Quick Change tool posts...

Guerra Cues

I build one cue at a time
Silver Member
Hey folks,
I decided getting a CXA QCTP.
There is a zillion places where I can get them but my budget is limited.
Just wondering if there are any places you guys would advise, for a good price ofcourse.
Thanks!
 
Hey folks,
I decided getting a CXA QCTP.
There is a zillion places where I can get them but my budget is limited.
Just wondering if there are any places you guys would advise, for a good price ofcourse.
Thanks!

For me Aloris is the way to go, and cheap or affordable is not part of the equation. Precision is worth every penny.
 
oops

Tony, i'm a dipsh..t. Just verified with buddy. What i thought was a bxa, was actually an axa. and that was why it didnt work out so well. Had i had the bxa i probably would have been happy with it. So the other guys were right and i was wrong. Get the BXA.
 
Tony, i'm a dipsh..t. Just verified with buddy. What i thought was a bxa, was actually an axa. and that was why it didnt work out so well. Had i had the bxa i probably would have been happy with it. So the other guys were right and i was wrong. Get the BXA.

The CXA is a monster.
 
The CXA is a monster.

yah, its fits my 1440 nicely proportional wise. The 1340 it seems maybe a little big but still holds the cutter/holder around center line to the spindle. I have gotten use to how big they are.
 
Here is the million dollar question... Sorry for the ignorance.
What are the differences between a wedge and a piston QCTP?
 
I have used an AXA wedge setup,and an Aloris, and compared to what I am using, it is not more accurate at all.
The really good piston setups, are all ground on the master block and the tool holders.
Sadly these days, not many are ground on the main block and the tool holders anymore,apart from the expensive ones.
Buying a good quality tool holder set is never regreted.
 
Hey Kenny, That is my experience. Every Machine Shop and Cue shop I have worked for has this opinion. More contact area with the wedge type.

The reason the wedge has more accuracy than the piston type is because the wedge pulls back and basically causes a speading dovetail which will pull the holder tight and in line every single time. With the piston type, its possible to cock the holder and lock it in place. Unless your in the habit of making sure your holder is in the same spot every time, you can can lock your tool in a random arc of a couple degrees which will not always be accurate when you are switching between tools constantly.
 
This is the best explanation I have found:


The wedge-type (Aloris BXA) is far superior to the push type (Aloris BX) toolpost.

The wedge-type tool post has two distinct advantages:

1) The front dovetail (toward the spindle) is fixed; it does not move. So the reference which it provides does not move. The wedge pulls the tool holder forcefully into this dovetail. This locates the holder on the X and Y axes quite accurately.

2) By virtue of the dovetail geometry, the wedge pulls the holder back against the body of the post, so the full width of the holder wings bears against the post body, forcing the holder rigidly square to the tool post, preventing rotation about the vertical axis.

By comparison, the push-type has no rotational reference at all. The holder will rotate depending on exactly where and how the two dovetails mate between the holder and post.

In the X and Y axes, the push-type post relies on the mesh of the dovetails, but without providing any reference for that mesh. The holder is a loose fit on the dovetail, as is required to mount and dismount it. Therefore, the exact position of the holder WRT the post is variable.

I have a BXA (real Aloris) on my Monarch 10ee and have seen no measurable error in tool position. Of course this is predicated on keeping everything very clean. Any little bit of swarf can throw you off.

Use a real BXA (wedge type by definition) and you'll never use anything else.
 
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