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Getting a Phase II toolpost Disassembled

I just had my first shipment from enco arrive it was a Phase 2 Piston style toolpost. (AXA sized)

there is a point at which the price was too right to ignore.

so the kit has arrived and its COVERED in that brown goo (Chinese Shiping sauce?) that got baked on as the parts were shrinkwrapped. So as is i'm putting it in for a mineral spirit dip

I see a few spots where there is still machining swarf in nooks and crannies so as i have all the big parts apart to get the covering off and i'm seeing swarf i'm thinking i hope there isnt any in the cam area?

I then totally failed to dismantle the Cam from the base of the toolpost

Id there a trick to getting the two apart?

there is a mystery hole in the back corner of the toolholder that was full of swarf that i cannot see what is in it if anything and one of the piston plates seems to not want to come off?

Am i being nutso paranoid here? or am i right to be concerned take the unit apart and put it back together?

I already know i need to machine the fitting for my lathes T-slot but is anything needed on the top post assembly

Reply to
Brent
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According to Brent :

Hmm ... while I've disassembled a Phase-II *wedge* style toolpost BXA/Series-200 size), I've not done one in the AXA/Series-100 size range.

Hmm ... is this the one on the right, with one dovetail towards the workpiece and the other towards the chuck? If so, that is a threaded hole intended to accept a thumbscrew to secure a runout indicator to the toolpost.

Hmm ... what I *might* try, to get the cam out, is to keep both piston plates in place, and as each lifts, slide a screwdriver blade under it to hold it out. With both fully out, you may be able to lift clear the cylinder which carries the cam. This is purely a guess, as I have never had a piston style toolpost apart.

Perhaps -- but you have already seen swarf where it should not be, so perhaps not.

Probably not. There was nothing needed on for my Phase-II wedge style toolpost on the top. Just milling the T-slot adaptor to fit.

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Reply to
RoyJ

you should have requested the brown sauce on the side :^)

Reply to
Tony

According to RoyJ :

Why not switch to Imperial threads? You can do them. You can use any reasonably near size of stock. It looks as though 1/2" would be a good choice. Do you have any 1/2" taps? Even if you don't, they will be cheaper than metric ones of equal quality bought in this country. You can get junk quality taps in either system, but I would go for reasonable quality while I was at it.

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

THANK YOU

the thread pitch was driving me bonkers as to what it was I was ready to redo the post in Imperial threads for the exactl same reason (Atlas

10X36 is imperial only too)

i also realized i officially need a LOT more metric taps and dies

my post is ok and straight but i question having mystery swarf in the middle and i still am not entirely sure how to get one of the pistons out then how much i need to remove before i can take the cam out of the top I got one of the piston plates off but the "turning" one seems to just be spinning in there without coming forward or back.

I think there is some swarf down in there i had a little bit get coughed out when i oiled it but by the time it affects the operation i hope to be well along, curse a little and buy a little more respectable of an AXA toolpost and move the holders over.

The fact that this set at Enco cost less than 2 of the five holders it came with up here at a busybee (Taiwan imports) means no matter what i'm a bunch of toolholders ahead of the game if the post does crap out

if i dont need the pistons and springs out before lifting this then i'm being too gentle but the "exploded diagram" that comes with it gives me no hints to the order of assembly/disassembly nor of any dependencies.

I think i'm just going to buy a 1/2" 20 nut and redo the central shaft to get it connected

aa quick trip to my metal bin found a perfect sized peice of aluminum to serve as the T slot base until i stumble into a steel part, At least with the AL the contact area is the FULL length of the cross slide T slot so it should last me a while before i do something silly like strip it or bend it and i'd MUCH rather wreck a 25 cent peice of aluminum than a cross slide casting if i DO screw up

I'll tell you how it goes h> I just got mine a couple days ago. The darn mounting post thread on the

Reply to
Brent

Removal of the cam just requires pulling out on both pistons at the same time. Usually you can use the cam to get one to the highest point and wedge a small screwdriver in the side of the piston plate to hold it. Then turn to the other piston at highest and the cam will pull out the top.

Reply to
Wayne Cook

I think the P-II model is similar to the HF generic (India) QCTP. There are piston "plates" that are pushed out by cam followers. The plates are secured by socket head cap screws, and internal springs keep the followers in contact with the cam surface, which is why the cam can't just be lifted out of the post body.

As DoN and Wayne have suggested, the spring-loaded followers need to be held out, away from the cam surface, to allow the cam to be extracted.

I found that a couple of slightly longer screws can be used to hold the followers out, by removing the original screws and rotating the piston plates 90 degrees (bridging across the cavities) and inserting the slightly longer screws. As the screws are screwed in, they lift the followers away from the cam. With the followers drawn away from the cam, it can be easily lifted out.

WB metalwork> I just had my first shipment from enco arrive

Reply to
Wild Bill

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