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Does anyone make AXA toolholders in "ready to custom machine" ?

DDoug

Diamond
Joined
Oct 18, 2005
Location
NW Pa
I have poked around online, but cannot find any AXA toolholders
with the dovetail, and height screw, but left un-machined at
business end.

Would like to make up some specials.
 
I have poked around online, but cannot find any AXA toolholders
with the dovetail, and height screw, but left un-machined at
business end.

Would like to make up some specials.

I don't know, but wouldn't it be easier to modify your special tool with a 'standard' round or square shank and set your insert / tool tip height accordingly by machining the shank where needed?
 
Doug-

I've never seen an un-machined AXA holder.

Two alternatives:

1- Make your own AXA holder. It's not difficult to mill the dovetail slot and the tool height post is equally simple.
2- Machine a T-shape blank to fit into a standard AXA holder. Then use the top if the Tee (that sticks out to the left of the holder) as your 'blank' to make your own custom tool holder.

DD
 
How about buying some AXA-6 holders and cutting off either the top or bottom lug...

Then welding or bolting your 'special' to the remaining lug?

I don't really want to weld anything, rather machine to what I want.

I can see leaving a large chunk on the business end, enough for a collet, multiple tool holding channels, etc.
 
Amazon has them for $247 each :D

If you're not in a rush I've been meaning to make myself another short run of BXA and CA holders. Aside from drills and taps all the other tooling should be the same

Yup, I'm thinking further, a simple "L" shape would be most universal. IIRC Hardinge made something similar.

Drill and tap the height adjuster all the way thru so I can
flip it over.

It will work on the facing dovetail, or the turning dovetail,
and the "L" will reach around either corner.

I'll model some ting' up.
 
Two approaches that have worked for me:

1) Just machine a long bar (say 18") with the dovetail in it. The slice off holders as you need them, salami like, and machine what you need. Not a huge deal to drill and tap a hole for the height adjuster.

2) Buy the cheap but dimensionally accurate clones (better quality Chinese) and re-machine to suit. The ones I've had are softer than Aloris. When I checked hardness, my recollection is they were maybe 8 Rc points softer, but still hard enough to last a good long while.

Might also add that I've bought some large toolholders and just machined an AXA or BXA dovetail directly into them. Depends what you need.
 
Aloris style holders aren't difficult to make. I probably made a dozen sets at one time or another. The two critical feature characteristics are the size over pins and the dovetail angle. I forget what that angle is but I only had a 45 degree cutter and had to crank the milling head to compensate.

Doesn't take long to machine dovetails on a bunch of blanks. Hold the blank dimensions close and it's pretty much a vise and stop rod job. Couple three hours maybe to make ten BXA sized blank holders with dovetails out of 4140 pre-HT steel.

Create Tools made three or four blank Multifix holders on request when I bought a slug of tool holdiers from them and early on I made some R8 shank blanks for mill spindle tooling. Handy items, blank toolholders etc. Gives you money making options when those really odd jobs come in the door.
 
Aloris style holders aren't difficult to make. I probably made a dozen sets at one time or another. The two critical feature characteristics are the size over pins and the dovetail angle. I forget what that angle is but I only had a 45 degree cutter and had to crank the milling head to compensate.

Doesn't take long to machine dovetails on a bunch of blanks. Hold the blank dimensions close and it's pretty much a vise and stop rod job. Couple three hours maybe to make ten BXA sized blank holders with dovetails out of 4140 pre-HT steel.

Create Tools made three or four blank Multifix holders on request when I bought a slug of tool holdiers from them and early on I made some R8 shank blanks for mill spindle tooling. Handy items, blank toolholders etc. Gives you money making options when those really odd jobs come in the door.

I'm almost positive its 60 degrees. I remember it being a common off the shelf cutter when I bought them. In the past I've roughed the bulk of the material out with a small feedmill and then cut the dovetail with a HSS cutter and it was still only a few minute cycle time.
 
I might buy a few if anyone makes a small run.

But, has anyone asked Aloris for some?
 
Yup, I'm thinking further, a simple "L" shape would be most universal. IIRC Hardinge made something similar.

Drill and tap the height adjuster all the way thru so I can
flip it over.

It will work on the facing dovetail, or the turning dovetail,
and the "L" will reach around either corner.

I'll model some ting' up.


How's the model coming? :D

I might buy a few if anyone makes a small run.

But, has anyone asked Aloris for some?

I will definitely be making some in the near future. I have to go pick up some SS on Saturday and will probably buy a couple hundred pounds of 4140 while I'm there.

What size and shape would you be interested in? I for sure need to make myself some more BXA that hold 3/4" tools.
 
One could make a stick of dovetailed stock say 24" long and let buyers cut it to length and drill/tap as needed. Though cutting it to length is probably an issue with many.
Bill D
 








 
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