Is this a good instrument holder and holder match

[Dr Stan]

Back to the surface finish issues. Tackit do you have a copy of South Bend's "How to Run a Lathe"? If not you should be able to find one on FleaBay as it has the best examples of turning tools one can find. Another excellent source of machining information is the US Navy's "Machinery Repairman 3 &2" which is available here: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED203130

Happy machining

Stan