Subject: Omni-Post tool post system: a review

From: [email-masked] (Greg Lewis)
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 1994 04:36:09 GMT

Last year I posted a query here about the KRF Omni-Post tool holder
and some of you responded. Thanks again. I ordered the plans and made
a set of the holders late last summer. Ive had a chance to use them
and am quite satisfied. The photo in the ad in Home Shop Machinist
shows the holder quite well and you could make one up just by looking
at that, but the plans make things easier and include a number of
variations for boring bars, carbide toolbits and a drop-center design
for small lathes with little clearance between the compound and the
lathe centerline. None of the dimensions are critical although you
would want to be reasonably careful boring the holes for the main post
and the boring bars in the boring toolholders. I goofed on a couple of
these and the clamp screw draws the slit a bit too far together, but
it works just fine. I did have to wrap one of my boring bars with a
piece of shim stock to make it fit tight enough. 

The advantage of this system is its simplicity and the ease with which
you can make a special holder. Once you see how the system is
designed, it doesnt take much to figure out something for a special
need. The holders are made from a piece of flat stock, and the end at
the main post requires only the large hole, its slit, and the clamp
screw hole. The other end varies depending on style. I found the
holder is quite rigid enough for my needs and a joy to use after
struggling with the old lantern or rocker style holder. The toolbit
height is held with a setscrew which can be adjusted to put the
cutting edge exactly where you want it. Once set, you can remove and
replace the holder and the cutting edge will land at the right height.
Changing toolbits is very fast as I made four of the basic holders for
use with various shaped bits. I havent made the serrated, or groved
ring at the base, using just a plain one. If you look at the photo
carefully, youll see that if there is spring in your machine, the
toolbit will swing into rather than away from, the work. But with the
generally light cuts I use for hobby projects, this hasnt been a
problem. I plan to make one that is a mirror image of the one in the
photo to use for making facing cuts. I spent $20 on the plans, $10 for
the bar stock and about $5 for some setscrews and grade 8 bolts.
___________________________________________________________________
[email-masked]
Photojournalism sequence, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism
CSU Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740-0010

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From: [email-masked] (Greg Lewis)
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 1994 05:08:38 GMT

Ive had several requests for the address for the KRF Omni-Post
toolholder plans. It is:

KRF Co.
Box 783
St. Joseph, MI 49085
616-429-7050

The plans for lathes with center heights over the cross slide of .450
through 1.450 is $20. Other systems up to a height of 2.4 are
available. 

Usual dislaimer here: I dont work for them... just a satisfied user.
___________________________________________________________________
[email-masked]
Photojournalism sequence, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism
CSU Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740-0010