Dickson Toolpost - Tool Holder Rack

Hi everyone.

I have just treated my lathe to a New Year clean and was thus moving and cleaning Dickson tool holders. I really have too many for them to be kicking about in the swarf tray and it set me wondering if there was an existing design for a storage rack.

An Internet search has only found aluminium ones for the dovetail type beloved of the Americans.

I was thinking of a few laser cut blades to slot them on. Stainless would be nice as it would remove the need for paint which would scrape off in use anyway.

Steve

I seem to remember Model Engineers Laser did a kit but it's not on their website. I would like one too.

Peter

Hi Steve,

I've made two, both to the same basic design - a flat bar with a series of pins let into the bar perpendicular to it, one at each end of the tee slot in the back of the toolholder, if that makes sense.

The first I made of wood and used dowel glued in (for T2 size holders), the second I made from steel with 6mm rod "puddle" welded from the back side (for S1 size holders).

HTH!

Jez.

I have used clip in shelf brackets screwed to the back shelving...







​George.

Thanks guys. That was quick.

I know Malcolm of ME Laser, so I could ask him.

The two pins make sense and I was thinking of mounting them upright as they are used. Now I'll have to have a look to see if they are better as in George's pictures as I hadn't thought of that. Should be better for storing ones with large boring tools

I have a serious shortage of feline swinging room!

Steve

Mine is made from ten pieces of 25x1mm steel strap 70mm long with a roughly 30degree bend in them. These are welded to a length of 25x3mm steel left over from a previous project, and the whole thing is screwed to the cupboard wall next to the lathe.

and

That's about 30minutes work, which includes the 'design', and about a fiver in materials.

If you have access to the magazine archive, there is a photo in MEW84 of Barry Jordans Carousel tool holder and in MEW 183 there is an article on construction of a similar design as shown below:

Thanks folks, Some food for thought there.

I screwed two No.8 round-head wood screws into a board; these are spaced and stick out so that a toolholder will slide over them and the Tee section will slip under the heads and be retained by them. A short length of thin hardwood is screwed beneath the round-head screws to act as a stop for the toolholder. Pretty inexpensive - four screws and a short piece of wood per holder.

I made up a jig - two "tapping size" holes accurately spaced in a piece of steel bar - to ensure repeatability of drilling for the RH screws.

It has been a busy month, so I’m only just catching up with the Forum!

I can’t take credit for the idea. I stumbled across it on Pinterest.

The aluminium angle was an off-cut from when I relocated the leisure batteries in the mobile home.

The DIN rail was left over from when I rewired the milling machine. The screw slots in the DIN rail, made putting it all together very easy, and the design can be scaled

I did make a Lantern Chuck to size the screws, but that has already proved useful for other projects

Edited By thaiguzzi on 11/02/2017 14:04:15

Perspex shelf.

Offcut of mdf architrave, (top half slopes back at about 10 degrees) + offcuts of 1" (25mm) aluminium angle cut to length to fit slot of toolholder.

Thanks for all the replies, not made anything for a couple of weeks, lathe still clean. I'm down with the lurgy!

Steve

I like the cutting fluid bottle rack. Neat idea.