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BXA toolholders

8

88hillman

Member
Shortly after buying my current lathe, a Chinese copy of the Aloris BXA QCTP was purchased as a set. I paid the minimal extra for the wedge style.

The toolpost I got in the set does work reliably, but the wedges are a poor fit in the main body and have a terrible canting action in use. The tool holders seem decent, though the screws were very bad. The Allen head recesses were so loose on any metric or imperial key that they stripped almost instantly.
As it goes there is always a need for more tool holders. Until now I've simply swapped tools in the original ones that came in the set.

I would be interested in suggestions for reasonable cost additions. Amazon CA has them for around $34/ea. There are even options on ebay CA for groups of 10 for $130-140. That is very cheap, but do I need 10? Are the current toolholders still pretty hit or miss? I don't mind replacing the screws as long as the body is well made, particularly the dovetail slot.

Essentially, are the cheap options worth buying these days for a beginning hobby level individual?
 
I've been satisfied with the Accusize holders I bought on Amazon. The screws are better than some other brands I have.
 
88hillman said:
I would be interested in suggestions for reasonable cost additions.
Click to expand...

I have BXA as well. I buy toolholders in bulk orders (usually 3 or 5 or 10). You can get 5/8 and 3/4 inch (called tall) as well as boring bar holders etc. lots of options.

I've been very happy with the ones I got from Accusize.

88hillman said:
Until now I've simply swapped tools in the original ones that came in the set.
Click to expand...

This is only a temporary problem. The best cure is to just give up all efforts to be a frugal hobbiest and go buy 20 more..... LOL!
 
YYCHM said:
Mill your own tool holders.
Click to expand...
My experience has been that the raw material costs about as much as the finished toolholders (Chinese of course).

Here are the last ones I purchased. Nothing wrong with them that I could tell.

www.ebay.com

5Pcs BXA #1 250-201 Quick Change Tool Post Holder Turning & Facing For Lathe | eBay

<li> Description:</li> <li>Securely holds 1/4 - 5/8" square diameter tool bits</li> <li>Interchangeable with Dorian, Aloris, & Phase II BXA series tool posts. </li> <li>For use with BXA tool posts 250-200 or 250-222. 10-15" swing.</li> <li>Precision ground and hardened.</li> <li>Completely...
www.ebay.com
 
everyone has different habits, but it is common to have at least 15 holders.

I have Aloris, Dorian, *really cheap* offshore, and more expensive offshore holders. apart from the screws and studs, they all work the same. I bought a bag of set screws made in Europe to replace the cheaper screws
 
I've thought about making AXA holders for my lathe but at the end of the day I can't justify the cost difference in materials and time vs. buying ready made.
I bought five AXA holders recently and they worked out to be $15.60 CDN each. I can't buy material for that cost.
www.ebay.ca

5PCS AXA #1 250-101 Quick Change Tool Post Turning & Facing Holder | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 5PCS AXA #1 250-101 Quick Change Tool Post Turning & Facing Holder at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.ca
 
Note that original Aloris will not go onto import post, they are too small.

I used all sorts of brands and they are they same, so buy the cheapest.

Also, you can make some of your own, I made a nice extra for AXA on my lathe and when using mild steel the results are awesome - also, you can make extra large ones for holding large boring bars etc. when going custom. I also have some that can hold two tools things like that.

Having more than 10 is standard, as Dabbler pointed out 15 seems like a good number, you can always get more, say 20. I think most pp will agree that under 10 is too few.
 
Tom Kitta said:
Note that original Aloris will not go onto import post, they are too small.

I used all sorts of brands and they are they same, so buy the cheapest.

Also, you can make some of your own, I made a nice extra for AXA on my lathe and when using mild steel the results are awesome - also, you can make extra large ones for holding large boring bars etc. when going custom. I also have some that can hold two tools things like that.

Having more than 10 is standard, as Dabbler pointed out 15 seems like a good number, you can always get more, say 20. I think most pp will agree that under 10 is too few.
Click to expand...
I have 2 Aloris holders and they fit the Chinese BXA toolpost I used to have as well as the Armstrong one I have now. The Aloris is in the top right of the pic along with 3 various Chinese made ones.

20240426_155523.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have a real Aloris BXA tool post I bought from Enco with a 60% off coupon. Its wedges are both wider and longer than my Chinese ones. When I lockdown a tool holder on the Aloris, it locks solid. On the Chinese ones I can feel the locking mechanism flex a bit, not a big deal really. I assume the Chinese ones will wear out sooner, but I have a spare for parts and I have never read of one wearing out.

The Aloris is the better toolpost, but it is not 3 to 4 times better, which is what the price difference is. Amazon’s price’s on BXA holders has gone up recently, the cheapest 16mm holder was $25 for a few years, I used to add one to every order for a while. Before Amazon I used to buy Axa and Bxa tool holders from a company from CDCO. I don’t know if they are still around or not.

I have not found a difference between any Asian tool holders, they all work on my stuff.
 
I'll chime in with a personal experience...
I ordered from an outfit called Bostar Precision tools...Chinese made, but I think the quality is pretty darn good. I honestly prefer the Bostar tool post to the Accusize one I had.
I made the purchases (twice now) through eBay.

Here's their listing for a complete set...
Bostar Tool Post and holders
 
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