Will this QCTP fit my SB 14.5?

Hi,

I'm wondering which size of QCTP to pick for my 14.5" Southbend lathe, these are the schematics for the QCTP I'm looking at: PTHE >>> Shenzhen Poly Top Industry Development Co., Ltd.

It would be either the 540-200 or 540-300. It basically depends on how I need to measure the space between the middle of my spindle and the base of my toolpost. (It comes to either 4 or 5cm depending on where I start measuring from.)

Looking at below picture, can you tell me if I should be measuring from the base of the metal plate, where the threaded rod is sticking though, or from the base of the compound itself? I'm not clear as to what comes included with such a QCTP, and what parts of my current toolpost I will need to reuse? Or for that matter, how much I'll need to fabricate before I'll ever be able to use it?

And lastly, what size of tooling should I be buying with it? The sets I'm looking at (http://www.weiss.com.cn/products_detail/&productId=6e7aef25-9228-4d97-9a70-36e22a356213.html and http://www.weiss.com.cn/products_detail/&productId=61c81fb5-786f-4816-a477-e13ca076408d.html) all speak of tip height?

Take the metal plate off the compound, along with the threaded rod, it is part of the old toolpost. The plate is what the old toolpost locked on and it may be quite hard. If you need more height than the selected toolpost can provide, than a spacer will need to be added under the new toolpost.

Now measure from the newly exposed surface on the top of the compound to the center of the spindle.

The 540-200 is probably a good choice as a balance between size of the toolpost and power of the lathe.

Bill

looks like someone drilled and taped your compound for mounting that plate..? that old tool post was a heavy duty one.
have you tried using the one in the photo.?

I have a 14 1/2 SB and tried a 200 or B size QCTP which is 2 3/4" tall. I found that the tools needed to be shimmed up and the holders needed to be adjusted to near the top of the post. The 300 or C size, which is 3" tall is a much better fit and I'm glad I made the investment. Enco has had the Phase II wedge style 300 on sale for the last three months at about 1/2 price. You can do the math but, I use both 1/2" and 3/4" in my tool holders.

atwatterkent:
Measured from the compound and looking at the drawings, I would indeed need a 300 series. The 40 position 300 series is (only) 125$ more than the wedge style 300 series at this manufacturer. And since I'm in Belgium I don't get access to the US stuff, unless I pay 21% vat, 4.5% duty and really pricey shipping, so that Enco deal suddenly becomes more expensive than what I would pay for the 40 position 300...

hitandmiss:
It's only 55$ more for the 300 series, so I guess for that money I'll save me the trouble of having to shim up the toolpost...

packrat2:
That lantern toolpost works absolutely perfectly fine, but it's a pain in the ass to set up. In a group-buy effort we're currently in the process of filling a shipping container from China to Belgium, which makes it so I can buy a 300 series 40 position QCTP set with 4 toolholders for 385$, shipped and all. Which is rather hard to resist...