South Bend Mill tool holders

[BMSS]

Actually Tiptop, the system works very well, and you do have a set of drive dogs that engage the toolholder. The holding bolts actually thread right through the center of the dogs. I should have gotten a better picture of it, I guess.

[tiptop]

BMSS,

I guess I should have been wearing glass' before making my statement. So the retention system also serves as drive dogs? Good to hear that, I was having a hard time thinking S.B. came up with a system that did not incorporate them.

Jay

[Fasttrack]

Thanks for the pics! Thats a neat little mill.

[alanganes]

Alan & Fasttrack
As you can see in the photos, I have added a "poor man's DRO" to my mill. The system works great for me. Enjoy the photos
BMSS

Looks good! Nothing wrong with your poor man's DRO. A while back I scored an almost free, old but functional 2 axis Anilam DRO and scales for my machine. Sounds silly, but it was like getting a new mill. Just soooo much easier to use, no more counting turns, and forgetting to approach from the "correct" direction. It is a very basic DRO, no fancy offsets or bolt circle calculations but I would hate to be without it now. Spoiled, I guess.

It is almost more like the drive dogs serve as the retention system
It has typical looking drive dogs, but each has an angled hole in it, that is threaded for a set screw that protrudes into the spindle and presses against the flats on the tapered tool holder. The dogs do the driving, the screws basically push the holder into the taper. Sort of a backwards, upside-down drawbar. Like I said, works fine, just not real fast.

I'll try to get a few more pictures up later on in the weekend.
Thanks for posting those.

-Al A.