Kerry lathes had a tail stock that was driven by a rack and pinion so the barrel could be as long as required but I always found the gearing to be a bit fast and a pita when drilling large holes.
The other option is to have a attachment that mounts on the cross slide to hold your bit. This gives two advantages the first Bering that you can use all the available saddle travel and secondly you can use the power feed. Some manufacturers made them but I haven't seem many, I have seen one for an m400 and I used to use a dean smith and grace that had one very handy for drilling deep holes.
I worked a Denhome Centre Lathe in the 60's and it had a rear attachment that took a morse taper drill, you just wound cross slide back out of the way, and then pulled attachment up to fixed stop. You used power feed when drilling, always remember coming home and telling my dad I had been drilling 2" diameter holes in big steel blocks used for roller ends. This was in the days when Black & Decker were just starting to sell a power drill to every home (drills had originally 3/8" chucks. I lived on a farmer and had helped my Dad as a boy drill holes in farm machinery with a breast drill. Bloody hard work always used power feed on any machine I worked on and quick traverse as well.
Guys thanks for all the input, I would like to try the 3MT holder on the toolpost and see how that goes. Does anyone recognise the toolpost holder? I need to identify it.
Bob
Nothing on the post but the holders all start with 250/ then range from 401 upwards?? Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I have just been out there routing through all the stuff in a box the guy that sold the lathe gave me and I found these and a knurling gadget. In my defence I had no idea what they were until today What a plank
I still need to identify the tool post and need the proper name of these holders so I can order the 5 morse one.
or buy a morse taper adaptor to take you from whatever (3?) to 5
Bob