Lathe Tool Posts

Hi I am just a newby and I like to surf the net in my spare time and I have seen a lot of YouTube videos that show what looks like a particularly nice Tool Post.

It is an American Tool Post called ALORIS INDEXABLE TOOL POSTS & SETS.

I was wondering if anyone knows if they can be purchased in the UK?

Better still if there is anyone selling them in the UK, do you also happen to know if they may be at the Harrogate Show in May?

There are several sellers on eBay.com and they all say they ship to the UK - at a price!

Roger

Another possibility if you particularly want a wedge type set is from here

**LINK**

The smallest type would be about £135 with shipping by air mail.

I can recommend this piston type toolpost from Warco

**LINK**

Andrew.

.... and beware the eBay "Customs services and international tracking provided" aka "Global Shipping Program" rip-off.

... indeed! I was stung once and since I make sure, before bidding, that the seller will NOT use this nonsense.

Roger

Alan,
Aloris and also Dorian are the trade names of similar and compatible US made Quick Change Toolposts. They are not cheap.
The much more affordable Chinese clones can be found on eBay, a search for "AXA Toolpost" (without the quotes) should turn up a few examples. AXA indicates the size, this is suitable for lathes up to around 12" swing; for larger lathes, the next size up would be the BXA.

As mentioned by Andrew, there are two different kinds of toolposts; the wedge type and the slightly cheaper piston type - the actual toolholders are interchangeable. From what I have read, the wedge type is considered by many people to be preferable, it supposedly has better holding power, but I cannot vouch for this.

About 6 months ago I bought an AXA wedge type toolpost set from CDCO TOOLS, after factoring in shipping to here in Canada they offered a better deal than what I could find on eBay at the time. So far I have been very happy with the toolpost,

Off topic - eBay Global Shipping program:
This is the biggest rip-off imaginable. A book I have been searching for, for ages was recently listed on eBay. The Global Shipping price quoted for the A4 sized book of around 100 page from the US to Canada was $19.42
I contacted the seller who agreed to ship it via the much more reasonable US Postal service, so I subsequently bid on and won the book. Unfortunately the eBay system would not allow the seller to invoice the lower price, so in the end, as I really very much wanted the book and rather than renege on the deal, I agreed to pay the $19.42 for Global Shipping. The book arrived today, a very long two weeks after the seller had dispatched it via the programme, and here's the kicker, the US Postage paid on the padded envelope it arrived in was only $3.17 to say I am furious at eBay is an understatement!

Clive

Edited By clivel on 02/04/2015 06:17:56

It seems if as a seller one signs up for the "Global Shipping Program" this is the result.

Who gets all the cash difference between the charge to the buyer and the sellers actual cost?

Roger

Edited By Roger Provins 2 on 02/04/2015 06:42:41

A company called Pitney Bowes does the shipping. From what I understand the seller mails the item to them, and then they ship it to the buyer. However I don't know if Pitney Bowes keeps all the profit or if they pay a Percentage to eBay.

Before being too cynical about the Global Shipping Program ... it's worth looking at the arrangement that HMRC has with the UK Post Office.

Any import valued at more than the threshold [£15] is subject to VAT, and the Post Office charges you for the "service" of collecting the tax. [... There's more; if you can face reading the document.]

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 02/04/2015 07:47:22

The wedge type is said to be better than the piston for reproducibilty. Aloris is excellent, Dorian slightly better IMHO. The toolholders are to some extent interchangeable to the posts.

You can get Dorian here in the UK

http://www.mscdirect.co.uk/CGI/INSRCH?No=40&N=4294825676

They are both expensive. I have bought Aloris in the past from ebay , shipped form ajaxtoolsupplyonline no problems with the usual caveats regarding import tax etc. Aloris was available in the past from a supply company named Tizaro who turned into Raptor and they don't seem to do them now.

Along these lines the Multifix A is pretty good but difficult to find by its original manufacturer.

If I am to be ripped off I suppose I'd rather our lot had it than Pitney Bowes or eBay.

Edited By Roger Provins 2 on 02/04/2015 08:51:11

I only have one (quick change system?). It was a cheap one so I suppose I shouldn't moan too much.

I had to fettle the whole tool before things slid together and setting the various tools caught me out (tool rocking in holder), my fault but beware when setting each holder with it's variant tool.

It does speed up tip changing but can get in the way as it's bulkier and you have to ease the wedge to allow easy ejection of the tool. Then of course you have to tighten the next tool in place.

I have bought an extra four way tool holder now and using two tools in each holder I have pre-set for height and overhang. Almost as quick I find as the single quick change tool holder.

If you're in business or producing hundreds of the same part then a quick change may be of benefit. For everyday swarf making what's the hurry anyway?

Edited By Jesse Hancock 1 on 02/04/2015 09:08:47

.

That's jolly decent of you Roger

The "handling" fee is either £8.00 or £13.50 depending upon how it's classed.

MichaelG.

Can anyone explain to me why shipping from China is so cheap. I have just bought 10 cable glands from China at a total cost including postage of 99p. It would cost me more in postage alone to send the same item a mile down the road in the UK .

I also wonder how many items are checked to see whether they exceed the £15 threshold for VAT. I have bought dozens of items from China over the years and never had to pay VAT on them, despite many of them costing more than £15. I do notice the customs declarations are rarely honest, but for some strange reason my moral compass fails to register outrage!

Doug

Just being patriotic old chap

My impression of the Global Shipping Program charges - at least as it operates from the US to Canada - is that the charges cover shipment, duty, Canadian taxes and brokerage charges .... plus a fee for eBay for its kindness in providing the "service" - which is designed to relieve the buyer of the hassle.

The major problems with that are:

1. For postal shipments valued at less than $100 or so (quite a bit more if they are busy and can't be bothered), the goods are invariably delivered without any charges whatsoever at the Canadian end.

2. For postal shipments that exceed that amount, duty and taxes are charged - although the duty is mostly zero due to the Canada/US free trade agreement. These charges are paid to the mail-person plus a small ($7.50 last time I paid one) handling charge .... which is a real bargoon compared with the eBay charges.

Duty and taxes are something we are all stuck with ... I'm just happy they don't nickle and dime us on the lower priced shipments. The relatively small post office handling charge is a reasonable user fee under the circumstances - no reason why every post office customer should be burdened because of my purchases.

So anyone travelling from USA to UK please pack a BXA set as ballast and offload it this end to make weight for the souvenir plastic model of Big Ben (made in china and shipped over here cheaply)