Gunsmithing Show off your rack...

[Wannashootit]

Tooling rack for a manual lathe, that is... 'Course, if you want to post a pic of your wife or GF I don't think we'll object...

Getting a just-restored Sheldon cutting chips, need to fabricate something simple, attached to the back of the chip pan to carry the usual suspects- BXA toolposts, Nogas, etc.- as well as the soon to be installed DRO display. Stuff that's easier to access quick and easy and not buried in one of the drawers.

I was going to just weld up some steel angles and bolt it in place at the ends of the chip tray (trying to avoid solid "shelving" as much as possible so as not to have many places for flying chips to accumulate), but knowing all the talent and ingenuity here figured there's bound to be some interesting ideas that I can copy

 

[mcfred]

An old friend of mine inherited a pretty nice South Bend lathe but never really set it up to do much. The chip tray was full of tool bits, material odds and ends, goo and swarf. His 3-jaw chuck was in poor repair and he had the original, ancient, tool post, but he did have have an unused 5C collet draw bar in a cabinet off to the side. I bought him a cheap Quick Change Tool Post, some tool holders, some indexable carbide tool holders and a set of collets which he left in the original packaging or laying in the chip tray with all the other trash.

Every once in a while I had to come over to "help" make something on his lathe for him and I got tired of having to dig for some of the collets/tools. I found an old piece of plywood, layed out some holes, drilled them, then used a single-point, piloted hole cutter to punch the holes. A little orbital sanding, paint and now he's got this rack so he can put more trash in the chip tray. It's no Cadillac but it made my life a little tidier though.

 

[mcfred]

I have a small mill that I've been collecting tooling for and it's piling up. I've not gotten around to it yet but I've got a layout and a piece of material: a sheet of steel. I figured out the general diameters of flycutters, chucks and a set of R8 collets and drew up a pattern. I'll re-work the Mill's DRO attachment to suspend the rack. I might have to re-work it some more so I've got a place for a couple sets of parallels too.

 

[mcfred]

Also depending on the length of your lathe bed, you can make a quick tool tray on the end you don't anticipate using much. It's just setting on the ways, with a couple bits screwed to the bottom to center it and another bit that acts just like the clamp on the tail stock to secure it.

This is a screen capture of someone's shop tips vid (sorry I can't recall whose), but he had a tool holder and collet rack hanging off the right side of his lathe splash guard at about eye level (see indicated) and I've considered making something similar for tool holders. I've got a ton of collets though and there's a cabinet with drawers you just pull out.

 

[Gene Poole]

I found these magnetic bars that I thing were designed to keep wrenches organized in a toolbox, but they make great holders for holders.

 

[Wannashootit]

^^^
Now that's a great idea. Gotta try to find some of those, thanks

 

[mcfred]

Doesn't sliding those tool holders on/off that magnet start to make ferrous chips/swarf stick to things? I guess if you have a degausser or you don't cut steel or 400 series stainless then it's not really an issue(?).

 

[DAVETOOLEY]

Personally I wouldn't want anything anywhere near where I could drop it on the ways or just drop it at all. I use a roll around tool cabinet from Sam's with a maple top for the Haas. Baking pan with a cooling rack that I set tool holders on. Any excess oil just drains into the pan and I clean that maybe once a year. An old cash register station out of a department store with a good size tool box on top that faces my Clausing lathe. Simple enough to turn around and get what I need.
Having got hung up once in a lathe doing 1250 RPM's I don't want to reach for anything any where near the working end.

 

[Gene Poole]

I've had them fall off before when I'm trying to shove one into a slot that isn't quite wide enough, but my rack is off to the side and behind the lathe so they fall harmlessly into the chip-pan or onto the shelf below.