Tooling and Mics
For general turning I use brazed bits, tool steel and indexable carbide insert tools. The advantages of the brazon bits, are they can be reground to any shape needed. They are pretty forgiving, but if they chip, you have to take the tool out of the machine to regrind it. With a carbide insert tool, all you have to do is loosen the screw and index the insert. Drawback being, the inserts are about $4.00 each. The set of 3/8 carbide insert tools were purchased from an eBay store for $15.50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This 1/2" Drill Chuck with a MT2 taper shank to fit the tailstock taper, was also purchased from an eBay store.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
For boring I use these 3/8" shank boring bars. Before I got them I was using this brazed bit ground for clearance.
It worked, but was bothersome to get set up to the correct height.
-------------
Boring Bar Holder
My boring bar holder is homemade from a piece of 3/4 X 3/4 X 2-1/2" steel. With the block bolted in the tool post and drill mounted in the chuck. It was first center drilled, then I drilled it to .030" under 3/8" X 1-1/2" deep, and finally used a 3/8 end mill to finish the size. Drilling it with the chuck guarantees the bore will be on center with the machine. After the bore was finished, I cut a slot the full length of the bored hole. The last picture above shows a boring bar in the holder. When it's clamped into the tool post, it tightens on the bar, holding it securely.
They do bore nicely, as the brass test piece shows.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My measuring devices are inexpensive, but work fine for the work I do with them. I'm a pretty easy inspector in my own basement.
A set of 0-6" Outside Mics pretty much cover the range of any of my parts. Telescopic Gages for measuring bores as small as 1/2". The Pi Tape will measure O.D.s from .750 to 7.000" and the 6" Digital Caliper does just about anything else.