Just a few lathe tool table questions.

1. Any reason why you should not use tool #0 as the "master tool " when setting up a tool table for the lathe?
   

2. The T word   Txxyy    the xx is the tool number, so i assume that the if yy was 10 it means the offsets for tool #10
    will be used to for tool # xx. Correct?

RICH

The tool table in turn is actually an offset table.
You can have 99 offsets in turn and in theory have 99 tools.
I have 10 tool slots in my Turret/Toolpost so I can call tools 1 to 10 and to make it easy on me I can swap out tools in the slots for other tools. I have these tools marked with the slot number and offset number so I dont have to reset the offsets each time I load a different tool.
 I dont have 99 tools but if I did this is the way I have done mine
T0101, T0111, T0121  through T0191
T0202, T0212, T0222 through  to T0292
etc etc to
T1010, T1020, T1030 through to T1090



Hood

Dont think you can use T0 as the Master.
Looks like "T0" can be called intentionally to leave the spindle or tool position empty.
? RC

Thanks,
I will have more questions as I become more dangerous. 
The lathe manual can be confusing. It just dosen't give you the overview for a quick association of
it all in short reading.

Hood,
Understand your logic for the numbering system. I will have more questions later on relating to actual use but i will go one step at time.
         
RC
I know the manual says to use the first tool ,#1 as the master ,and then the others when touched off
can get the offsets based on the controlling point used for tool # 1.  If you touch off tool #0 as the master
is there anything goofy later on that you need to know, or will happen, because you didn't use tool #1?

 RICH

Not sure RICH. I went by the book.
There's only one way to find out. LOL
Give it a go......take cover.
RC

Understand RC, and will do just that.
Toothpick for a cutter won't do much damage.
Sometimes just need to explore and get lost to find out!
RCIH

Hood,
So when you use a different tool you just move the axes based on your markings and zero the DRO's?
Or do you use a macro to do it?
RICH

Just a note about the master tool. Don't think it has to be any particular tool #. I have successfully used tool #4 as the master - it wasn't intentionally, but rather by mistake But as I saw it was working fine there was no need to change it. Furthermore, from my tests, you may have no master tool at all - i.e. all the tools can have offsets in the tool table and you'd still be fine.

Daniel

I use one tool for finish pass on the majority of my parts so this is the one I have as the master, just so happens it is tool1 but as Daniel has said it doesnt matter which one it is.

 When I call any tool and tell it to go to a dia it will go there, this is because I have all tool offsets set in the tooltable.
 I have very accurate homing on the lathe and I use a Home Off distance so that tool 1 is at centre when I command X0, all the rest of the tools are offset from tool s so it follows that when I call them they too are where they are meant to be.
 The clamping of the tools in the turret is done by wedges if I swap out a tool then it is surprisingly accurate and repeatable so even if it is one of my non standard tools that I call it will be within 0.01mm of where it is meant to be.
 The toolpost is used for drilling and boring tools and I have made up blocks for each of the 4 positions which have 50mm dia bores and I have sleeves fitted to all the boring bars so that they too are repeatable and can be set in the offsets.
 
Hood

I am at this very point having trouble with the tool table.

I have a tool table that has positions for 253 tools The manual current version 1.84 says "By scrolling the window you can access all the entries up to tool 99" I thought these had been upgraded but Hood says there are 99

Where is the offset table ?

The manual is absolutely hopeless it says you can shorten T0101 to 101 that just gives me tool 101 in the tool table

I always try to work things out myself but i am getting further away from working this out.

Can anyone give a definitive master class on correctly setting up a tool table from start to finish

Please