Slender Turning Tool

[pgp001]

I have been putting off making studs for a while now, but decided I needed a better way of reducing standard bar down to BA diameter for the studs I need to make.
I already have on of those attachments that fit into the toolpost, they use a small bush and the actual turning tool is contained within it.
The last time I used it it took about an hour to set it up, and five minutes to do the actual turning, they are such a faff to get the tool on the right centre height and also cutting to the correct depth, it all seems to be a bit of trial and error.

So I have come up with this instead, it still uses bushes, but once the bracket is fastened to the saddle with one bolt it is in perfect alignment every time, the beauty of this jig is the fact that the tool height and the depth of cut can be done in the normal way using the compound slide and QC toolpost.

I did not make any drawings for this which is highly unusual for me, I just found a spare lump of metal and started cutting, the hole where the bushes fit was bored out in situ with it bolted to the saddle.

Phil



When I come to use it in anger, I will use a collet rather than the three jaw chuck, the little short lathe tool is actually 1/4" square Stellite 100, and it is way better than HSS as it stays sharp and holds a keen edge for much longer. I also use it in my tangential tool holder, and that is where this short bit came from.

[steamer]

Sweet!    I made something similar for turning threads on very long very small diameter screws.   Its more of a follower rest, than a box tool like that, but very similar

Dave

[propforward]

That’s excellent. My attempt at something similar was overcomplicated and an utter failure. My next attempt will be astoundingly similar to yours.

[bent]

Neat idea!

[Charles Lamont]

I made a similar one a few years ago. It is offset towards the headstock to avoid having to wind back the topside so far in order to clear a toolholder.

The other clever thing about this type of steady is that you can make the hole in the bush in situ, so it is bound to be bang on centre.

Here I am running down some 1/8" rod to 0.110" for making 6-BA studs:

[pgp001]

Great minds think alike 

I would be very interested to see what other peoples solutions are for holding very short and small diameter studs for putting the second thread on them.

I use a Coventry die head for most jobs and get a very good repeatable thread, but holding studs for second operations is always very fiddly and time consuming to say the least.
I will shortly be doing rather large batch of 10BA and M1.6 studs for Agnes, and I aint looking forward to it

Phil 

[AOG]

I usually tap the correct size hole in a piece of scrap round held in the three jaw. Then I thread in the completed side of the stud. Next I cut the other side with my tail stock die holder. It’s not so bad if you do them in batches.

Tony

[tangler]

Nice idea Phil, I shall copy that.

Like Tony I use a threaded hole but mine is in a short length of precision ground mild steel in a collet so it can be reused as needed.

Rod

[pgp001]

AOG and Tangler

Do you find that the stud gets jammed tightly into the holder when you add the second thread, if so how do you remove it ?

I have been playing with the George Thomas stud holder design and also a lantern chuck, but am not entirely convinced they are the best solution.

Also, do you do the short thread first or the long thread ?

Phil

[scc]

I think the answer is to tap right through the "holder" and insert a screw from the back. This acts both as a depth stop and a means of loosening the stud from the front. It's best to relieve the tip of the backstop screw to prevent the possibility of it spreading under any load from the stud  that's being threaded. I hope I've explained this ok.      Terry

[AOG]

I cheat. I thread a nut almost all the way down the thread before I screw it into the scrap. I use it as a jamb nut. When I want to remove the stud, I break loose the nut with a wrench and that usually frees up the small studs. Occasionally I have to run the nut to the end of the thread and break the torque using a wrench.

Tony