WTB Enco tool holders #45

Tims World · Jul 1, 2009

Long shot I know but does anybody have any tool holders for an older enco qc tool post. This model has three attachment points for tool holders and is similar to a piston type except this piston sucks the holder onto the tool post. I just got a very nice one from forum member BMyers... It came with two holders and would like more. I have tried to enclose a photo of the holder as well as the tool post, but the link does not work. I will try to add photos later.The size I need is #45.
Thanks in advance,
Tim

Tims World · Jul 1, 2009

Tool Post and holder photos

I got the link to work. Here are the photos.
Thanks
Tim

L Vanice · Jul 1, 2009

I have a NIB Enco holder, but I found it is a 30A, which is smaller than what you want. I tried.

Larry

Tims World · Jul 1, 2009

Getting closer!

Larry thanks for checking. My holders say 45 B The tool post is approx 3 1/2" square. Might be the next size bigger? Does yours have the three attachment points as well?
I have not seen this before and am wondering if there was a particular reason for the third one? Pretty cool design using gears and lobed shafts to pull the holder onto the tool post.
Still looking with hope
Tim
edit..sorry you have a holder not a tool post. Does anyone know anything about these tool posts. It is very well made I would think in the USA.

BMyers · Jul 2, 2009

Tim,
they show up time to time on ebay, there was also a cut off holder, boring bar holder, knurling tool. I remember they were offered by Enco in the 80's as a set.
I pick the one up you have at a sale somewhere
I didn't use it much, so I never searched much for additional holders.
If I run across any I will certainly let you know.

jim rozen · Jul 2, 2009

These are really hard to find. I use an Enco toolpost that is similar, it has a ball
detent turret, with three fixed tool locations and one QC spot. Actually very
handy. My solution was to simply manufacture the tool holders from whole cloth.

Not really that hard to do, I make them out of hot rolled or cold rolled steel. I
used whatever I had around the shop, they don't have to be cased, or through
hard.

Draw yours up, and start making chips. The V-ways are best cut with a
horizontal mill. The depth is pretty forgiving, but you need to get the side-to-side
distance pretty accurately.

At this point I've got a dozen or so of the holders made up.

Jim

L Vanice · Jul 2, 2009

Enco Mfg. was a family-owned (Nathan and Charles Usiskin) business in Chicago. They made very high quality QC tool posts, four-way tool turrets, Morse taper tailstock turrets and big bed turrets for any lathe. My Clausing 5914 lathe came with an Enco turret. They also sold machines and tooling by other makers, including USA, Swiss, French, Taiwan and Chinese stuff (the good and the not so good). C. A. Usiskin died in 1996. They stopped making their own stuff and a while back MSC bought the business.

Charles Usiskin had patents on the magnetic base indicator holder and the indicator clamp he sold, copied by other makers. I still use mine.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=kOJVAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=Usiskin&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2

http://www.google.com/patents?id=nTFiAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=Usiskin&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2

The Enco size 30 QC tooling is small, about right for a Hardinge 9" lathe, but I never found more than the one tool holder, which is still in its box more than 30 years after I bought it.

Larry

Tims World · Jul 2, 2009

More holderes

Thanks guys for the responses. I figured ebay might yield some, but who knows when.
Jim the horiz. mill is the one tool I do not yet have. I will explore the idea of making some, but the ones I have look to be hardened and ground. Do the soft ones seem to hold up?
Thanks Tim

jim rozen · Jul 2, 2009

You could mount the double angle plain milling cutter,
in an R8 arbor in a b'port and that would work too.

These, most of which are home-made, have been in use for
15 years or so. No apparent degradation in spite of the
fact they're made of soft steel.

Jim

Tims World · Jul 2, 2009

I'm inspired

Very nice tool holders there Mr. Rozen. You have inspired me to take on the task. Cool plank they are sitting on as well. I will probably enjoy making the holders even more than using them. I know a quy with a big shaper and figure alot of the hogging could be done on it.
Thanks again and I will update when I get going...this fall it looks like,
Tim

jim rozen · Jul 3, 2009

Tool holder blocks like that for me, are a winter project. Long cold nights when it
makes sense to hide out in the shop.

My original mistake, was not just buying some CRS from a supplier, and trying to
use HRS full of scale. A lot of roughing to get to size. If you are smart, try to
buy the material "near net" size.

Before you run a long stick of steel with the V-ways not quite right, do a test
piece first.

You can still see the layout blue I used, on most of mine, when I did the tapped
holes. I meant to clean that off, but they went into use and, well, the years
just went by.

Jim

quinka · Jan 16, 2014

Charles Usiskin did not die in 1996, I met him at the Chicago show in 1998 and he wanted to purchase my product. As for the toolholders, you should make the holders out of 4140 or better as they will be tough, but not hard. I use aloris (been using them for 45 years) made my own holders from 4140 high tensile strength steel, they work perfect.

quinka · Jan 16, 2014

Charles Usiskin did not die in 1996, I met him at the tool show in Chicago in 1998 and talked to him on the phone in 99. As for the toolholders, make them out of 4140 and it cuts fine and is tough but not hard. I use Aloris (and have for 45 years) made my oun holders from 4140 and they are just perfect.

quinka · Jan 16, 2014

Correction! (I guess at 72 years my memory is fading) I met Charles in 1989 and talked to him on phone in 1990. I still stand by the tool holder material.

Danny VanVoorn · Jan 16, 2014

I just looked remembering I have 4 of the holders I would like to find a new home for, they turn out to be #35 Enco holders. I don't know how they sized them but are a real similar set up to the Dixon (spelling?) style tooling that Colchester and Harrison lathes offered.
Dan

steamachine · Jan 17, 2014

I'm interested in the #35 holders. PM sent

Toolmaker51 · Mar 16, 2019

jim rozen said:
These are really hard to find. I use an Enco toolpost that is similar, it has a ball
detent turret, with three fixed tool locations and one QC spot. Actually very
handy. My solution was to simply manufacture the tool holders from whole cloth.

Not really that hard to do, I make them out of hot rolled or cold rolled steel. I
used whatever I had around the shop, they don't have to be cased, or through
hard.

Draw yours up, and start making chips. The V-ways are best cut with a
horizontal mill. The depth is pretty forgiving, but you need to get the side-to-side
distance pretty accurately.

At this point I've got a dozen or so of the holders made up.

Jim

Best solution for what may be (100% likely) my favored variety high power lathe holders; be they Boni-Feldbach, Dickson, Swiss or Italian versions. No other system spreads the load over such distance; proportionally or physically, with such little protrusion at tool slot.
Only 'special' cutters will be the T-slot/ Woodruff cutters. Tap the clamp screw holes fine, pay if need be for grinding Vee's.
Worthwhile planning ahead. Buy sufficient tool steel & material (blocks, clamp screws, elevating nuts) make a slew for heat-treating as a set. Steel could be what you can acquire reasonably and heat-treat economically; W1, 01, A2, H11 or 13, 4130 & 40. They all have pleasant machinability, at 50 Rc something will last forever. Commercial holders are not file hard!

Illinoyance · Mar 16, 2019

I was wondering if Dickson style holders would fit your toolpost.

jim rozen · Mar 21, 2019

These do NOT have to be heat treated -as evidenced from the resurrected thread, the ones I made those
years ago, are still going strong.

The only thing that might possibly benefit from heat treating are the dog point
screws - stainless dog-points tend to peen over with time.

WTB Enco tool holders #45

Aluminum

Aluminum

Attachments

Diamond

Aluminum

Hot Rolled

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Plastic

Plastic

Plastic

Titanium

Cast Iron

Cast Iron

Stainless

Diamond

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