I’ve got a small Sherline lathe, and one of the best upgrades I made so far was to buy this A2Z quick change tool post, which is also available for metal lathes of all sizes. Instead of the stock tool holder, this one takes its place, and I can swap tooling with great ease and speed.
The A2Z quick change tool post comes as a package that includes the tool post, (2) turning tool holders, (1) boring bar holder, and (1) parting tool holder. There are some other package offers that included additional tool holders, and you can also buy more holders separately.
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Update 3/21/17: A2Z seems to have gone out of business.
Tool Holder Options
- 1/4″ – 1/2″ square tool holder
- 3/8″ boring bar holder
- 1/2″ boring bar holder
- 1/2″ x 0.040″ cut off blade holder
- Blank (machinable) holder for custom tooling
- Specialty Little Machine Shop knurling tool holder
Each holder has a simple height adjustment, so that you don’t have to waste time readjusting your frequently used tooling. Adjust the height once and you only have to check it periodically. I have found that the height adjustment does not change unintentionally over time.
Once the tool post is installed, the quick change holders are attached via the dovetail mechanism, where a turn of the lever applies locking pressure. Rotate the lever counterclockwise to unlock the tool holders from the post.
I had a problem with the length of the mounting screw that came with my quick change post, but Little Machine Shop, where I order a lot of my small lathe tooling and accessories from, sent me a quick replacement. I ended up using a tool-free lock-down knob instead of the hex fastener, which is also made by A2Z.
Starter packages are available for $100. I ordered from both Little Machine Shop and A2Z directly in the past, with great experiences from both.
A2Z makes these quick change tool posts in the USA.
Buy Now(via Little Machine Shop)
Buy Now(from A2Z Corp.)
The audio could be better, but here’s an intro video from A2Z:
There are a number of other brands that make quick change tool posts for metal lathes, but I believe the A2Z is the only option for my Sherline lathe. They also make one for Taig, micro, mini, and larger-sized lathes.
If I had a larger lathe, I probably would have went with a Phase II tool post or similar, without ever even learning about A2Z. There is a pretty big pricing difference when comparing A2Z’s quick change tool post with other brands’ quick change tool post starter sets, whether imported (such as Phase II) or USA-made (such as Aloris).
Although the A2Z quick change tool post is said to be suitable for all of the sizes of lathes they sell starter mounting kits for, I can’t say how suitable it would be for use with larger machines.
If I bought a 7″ lathe, I’d give the A2Z quick change tool post a try before considering something else. But for larger, say a 9″ lathe? I’d look more towards a 100 series or AXA quick change tool post set, such as by the Phase II or Aloris brands I mentioned.
I suppose that if you have more than one size of small lathe, say a Sherline or Taig and a 7″ mini lathe, you should be able to use the same tool holders on different machines equipped with A2Z’s tool post. The only catch I could think of is that you would have to ensure that the reference height of the tool post is the same for all machines.
John Fleisher says
A2Z makes a great product. I recently installed an AX0 on my Atlas 6″ lathe.
John Zweifel says
I have the A2Z on my Sherline with over a dozen tool holders. I had to make some small modifications to suit my needs and overall I’m happy with the tool post now that I’ve tweaked it. It’s worth mentioning that the tolerances on the tool holder dovetails tend to be a bit on the loose side. I’ve ordered tool holders at different times as my needs grew and some are looser than others, but none to the point I felt I had to exchange it.
Sherline also makes a great quick change tool post for the lathe. It is more expensive but the tolerances are tight and it’s a well engineered system. I was going to originally get the Sherline QCTP but after looking into the cost for the amount of tooling I was going to be regularly changing I went with the A2Z and am happy with the investment.
For reference here is a link to the Sherline system.
http://www.sherline.com/2250pg.htm
Dave L. says
Having used similar tool holders on Southbend Heavy 10s, if you need to change tools a lot, these are the BOMB!
Doug B says
I bought this tool post for my EMCO Unimat 3 lathe a few months ago and it is working great.
Drew M says
If only someone made a good chuck for the Sherline. The best solutions I found were…
http://www.taigtools.com/c1045ER.html
and
http://qtul.com/cnc-rotary-tables/accessories/80mm-3in-chuck-with-backplate.html
Drew M says
oh, and A2Z’s ‘Tuff nuts’ are the best available for the Sherline that I’ve found. I lost count of how many Sherline t-nuts I broke.
http://www.a2zcorp.us/Tuff-Nut-T-Nuts-for-Sherline-Bag-of-8_p_269.html
Charlotte says
Here’s complete list of machines that the QCTP kits are compatible with.
http://cncmanual.com/a2z-cnc-quick-change-tool-post-fitting-guide/
Contact A2ZCorp directly at [email protected] with any questions.
Bob S says
I have an Atlas MKII 6 inch lathe with a A2Z QCTP and I really like it. Tool changing is a breeze and the tool post is solid. It’s a great upgrade from the stock tool post.