Vertical turret machine tool

Claim 1

A vertical machine tool comprising: a base; a horizontal faceplate mounted on said base; a guide member having horizontal guide means; means by which said guide member is supported on said base; a slide rest mounted on said guide member and engaging said horizontal guide means so as to be horizontally movable relative to said guide member, said slide rest having vertical slide means; a tool holder mount mounted on said slide rest and engaging said vertical slide means so as to be vertically movable relative to said slide rest, said tool holder mount having receiver means to receive a tool holder; means for controllably moving said slide rest horizontally relative to said guide member and means for controllably moving said tool holder mount vertically relative to said slide rest whereby said tool holder mount can be positioned at a first predetermined position relative to said guide member; a tool magazine mounted on said guide member, said tool magazine including a tool storage device which is rotatable about a fixed axis relative to said guide member, said tool storage device including a plurality of store stations distributed around said axis such that any selected store station can, by mere rotation of said tool storage device, without axial movement of said tool storage device, be positioned at a second predetermined position relative to said guide means, said second predetermined position being juxtaposed with said first predetermined position; a plurality of tool holders removably carried by said tool storage device at respective ones of said store stations; and means selectively operable when the tool holder mount and a selected store station are at said first and second predetermined positions respectively to cause said receiver means to engage a tool holder which is being carried by said tool storage device at the selected store station, to remove the tool holder from said tool storage device and to replace the tool holder thereat; said tool storage device being rotatable while said tool holder mount is positioned at said first predetermined position to move different store stations to said second predetermined position without axial movement of said tool storage device.