QC tool post question.

[macguy]

I have an old Craftsman 6" lathe I use now and then but I want to put a QC post on it. I just started looking and found this one.
http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2486

Doesn't look bad and the price is OK but it is made of aluminum. Does anyone own one like this for their mini lathe and how does it stand up? Does someone have another they can suggest?
Look forward to some info as I want to order something in the next few days.
Thanks Mac.

 

[iusedtoberich]

I have another brand aluminum QC setup I use on my Hightower. I think 4 or 5 differnt compmanines sell/make these smaller aluminum ones.

I have had very good success with mine. It holds the tool well, and repeats well when changing out the holders.

Mine holds the parting tool differntly tahn the one you linked does. I believe it has screws from the side, where the head overalps part of the blade (I don't have it in front of me now...)

About the only thing I didn't like on mine was the way it attached to the Hightower cross slide (standard Taig cross slide). Due to the cross slide T-nuts slot, the toolpost came with an 8-32 screw, to secure it to the T-slot. This was a poor setup, and caused the post to move on occasion. I replaced it with another larger screw, that went into an aluminum block I made. I don't think you will have this issue on an Atlas lathe. But it would probably be a good idea to ask the seller for a picture of the underside of the tool post, and what size screw it uses.

Here is an old pic from an unrelated post of mine showing a few pics of my toolholder and spacer block I built. In the top left pic you can barely see the heads of the screws holding in the parting blade. I think the screw in clamping down the toolpost now is 3/8 diameter, instead of the #8 it was before.