My good friend Kent Rudisill has a great machine shop nearby. I left a Taig lathe over at his shop for a while, and in using it a bit, he decided it would benefit from a quick change toolpost. The design is unconventional, and while not as precise as a dovetail type toolpost, works well on the Taig. The tool is adjusted up or down with a small knurled wheel, and locked into place with a socket cap screw. The set comes with 4 holders which should be fine for most shops. It would be easy to make your own holders. The unit is available for the Taig, or the Atlas 6" lathe, but he will make toolposts toorder for other small lathes.
In use, I found that the tool height would repeat to within .004, and you can get that down to .001 if you take care in remounting the tool holder. The knurled wheel is easily bumped though, so you do have to take care not to change the setting. This can be fixed by adding another nut on top of the knurled nut for locking. I found that in removing and replacing the tool holder, you would get a discrepancy in diameter on the work of about .001, which is not bad. In use the toolpost was quite rigid and did not shift.
One great feature is that although the unit is bulkier than the standard Taig toolpost, the tool holder can overhang the slide, allowing access to the end of work supported by the tailstock. Those who have done between centers turning on the Taig know what I mean.
Many Taig users are quite content with the stock toolpost, buying several and keeping pre-shimmed toolbits in them, but for those who want the ease of height adjustment that a q/c toolpost affords you may want to try the KENBO toolpost.
Picture of KENBO toolpost in use
Find out more at the KENBO website
Standard disclaimer: Kent is my friend, so take everything here with a grain of salt.
