My 9x20 experience

[Gilrock]

So I've had my new Jet 9x20 metal lathe for several weeks and I'm starting to see why it's gotten some bad comments. I immediately upgraded the compound slide mount to a 4 bolt plate and I installed a Phase II QCTP. I still feel like the compound slide is not rigid enough. I don't know the names of everything but it seems like to reduce the slop I have to tighten up the 3 screws that put pressure on the bar to tighten up the dovetail to the point where the compound slide doesn't move very easy. When I've actually wanted to rotate the slide and use the compound handle to cut at an angle I need to slightly loosen those screws. The result is that my angle cuts have a terrible finish.

And parting operations scare the crap outta me. I usually stand to the side with one hand on the emergency stop. I had one part I made from 3/4" steel that I ruined trying to part it off when the parting tool dug in and ripped it from the chuck and threw it. The resulting piece was like a 1/4" shaft with a 3/4" disc on the end and when the parting operation failed the 1/4" shaft got bent. I've even had 1" aluminum get ripped from the chuck. Good thing I was smart enough to buy a face shield when I started using this lathe. I did successfully part off 5/8" tool steel this weekend but it takes me over 30 minutes to cut off one piece. I have to lock down the saddle and really wrench down the QCTP nut and try to make sure there is no play anywhere. Maybe I'm not using the correct speeds because I had been trying 300 and 400 RPM but on a whim I later parted off a piece of 1" aluminum this weekend but tried 1000 RPM and had much better success.

I've been wondering if anyone makes an upgraded compound slide for this lathe. I've also been wishing I could find an experienced machinist to come over and show me the works and maybe help see if I've got the right tooling for the job. Any tips about what speeds you usually use for parting off steel and aluminum rods and the best parting tools for the job would be appreciated.

 

[Acornelius]

Gil,
Just a few quick things you might try. 1) make sure the tool is perpendicular to the work. 2) use a little coolant or cutting fluid, alcohol works great on aluminum. 3) watch the chips. they should look like a #9 when they break. Also, look at the color. If steel starts to turn blue or straw color you probably have to high of an rpm.
Let the tool cut. If it just rubs the surface it's just generating heat and dulling the tool. Play around with different RPMs.
If it starts to chatter back up and try something different. try to part off as close to the chuck as possible.

Good luck

 

[Rich L]

Outside of some other potential problems you might have with your slides a basic sorta rule is the harder your material, the slower you go. That's why your aluminum parting goes better at higher RPM. You've got something significantly wrong (maybe multiple things at the same time) if parting off a piece of tool steel (you don't say what kind) takes a half hour.

Make sure your parting tool has side relief, it's centered to the z axis and a 0º rake is a good starting point if it's a non-indexable bar. You'll have to experiment with feed but make sure you don't feed so slightly you start rubbing instead of cutting. You'll likely work harden the material. 400 RPM for a carbon tool steel with roughly .001 - .002 feed into 5/8 stock should work just fine. It should not squeal and if you have chatter at those settings look at rigidity.

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Gilrock]

The 5/8" tool steel is O1. I'm using the PhaseII quick change adapter that holds 1/2" parting tools and I got a parting blade from Enco but I forget which one. I was thinking of buying a few from LMS to see how they perform. I think I got the blade perpendicular...my technique was to loosen the top nut of the QCTP and position the slide so that the front edge of the QCTP touched the bar to square it up and then tightened it down. Then I back off the slide and install the quick change adapter. I was trying to sharpen the parting tool myself and it seemed to cut better after sharpening. I'm not sure what a 0 degree rake is but I tried to maintain the slight angle I saw on the front edge of the blade.

It was taking a long time because I was trying to cut in a small ways then back it off and move it over slightly. So I kept going in back and forth trying to keep the cutting slot wider than the parting blade. I thought maybe that would work better since just going straight in hadn't worked out.

What I see happening when things go wrong is the parting tool starts to dig in and doesn't sound right and I've seen it cause the whole cross slide to vibrate and once when it caught it seemed like it slightly twisted the QCTP.

 

[gimpy]

A few weeks, heck, I'd send it back a get a bigger/better one

 

[Gilrock]

A few weeks, heck, I'd send it back a get a bigger/better one

Don't think I haven't thought about it.

 

[Gilrock]

Thought of a couple other questions...

Lubricating the lathe...how are you supposed to lube the spots with the ball bearing fittings? I've been using this Zoom Spout Oil from Ace
Norvey ZS75A Zoom-Spout Oiler 4Oz.
I've tried pressing the plastic tube onto the bearing while squeezing out a little oil but it doesn't seem like it's really getting inside there.

By the way I was using the same oil as cutting fluid cause I didn't know what I should use.

Polishing steel or aluminum - I have no idea what products to use to try to sand and polish a piece of steel or aluminum. I was trying to not need much by doing a light finish cut at higher RPM but I've noticed increasing the RPM also increases the feed rate so since I'm already on feed rate I it doesn't seem to help me to increase the RPM unless I feed manually which doesn't seem to give me as nice a finish. I guess I could put the largest gear on the feed screw to slow it down. By the way I broke the retainer clip part that holds one of the gears in the very first time I tried to change gears out. Didn't seem like it was built out of the right kind of material for it's purpose.

 

[Rich L]

The 5/8" tool steel is O1. I'm using the PhaseII quick change adapter that holds 1/2" parting tools and I got a parting blade from Enco but I forget which one. ... I think I got the blade perpendicular...my technique was to loosen the top nut of the QCTP and position the slide so that the front edge of the QCTP touched the bar to square it up and then tightened it down. Then I back off the slide and install the quick change adapter. . I'm not sure what a 0 degree rake is but I tried to maintain the slight angle I saw on the front edge of the blade.

It was taking a long time because I was trying to cut in a small ways then back it off and move it over slightly. So I kept going in back and forth trying to keep the cutting slot wider than the parting blade. I thought maybe that would work better since just going straight in hadn't worked out.

What I see happening when things go wrong is the parting tool starts to dig in and doesn't sound right and I've seen it cause the whole cross slide to vibrate and once when it caught it seemed like it slightly twisted the QCTP.

Sorry if I'm suggesting things you already know about but here goes:

O1 should cut like butter at around 500RPM and the feeds I suggested earlier. If your tool is grabbing then you are likely feeding too much. Manual lathe - be smooth and firm with the feed. Look at your crossfeed scale and calculate how fast you'll have to turn it to maintain a nice even feedrate. Zero top rake means that the top of the cutting tool is flat. You say your tool is perpendicular to the z axis but you don't say how you make the tool top edge centered (at the same level) as the z axis. Z axis is the spindle axis. That's pretty important. How does backing off the slide and installing the quick change adapter guarantee that you are level with the z axis? Have you dialed that in previously?

WD40 out of a spray bottle works wonders - not as clean as alcohol, which I've never used as a coolant or lube, but it works on steel and aluminum and plastics.

Your parting technique is questionable as your parting tool should do the whole job without moving it around. Are you locking the saddle before you start parting. Maybe your whole carriage is loose somehow or the cross-slide gibs are loose (if you have those).

Trying to help - good luck!

Cheers,
Rich

What's the width of your parting tool? HSS? Cobalt?

 

[BRobbins629]

I have always found it much easier to cut with a hack saw or metal band saw and then make a facing cut on the part.

 

[BigShed]

I don't think your problems lie necessarily with the lathe, I have a 9x20 and I can part SS and most other materials quite easily.

To part successfully there a few things to watch out for:

The top of the parting tool needs to EXACTLY on centre of the work, this is the biggest cause for dig ins.

The saddle should preferably be locked in position.

Parting should be done as close as possible to the chuck.

The tool should be fed in slowly but steadily, not in a jerky fashion.

If in doubt reduce your speed.

You have already corrected the single most cause for problems, the 4 bolt plate.

If you have only had your 9x20 lathe a few weeks don't forget that Rome wasn't built in a day. The best was to get up to speed on this machine is practice, practice, practice............did I mention practice?

Start with aluminium, get proficient on that then move to harder materials. I find one of the best materials to learn after aluminium is 1214 a leaded form of mild steel, very easy to cut and get a decent finish on.

Are you using carbide tipped tools? If you are try cutting with HSS and learn how to sharpen that properly.

Like every thing else, there is a learning curve to everything, I'm sure you went through that on your wood lathe.

 

[Texatdurango]

Gil, Your post looks identical to one I posted a few years ago when I got my metal lathe! I too had an EXPERIENCE with a parting tool shooting off the lathe. I later found that if the parting tool is not perfectly perpendicular to the lathe, a little ways in, it will start grabbing onto one side and eventually cause the piece to literally try and pop the tool from the tool post. When this happens, it can toss the parting bar quite a distance.

There is a little video you should watch: Lathe Workshop for Beginners Part 1, Turning - YouTube

About half way through, he parts off the rod and you will notice it takes just a few seconds. This is what you should be doing if your cutoff bar is set correctly, making sure the cutter is at the center line of the rod. I found that even though my tool rest was set correctly, the quick change tool hlder had a little slop in the dovetail and when tightened down was actually setting the cutoff bar a little of causing the binding.

Swarfrat.com used to sell instructional DVD's which I watched over and over and really helped me understand what I was doing.

 

[dgscott]

If you haven't done so already, I'd suggest joining the 9x20 lathe users group on Yahoo. There are actually two of them, and getting on to the first will direct you to the second. There's a wealth of information there you'll find invaluable.
Doug

 

[Rich L]

I just went out to the shop to make a short video of a manual parting operation of 5/8 mild steel (O1 is easier) using 500 RPM, about .002 manual feed, and WD40 as a lube coolant. As you'll see I do about a half turn with the cross-slide (which is .100 ø) and then I have to back out to reposition my hand. Lube makes all the difference in the world as far as cutting ability and finish. If I don't use lube the cutting becomes intermittent and a bit grabby and the finish looks like the end you see before I start cutting.

So let me work on editing the video and I'll post a link.

Admittedly, the lathe is a bit more substantial than the Jet 9-20 but a 5/8 inch rod is not too much for the Jet to handle.

Stay tuned! This is fun!

Cheers,
Rich

 

[frank123]

I don't know if this applies exactly to a 9x20, but as long as the lathe is reversible it should work well.

Parting on my highly modified 7x12 mini lathe was difficult for me till I made an upside down parting tool and parted it in reverse instead of the usual parting tool arrangement that cuts it in forward and drags the bit downwards.

Not difficult to do, and I get perfect or near perfect parting on everything from 1 1/4 steel bar to thin aluminum tubing and aluminum and brass bar and all kinds of plastics every time now. About the only time I use lubricant (cutting fluid) is when I'm cutting larger steel or brass stock.

 

[Texatdurango]

I don't know if this applies exactly to a 9x20, but as long as the lathe is reversible it should work well.

Parting on my highly modified 7x12 mini lathe was difficult for me till I made an upside down parting tool and parted it in reverse instead of the usual parting tool arrangement that cuts it in forward and drags the bit downwards.

Not difficult to do, and I get perfect or near perfect parting on everything from 1 1/4 steel bar to thin aluminum tubing and aluminum and brass bar and all kinds of plastics every time now. About the only time I use lubricant (cutting fluid) is when I'm cutting larger steel or brass stock.

I'm trying to picture this in my mind but am not following too well. If you turn a blade upside and turn in reverse wouldn't you be doing the exact same thing only instead of applying downward pressure, you're applying the same pressure upward?

 

[Rich L]

If you turn a blade upside and turn in reverse wouldn't you be doing the exact same thing only instead of applying downward pressure, you're applying the same pressure upward?

Basic difference is that chips fall out and away better so there's a lot less recutting. Finish can be better this way but, you're right, the lathe has to be substantial enough and built for the upward pressure.

Here's the video I promised:

parting mild steel - YouTube

Cheers,
Rich

 

[frank123]

I don't know if this applies exactly to a 9x20, but as long as the lathe is reversible it should work well.

Parting on my highly modified 7x12 mini lathe was difficult for me till I made an upside down parting tool and parted it in reverse instead of the usual parting tool arrangement that cuts it in forward and drags the bit downwards.

Not difficult to do, and I get perfect or near perfect parting on everything from 1 1/4 steel bar to thin aluminum tubing and aluminum and brass bar and all kinds of plastics every time now. About the only time I use lubricant (cutting fluid) is when I'm cutting larger steel or brass stock.

I'm trying to picture this in my mind but am not following too well. If you turn a blade upside and turn in reverse wouldn't you be doing the exact same thing only instead of applying downward pressure, you're applying the same pressure upward?

Basically yes, but it pretty much eliminates any chatter or digging in to the work piece since the tool post and cross slide assembly is much, much steadier and the tendency for the cross slide and compound/tool post assembly to load up under pressure as it deflects downwards then spring back causing chatter and digging in to the work is eliminated. The difference, at least on my mini lathe, was startling it was so much easier. Everyone I know that has tried it has said the same (very large lathes or heavy duty lathes probably wouldn't benefit much from it). I put the bit just the tiniest bit under center for harder materials and right on center (or very slightly above for tubing) for softer ones.

 

[Rich L]

Here's a nice link to a discussion about parting with a manual lathe even though the URL says "CNC." It talks about tool alignment and even talks about back-mounted and inverted tools. The author talks about his experiences. Inverted tooling is commonplace in production but for some different reasons but an important one for inversion is swarf removal. You also find a lot of left-handed back-mounted turning tools sometimes employed to reduce spindle reversals.

Most people have just dialed in what works for them. They get a starting point, break a few things and then figure it out.

Lathe Parting and Cutoff

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Texatdurango]

I don't know if this applies exactly to a 9x20, but as long as the lathe is reversible it should work well.

Parting on my highly modified 7x12 mini lathe was difficult for me till I made an upside down parting tool and parted it in reverse instead of the usual parting tool arrangement that cuts it in forward and drags the bit downwards.

Not difficult to do, and I get perfect or near perfect parting on everything from 1 1/4 steel bar to thin aluminum tubing and aluminum and brass bar and all kinds of plastics every time now. About the only time I use lubricant (cutting fluid) is when I'm cutting larger steel or brass stock.

Would it be possible to see a photo or did you just mount a parting tool upside down in the tool holder? If it makes a lot of difference, I'd like to try it.

 

[Gilrock]

Wow I logged in this morning and got surprised by a ton of advice. Thanks for all the help. I'll take a look at all the tips and keep trying to improve the process.

There is a screw that I tighten to lock the saddle in place before I do a parting operation. I learned about that the first day I got the lathe because that screw and the part it holds under the way fell off during shipment and I had to study the assembly drawings to figure out where it had fallen from. When I mentioned moving the slide to position the QCTP beside the rod that was to make the front face of the QCTP parallel to the rod which looked like it did a good job of making the parting blade perpendicular. But it sounds like that wasn't the Z axis you were talking about. I think I had the blade on dead center of the material but thinking back I'm not sure I double-checked it after I snapped off the parting blade on the first failure and had turned it around to use the other end.

I have a Phase II Style 7 Universal Parting Blade Holder and it doesn't appear like I have any way to change the angle of how it holds the blade. I'll have to look when I get home to see what angle it holds the blade. The parting blade is HSS...not sure I've seen a carbide tipped parting blade.

I did join the 9x20lathe yahoo group so I see those daily messages...haven't had time to dig through their files.

Well off to watch Rich's video!

 

[Gilrock]

Ok Rich just watched the video...thanks a bunch. I like the looks of that parting tool you have....mine is just a single piece of HSS. I will say your compound slide looks like it built like a tank compared to mine.

 

[Rich L]

Would it be possible to see a photo or did you just mount a parting tool upside down in the tool holder? If it makes a lot of difference, I'd like to try it.

Here's a link to a discussion from a guy that did this to his Sherline. There's a picture there of his setup - second one down - mounted on the back side of the workpiece. He's cutting way above recommended SFM but if it works for him, great!

Rear-mounted Parting Tool Holder for Sherline Lathe | MachinistBlog.com

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Gilrock]

Yeah I had read some posts where others were rear mounting their parting tool. It does initially sound like it would be the same but if you think about the direction of force on the tool you have reversed the force with respect to the saddle by 180 degrees. I guess that would make the rear end of the parting blade tend to drive down toward the saddle instead of away from it.

 

[Rich L]

I have a Phase II Style 7 Universal Parting Blade Holder and it doesn't appear like I have any way to change the angle of how it holds the blade. I'll have to look when I get home to see what angle it holds the blade. The parting blade is HSS...not sure I've seen a carbide tipped parting blade.

That holder is fine but you probably shouldn't put a cutoff tool like the one I use in it because yours is made for straight and flat-topped cutting blades. Your setup gives you a few degrees positive rake just by the angle it's set in the holder. You'll need a horizontal holder for the indexable holder like the one I use because the insert has all the rake and relief angles built into it expecting a horizontal holder.

You can also get straight topped brazed carbide cutoff blades. In fact I actually use those for engraving cutters.

You're gonna be "Cutoff King!"

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Gilrock]

Yeah I was just looking on the Enco site (catalog page 462)...the Style #7 holder I have looks like it has a 4 degree rake according to the photo on their site. The Style #71 below it looks like a zero degree rake. I was thinking I could match that up with one of the cutoff and grooving kits on page 183 (the 2A, 2B, 3A, etc kits). The problem is there are several choices and the picture of the #71 doesn't show the measurement for the blade height it will hold. It shows measurements from the bottom of the holder to the blade tip and the total height but that doesn't help me know which cutoff kit to buy.

 

[Gilrock]

I called Enco just now and that kit on page 183 wasn't the right thing to be looking at...he directed me to the throwaway insert blades at the bottom of page 464...so now I just gotta figure out the right inserts for it.

Wow that style #71 holder is $181....is it made of gold? LOL I only paid $187 for the entire QCTP set with 5 holders.

 

[Gilrock]

Your parting technique is questionable as your parting tool should do the whole job without moving it around.

To respond to this statement about how I was making multiple cuts moving the lathe back and forth....it wasn't my idea. I was searching for advice and read that in multiple places. Here's one document I found:
http://www.minitech.com.au/images/PDFs/parting_lathe.pdf
From page 2:

7. When parting off large diameters, take side by side cuts in initial stages to increase clearance and reduce possibility of swarf jamming in the cut and causing damage to the job or tool.

The statements at the top of the document do make me feel better about having the issues with parting:​

Do you know anybody who has not had problems learning to "part off"?​

We get more requests from amateurs for parting off information than any other lathe operation, except perhaps screw cutting.​

 

[IPD_Mr]

Gil I use the standard cut off holder with my AXA QCTP. I have used as wide as 1/4" and have just got some of the real thin ones from LMS. I had issues when parting drill rod, that is some tuff stuff. Two things that have helped me:
Make sure you have the blade perpendicular to what you are parting.
Make sure you have the top edge of the cutting blade just a hair above center axis. (I do mean a hair.) and use a cutting fluid.

 

[Gilrock]

Well I probably went over my question limit earlier....there is one question I didn't get resolved if anyone knows....

Is there a special way to lube the spots that have ball bearings?

BTW I placed my order with Enco to get better parting tools...I feel like I'm insane spending this much just for a parting setup.

 

[Texatdurango]

Well I probably went over my question limit earlier....there is one question I didn't get resolved if anyone knows....

Is there a special way to lube the spots that have ball bearings?

BTW I placed my order with Enco to get better parting tools...I feel like I'm insane spending this much just for a parting setup.

Gil,

RELAX.......... A mild form of Insanity is a prerequisite to being home shop metal lathe owner! Spending $423.19 for tools to make a widget that we could easily run down to Ace Hardware and buy for $6.99 is totally understandable and almost expected of us.

You're in good company! :biggrin:

As far as oiling the places with the little ball oil sockets, I went to Harbor Freight and got a plastic squeeze bottle that has a metal spout with a tip designed to fit right into those ball oiler sockets.

 

[Rich L]

Gil,

RELAX.......... A mild form of Insanity is a prerequisite to being home shop metal lathe owner! Spending $423.19 for tools to make a widget that we could easily run down to Ace Hardware and buy for $6.99 is totally understandable and almost expected of us.

You're in good company! :biggrin:

It's as good as it gets!

As far as that side-to-side cutting goes, like it said it's for larger diameters and with cutting blades with no side relief. You will get side relief with the cutter geometry you just bought. You should be pleased with the performance of that tool setup. MGTN-3 is on the wide side so your cutting forces will be greater than with a narrower insert - more prone to chatter. I use MGTN-2 or narrower when possible

Good luck!

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Gilrock]

I use MGTN-2 or narrower when possible

Do you know of a source for a GTN-2 blade that will fit the Style #71 holder I'm getting? I was buying the GTN-3 one shown on page 464 of the Enco catalog and I only saw GTN-3 , 5, and 6 versions of that blade that holds the carbide tips.

 

[Rich L]

Enco doesn't have a quick change tool holder that will accommodate their indexable blade MGIH 19-2 (model 359-2192)(page 183). Aloris may make one and I know Dorian makes one. The insert is on page 184 - top of the page.

I don't know of a source that has a narrow blade (.087) that has the height to fit in that #71 holder.

Welcome to the complexities of indexable tools and tool holders!

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Texatdurango]

Enco doesn't have a quick change tool holder that will accommodate their indexable blade MGIH 19-2 (model 359-2192)(page 183). Aloris may make one and I know Dorian makes one. The insert is on page 184 - top of the page.

I don't know of a source that has a narrow blade (.087) that has the height to fit in that #71 holder.

Welcome to the complexities of indexable tools and tool holders!

Cheers,
Rich

And if this isn't bad enough, you order a holder and bits, then two years later go back to the same vendor to buy more bits and are told.... "Sorry, we discontinued those" then the search begins! :biggrin:

Now I understand why decent sized machine shops have full time buyers!

 

[Gilrock]

Yeah page 183 has the set I was originally looking at. They do sell a block that holds that blade but the clamp height is 5/8" and my QCTP holders are AXA-100 with a clamping height of 1/2".

First I'll see how the blade I bought performs. The Style #71 shown on the Aloris site specifies the blades as 1.5" tall. So if I decide I need a thinner blade later I'm thinking I could tap a couple holes at the bottom of the #71 holder and screw on a strip of metal that would reduce the height requirement for the blade being installed.

If my old house would sell I'll be buying a vertical mill and making some of these things...darn and then I'll be in the same boat getting the tooling I need for the mill...lol.

 

[coffeebean]

hello,
i'm also new to having a lathe, and a mill, and a metal cutting bandsaw, and....

anyway, someone was nice enough to post a link to these videos on another site i was on. some of it may be a refresher but i got something from even the first two videos.
hope you have time on your hands, there is about 10 hours of instruction here.

good luck
dave

MIT TechTV – Machine Shop 1

 

[okiebugg]

?

The 5/8" tool steel is O1. I'm using the PhaseII quick change adapter that holds 1/2" parting tools and I got a parting blade from Enco but I forget which one. I was thinking of buying a few from LMS to see how they perform. I think I got the blade perpendicular...my technique was to loosen the top nut of the QCTP and position the slide so that the front edge of the QCTP touched the bar to square it up and then tightened it down. Then I back off the slide and install the quick change adapter. I was trying to sharpen the parting tool myself and it seemed to cut better after sharpening. I'm not sure what a 0 degree rake is but I tried to maintain the slight angle I saw on the front edge of the blade.

It was taking a long time because I was trying to cut in a small ways then back it off and move it over slightly. So I kept going in back and forth trying to keep the cutting slot wider than the parting blade. I thought maybe that would work better since just going straight in hadn't worked out.

What I see happening when things go wrong is the parting tool starts to dig in and doesn't sound right and I've seen it cause the whole cross slide to vibrate and once when it caught it seemed like it slightly twisted the QCTP.

I was having a similar problem. I was just a hair (.002 to .005) below the center line. Made the same noises, threw the tool after it got bent etc. A good automotive feeler gauge fixed mine

 

[Gilrock]

Welcome to the complexities of indexable tools and tool holders!

This quote came to mind this weekend. I'm so frustrated. I received the Style #71 tool holder and I can't position it on the centerline. The way the QCTP sits on the compound slide there is about a 3/16" ledge so a tall tool holder like this slides down the dovetail and hits this ledge before reaching the centerline.

I see 3 options none of which I think I can do without a mill. 1) Machine off part of the bottom edge of the tool holder 2) Machine off the side of the compound slide so it's even with the QCTP. 3) Replace the compound slide with a fixed QCTP mount.

 

[Rich L]

How much do you have to remove from the bottom? If it's less than half the step at the bottom and you can't find local "millers," PM me.

Rich

 

[bluwolf]

Before you do that I would consider returning that expensive setup. It's already been mentioned that the GTN3 insert it takes is a bit big for your lathe, cutting resistance-wise. You might want to look at this parting tool from Grizzly.

T10012 Parting Tool with Carbide Insert

It says it fits a 3/8 x 3/8 tool holder. If I understand correctly, you have 100 series AXA QCTP. Your toolholders will take from 3/16 to 1/2 tools. If this is sized to fit your tool holder it should be closer to the range of adjustment for your QCTP. And if it is, chances are it takes something more like GTN2 insert. So you would win on both counts. I would think it's worth a call to Grizzly tech to ask about it. Even if they can't be positive I would bet you'd have less to do to make this work than the one you have.

Oh, and if it does work out, I would figure out what size insert it is and buy it from somewhere besides Grizzly. I'm sure you could do better on the price.

Mike