Hoffman Estates, IL - BIG DAISHOWA has released two new upgrades to its Base Master measuring devices. The first upgrade spans the lineup and replaces a single LED indicator with a 360-degree light, making it easy for operators to see contact from any orientation. 

Also, the Base Master Mini is now available with a side handle that makes negotiating limited-access lathes easier. The Base Master Mini’s compact design makes it fast and easy to use while providing extremely accurate results. With a standard height of only 20mm (.787 in.), it’s ideal for small Swiss lathes and tight spaces. 

Hoffman Estates, IL – Choose best-in-class cutting tools, tool holders and workholding products from BIG DAISHOWA and support your local manufacturing training programs at the same time.

From November 1 to December 30, 2022, BIG DAISHOWA will donate a tooling certificate valued at 20 percent of every order from an NTMA member company to the buyer’s school of choice. 

“This is a way for us to support our partners and customers in the NTMA and continue to show our commitment to workforce development,” said Jack Burley, president & COO of BIG DAISHOWA Americas. “When buyers select their favorite local school programs, they are sending resources to train their own future machinists and engineers.” 

1. The qualifying minimum order is $5,000 (earning a $1,000 tooling certificate).  
2. Place the order through your local distributor and request “Drop-ship from BIG DAISHOWA.”
3. Reference “PROMO-BD-SCHOOLS” as a line item on your order.

“We’ve been active in NTMA for many years. Our objective is to advise members on applying technology to reduce set ups and cycle times, improve part finishes, and lower costs through longer tool life. I hope this special promotion will be an incentive for those who have not tried our products yet,” Burley said.  

BIG DAISHOWA offers nine products lines of precision tooling, workholding, and tool management systems aimed at reducing both the overall process time and the cost per part. 

Popular products include face mill holders, end mill holders, collet chucks, angle heads and tapping adaptors. The world-leading KAISER Boring System, high-performance Sphinx Drills and UNILOCK Workholding systems are also available, as are CAT, BT, HSK and BIG Capto systems. 
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If your machine is equipped with a BIG-PLUS spindle, remember that BIG DAISHOWA is the official licensed provider of BIG-PLUS tool holders in North America. Don’t accept any substitute dual contact products on your valuable machines.


As a member of the BIG DAISHOWA Group (Osaka, Japan), BIG DAISHOWA Inc. has grown into a recognized global tooling provider, with manufacturing facilities in North America, Switzerland and Japan. In addition, BIG DAISHOWA is the North American representative of Speroni tool measuring machines, Sphinx high-performance drills, mptec measuring stands, Tekusa spindle cleaners and the UNILOCK zero-point workholding system.

Here's a look at some of the new products and special offers from our manufacturers!  You'll want to check them out in-person at the show, on-line during the show or contact us and we can stop in and get into the details at your shop with one of our guys. 

BIG DAISHOWA designs, manufactures and markets premium high-precision tooling systems and solutions for the automotive, military, aerospace, energy, and micro-technology industries.  BIG DAISHOWA is the North American representative of Speroni tool measuring machines, Sphinx high performance drills, mptec measuring stands, Tekusa spindle cleaners and the UNILOCK zero-point workholding system

​Be sure and check out the two special offers:

Carmex Precision Tools specializes in carbide cutting tools for thread turning & thread milling. They will be showcasing a full line of tools for Swiss machines, including turning, back turning, grooving & parting.

Jergens Inc is a global manufacturing leader of CNC machining custom workholding products. Today, you'll find their vises, clamps & fixturing systems, tooling components, at work in just about every segment of the metalcutting industry.

Check out their innovative engineered solutions like the patented

• Ball Lock®️ Mounting System
• Fixture-Pro®️ 5-axis workholding which has changed the way manufacturers worldwide think about metalworking productivity
• Jergens Zero Point Mounting System allows you to fix, position and clamp in a single step.

Platinum Tooling has been hard at work searching to find the highest quality machine tool accessories in the market…and we think they’ve done it! Platinum Tooling will be showcasing the following products at IMTS:

• Heimatec – Swiss, Turning, & Machining Center Tools
• Tecnicrafts - Swiss Type Collets & Guide Bushings
• Henninger – Mechanical, Air, & Motor Speeders
• AMF - Cleaners & Markers
• Hommel + Keller – QUICK Knurling & Marking Tools

Techniks Tool Group (TTG), the parent company of Techniks and Parlec, is one of North America’s largest providers of best-in-class tooling solutions for CNC machining centers.  Check out the complete list of products they will be demonstrating at IMTS:

• Parlec Shrink Fit Holders – Made-in-USA shrink fit tooling that matches the gage lengths and nose diameters of popular international standards for plug-and-play simplicity
• Triton Hydraulic Chucks - Finally, a hydraulic chuck built for heavy material removal applications
• ERos (ER On-Size) Collet System – Extreme 3-micron accuracy from an easy-to-use collet-based system
• Made-in-USA Shrink Fit Machines - Fully automated operation makes incorporating shrink fit easy
• Parlec Micron Milling Chucks - The most accurate milling chucks on the market!
• M-Style Milling Chucks - Narrow nose clearances and long reaches in a milling chuck
• MicroFLOAT Tapping System - Extending tap life by 300%
• SFS12 Modular Shrink Fit System - Superior rigidity at extended lengths
• sPINner Deburring - Automating small parts deburring
• EEPM Electro-Permanent Workholding - Fast part changover, incredible holding power
• HVC Face Mill Holders - 6X the coolant delivery for enhanced chip evacuation and faster feed rates
• SlimFIT Collet System - Narrow nose clearances and extended reaches in an easy-to-use collet system
• DNA (Dead Nut Accurate) Collet System - Perfect for smaller diameter tools

Hoffman Estates, IL - BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc. is excited to share important news concerning the name of its company. BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc. will change its name to BIG DAISHOWA Inc., effective January 1, 2022. 

“BIG DAISHOWA is a global leader of tooling systems, and we have been a member of the BIG DAISHOWA group of companies for many years,” said Jack Burley, President & COO. “The name change is a natural evolution in this relationship. Being known as BIG DAISHOWA in North America will strengthen our corporate presence on a global scale.

“Our customers won’t notice any change in our business day-to-day,” Burley said. “They will receive the same superior products, personal support and performance guarantee we’ve been delivering for more than 30 years.”
The name change will not impact operations, product lines, staff, distribution or licensing agreements in North America. The company will continue to offer the same high-precision tool holders, cutting and boring tools, workholding, tool measurement systems and accessories manufactured in Japan, Europe and the United States.

As a member of the BIG DAISHOWA Group (Osaka, Japan), BIG DAISHOWA Inc. has grown into a recognized global tooling provider, with manufacturing facilities in North America, Switzerland and Japan.

​In addition, BIG DAISHOWA is the North American representative of Speroni tool measuring machines, Sphinx high performance drills, mptec measuring stands, Tekusa spindle cleaners and the UNILOCK zero-point workholding system.

By Jack Burley

Many shops are unaware that a lot of their spindles are BIG-PLUS, so they don’t realize the capabilities they possess that this system provides. If you identify these spindles on your floor and want to start taking advantage of them, there are some things you should know

I was recently chatting with our friends at SPS Spindle Parts and Service, LLC (Goffstown, NH). They are, to my understanding, the only certified BIG-PLUS® spindle grinder in America that performs onsite regrinds. Chris Vigneault, their onsite grinding manager, explained that most of their onsite visits, BIG-PLUS or not, are the result of a crash or poor drawbar retention that allows a tool to loosen in the spindle. That isn’t usually surprising news, but Vigneault explained that their testing and examination process often does reveal something else that is very surprising for customers: “One of the things that most customers are unaware of is that a lot of their spindles are BIG-PLUS and they simply don’t know it,” he said. “Not all, but a lot of customers lately are looking for that ability and just don’t know that they already have it.”

This is common after the purchase of a used machine tool, but shops are even more surprised when they hear this news about new machines. There are a couple of reasons this happens:

All of which begs the question, how do you find out if you have a BIG-PLUS spindle?

We have learned over the years which builders are making their spindles to BIG-PLUS as a standard or as an option, and on which models. So when I visit a customer or talk to them over the phone, I ask what brands of machines they use and compare this with the master list of authorized machine tool builders for BIG-PLUS. However, the easiest way to figure it out is to place a standard tool into the spindle and see how much of a gap there is between the tool holder flange face and spindle face. Without BIG-PLUS, the standard gap should be visible, or about .12 in. If it is BIG-PLUS, the gap is half of this amount, or only .06 in. These values change depending on 30 taper, 40 taper or 50 taper sizes, but the gap is visibly less than usual.

If you identify BIG-PLUS spindles on your floor and you want to start taking advantage, there are some things you should know. First, if you’ve been using standard V-flange tools in that spindle, you likely won’t be able to realize the full benefits of the system. Over time, standard tooling will wear the spindle in ways that change its geometries. “We were just at a shop in Connecticut checking out a BIG-PLUS spindle,” recalled Vigneault. “Because of the way it wears when you don’t use BIG-PLUS tooling – which is exactly the way this customer was using the machine – the face was very heavy, or oversized. If we were grinding it back into spec, it would probably take quite a bit of work. We would have to take a lot of material off the face to get there.”

Because both taper and face contact are what make the system shine, the geometry is critical. If someone trying to transition to BIG-PLUS tooling after learning they have the spindle doesn’t understand that, they won’t experience the performance they expect. There’s also the factor of maintenance.

If a shop didn’t know it had BIG-PLUS machines, it’s a safe bet they didn’t take the preventive steps to help preserve the crucial geometry. These include keeping the spindle, tools and carts clean; misaligned automatic tool changer arms can also harm a BIG-PLUS spindle. These very reasons are why we offer spindle and tool taper cleaners, as well as arm alignment tools. Also, resist the temptation to use less expensive, unlicensed dual-contact tools if you want to give the system a shot. These tool makers do not have the master gauges necessary to create the correct geometry . . . for reference, read my Depth of Cut column titled “Is BIG-PLUS an International Standard?” It shares comparative test results and details the risks.

There’s really one proven way to restore a BIG-PLUS spindle to proper specifications: with a certified regrind. Just as tool makers need the right gauges and measuring devices, so do spindle grinders. If you discover you have BIG-PLUS spindles and want to take advantage, keep these factors in mind to see what the system can do.

Jack Burley is the vice president of sales and engineering at BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., 2600 Huntington Boulevard, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, 847-228-4011, Fax: 847-228-0881, jack.burley@us.bigkaiser.com, www.bigkaiser.com.

We where very excited to meet and greet many of our customers at the 2017 Western Tool & Supply Open House.

 It was held at their San Jose, CA. on September 21- 22, 2017.

We featured quite a few featured products from our principals during the two day event. It was great discussing lots of technical applications that machinists brought to us! ​

BIG Daishowa, the original developer of this system and a major reason that it has been so widely accepted throughout the world, still holds all of the proprietary information and, more importantly, the grand master gages that are used for reproducing spindles and tooling. Access to this information and gaging is well protected by BIG and is only provided to those companies who acquire a license agreement, mostly to protect the integrity of the system, which uses very close tolerances in order to function at its designed performance level.
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The popularity of BIG-PLUS has surged over the past ten years as many shops have tried the system and have witnessed for themselves the huge benefits in higher performance and accuracy over standardized taper contact tooling systems, such as CAT or BT. Other dual contact systems, such as HSK, have also seen a rise in popularity for similar reasons, but perhaps not with all of the same benefits of BIG-PLUS. Unfortunately, all of this increased popularity and demand has been accompanied by a surge in unlicensed copies to the market that offer all kinds of promises and prices never seen before.

Master gages for tooling are quite common. Generally all of them are traceable to a known master to compare the accuracy for rate of taper for production of tool holders, such as CAT or BT. ISO dual contact systems such as HSK rely on the use of a grand master gage that all other master gages are produced to, thereby guaranteeing that all HSK tool holders are the same everywhere in the world. Our company decided to find out how the world’s leading suppliers of HSK tool holders compared to the tolerances of the ISO standard. After acquiring more than 30 HSK-A63 taper tools from our competitors from all over the world and making a detailed quality inspection of the taper itself, we found that 50 percent of the samples were not in tolerance.

Jack Burley
Jack Burley is the vice president of sales and engineering at BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., 2600 Huntington Boulevard, Hoffman Estates, IL 60192, 847-228-4011, Fax: 847-228-0881, jack.burley@us.bigkaiser.com, www.bigkaiser.com.