View Full Version : Shimming lathe tooling?


SRT Mike
08-05-2007, 12:10 PM
Another dumb question. My LC-40 takes 1.25 high by 1.0" wide toolholders. These are a PITA to find. I also want to use positive rake tools and almost nobody makes 1.25 x 1.0" postive rake holders.

But there are a ton of 1.0x1.0 holders out there! If I shimmed them .25 I could use them. No problem doing that, right?

Anyone got a good source of shim stock? McMaster only has round ones and I'm looking more for .25 x 1.0 x 5" maybe. Ideally, if there were some short of real thin, sturdy, adjustable shim, I could use 'em on both sides of my tool and get them perfectly centered. Anyone know of anything like that?

Thanks!

tobyaxis
08-05-2007, 12:43 PM
Another dumb question. My LC-40 takes 1.25 high by 1.0" wide toolholders. These are a PITA to find. I also want to use positive rake tools and almost nobody makes 1.25 x 1.0" postive rake holders.

But there are a ton of 1.0x1.0 holders out there! If I shimmed them .25 I could use them. No problem doing that, right?

Anyone got a good source of shim stock? McMaster only has round ones and I'm looking more for .25 x 1.0 x 5" maybe. Ideally, if there were some short of real thin, sturdy, adjustable shim, I could use 'em on both sides of my tool and get them perfectly centered. Anyone know of anything like that?

Thanks!


Your in luck because MSC sells individual plastic sheets as well as complete sets from .001 to .03 thicknesses.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/GSDRVSM?PACACHE=000000024100229

Cheers!!!!!:)

Geof
08-05-2007, 01:03 PM
You need to hold the 1 x 1 holder out as well as up. Why not machine your own L shaped spacer? Hot rolled steel would be fine and would not distort like cold rolled would when you took most of it away. You could even secure them in the holders with a flat head countersunk bolt.

SRT Mike
08-07-2007, 07:03 PM
You need to hold the 1 x 1 holder out as well as up. Why not machine your own L shaped spacer? Hot rolled steel would be fine and would not distort like cold rolled would when you took most of it away. You could even secure them in the holders with a flat head countersunk bolt.

I think the width would be ok, no? The holders in the machine are 1.0" wide 1.25" high, so with a 1.0"x1.0" holder I figured I could just shim it up?

I'll need to play with shimming anyway because from look at dat turret, its gonna need a biiiiig hammer to move it, so for now I'll shim tools until it's sorted :)

HuFlungDung
08-07-2007, 10:19 PM
You can purchase precision ground flat stock tool steel bars in many widths and thicknesses. Myself, I'd likely get a bar of 1/4" x 1" C1018 cold finished flat bar to wack up.

eject_21
08-08-2007, 04:34 AM
I use .25" aluminum flat stock on top, and behind the tool to get it on center,and to get it "out" beyond the face of the turret. No need for anything fancy, shim, or shave the spacer to get on center in "X". The spacer behind will probably fall out once you get everything tight, I leave it out.(Better than it falling out and running into the face of my part).