Nice , and a bed mill . I'm jealous.

Ed

Hood,

Nice idea with the tool setter. Do you have a tapered pocket there, which imitates the spindle taper? I wonder how accurate it can reproduce the tool holder position regarding its true position in the spindle...

Daniel

John
 Interesting to see, my friend has a VC5 knee mill with almost the same changer only its the opposite side and seems a bit faster. Going to be making a changer for mine one of these days, well thats if I live long enough

Hood

Daniel
 Yes I have a tapered pocket I made quite a few up a while back for holding Int 40 shank holders on my lathes tool post so just used two of  them.
Wont matter how much of a difference there is between the pockets  and the spindle because I am setting Tool 0 (the probe) as the tool setters zero position and measuring all other tools from that. Once I have all tools measured and entered in the tool table I just put the probe in the spindle and touch off the work and set Z Zero and all other tools will be in relation to that.
Hood

Thanks  Edvaness must get a cutting movie up when I get chance!

Hood it was a bit slow as it hadn't run for a bit when I took the movie.
Just lack of use

I think the tool changer was based on a cincinnati design used on some of their cnc bed mills.

I also like the hotswap type tool changer ...seems to be the way forward on the modern machines.

http://www.haascnc.com/Promos/Prod_Brochure/ebook/HMC_BROCHURE/index.htm#

John

Yes, hot swap is one of the ones I have been considering, heres a site that gives some ideas as well http://www.eng.miksch.de/prodsheet.php?nodeid=1850
Will probably just end up making a simple setup, maybe even just a rack that runs along the ram, not sure yet and have lots of things to do before I get to that stage, after the ballscrews it is the second turret on the lathe to replacce the front 4 position toolpost.

Hood

Good site Hood lots of info on the PDF download. These are the toolchangers used on some of the DMG machines!

John.

John, yes it gives quite a lot of good info in it :-)

RC, did some testing today, remembered about an edge finder I had so decided just to make a dedicated holder up for it to save time but will probably end up making  another myself when time permits as these are not true so need to be rotated for edge finding. Anyway back to the testing, first put the probe in the setter and zeroed the DRO then set up 3 tools with the setter. Next put the probe in the spindle and brought it down onto the vice jaw and zeroed the DRO, put the three tools in one after the other calling the relevant offsets and the difference between all three was under 0.01mm using feeler gauges so I am happy enough with that

Hood

Excellent Hood,
   I like the tightening fixture on there as well. Is it common to put the setter and torquer on the same fixture ?
And the sliding socket, is it necessary ? I assume so or it wouldn't be there but won't the gauge slide upward enough to set the holder in directly under it ? Looks like you have to be careful to keep the sliding surfaces of the slot very clean.
I like it,
RC

Dont know if its common to have the tightening fixture or not, have never seen one

Sliding socket is to accommodate things like face mills or even just indexable cutters in general. I made the part that touches off the tool only a few mm wide and that way I didnt have to worry if it was not dead true. I still have to make sure the column is true but from the tests I did today it cant be far off if at all.
Hood