SHERLINE Adjustable Tailstock Tools

Development of the adjustable tool holders

The Sherline lathe has come a long way since Mr. Clisby's original conception in the late 1960's. It started out as a machine that could be manufactured and sold at a very reasonable price, but the accuracy was such that it had limited use.

When I purchased the company in 1974 and started to produce these machines in the USA, I completely changed the manufacturing methods and "tightened the tolerances". The biggest improvement in the machines came with the advent of CNC machines (computer numeric controlled) which is how the machines have been manufactured for more than a decade.

Along with the improved accuracy came another set of problems; customers are now using Sherline tools to do work that, until now, could only be done on machines costing thousands of dollars. The newest Sherline lathes now have features and are produced to a level of accuracy that make the adjustable nature of these tool holders much less necessary. However, there are many thousands of existing machines produced over the past quarter century that can benefit from the improved headstock-to-tailstock alignment these accessories can provide.

Only someone new to the machine trade would talk "perfect" alignment. In the machine business you talk tolerances even if you can’t measure an error because now the error has to be assumed from the tolerances of your method of checking. To maximize the use of the Sherline lathe we are introducing a series of tool holders. Holders such as these have always been used in setting up turret lathes and screw machines in the machine trade to make up for the inaccuracies in machine tools or the lack of room for drill chucks, etcetera.

Use of the adjustable tool holders

The Sherline holders have a Morse #0 taper to fit the tailstock and a choice of tool holders. To find out more about the specific use of each one, click on the underlined part number.

These holders are simple to use. The holders are divided into two parts with flanges. These flanges are bolted together with two screws. The clearance holes for these screws allow the front to be adjusted in relation to the rear. The rear section has a witness mark (groove). This mark should always be located at the top so the holder is located the same way in the tailstock each time.

The accuracy that is attainable is governed by the amount of skilled effort you put forth. Before starting, it is wise to clamp your headstock square with the bed. This can usually be accomplished by loosening the headstock and pushing back evenly against the alignment key (located under the headstock) and retightening. Turning a test bar and measuring at each end to check for taper is the best way to confirm squareness.

Working to the level of accuracy you actually need

I personally don’t believe a person should try and get these tools set any more accurately than you realistically need. Machining is a process that takes place under high loads and temperatures. A perfectly aligned machine doesn’t produce a perfect part without the skill of an operator who copes with the many variables. The skill of machining is making parts that are of a closer tolerance than the machine you are working with was built. If you cut a slight taper on a lathe there is nothing wrong with straightening it with a flat mill file and polishing with 320A wet/dry paper. This should only take a couple of minutes. Trying to align your machine could take hours only to find the machine alignment satisfactory, but your cutter was dull and below center. Please don’t become a machinist who can never get a job done correctly because of the equipment on hand. I’ve seen beautiful parts produced in machine shops on equipment that was worn out twenty years ago. It’s the machinists that build these parts, not the machines!

Adjustable Tailstock Tool Holder Parts List