm thick but had been counterbored 30mm dia 5 deep, so bored right through 30 dia and counterbored 40mm OD by 5 thick from underside and whipped up a top hat bush to suit out of MS I had laying around, its on the vyce below. 

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