Advice on metal lathe tool bits pls

[Noods]

Hi..
Can you guys please advise on the purchase of a decent set of carbide tipped lathe tool bits, for ease i’d prefer the indexable ones if you guys agree to save time sharpening etc..

I guess there’s those out there that are good and those out there not to touch with a barge pole..

Q.. Do RH finishing bits cut from left to right or is it the other way around?

Birthday fast approaching hence ensuring a decent gift from Mrs N this year opposed to the usual socks, jim jams etc..

Many thanks as always ..

 

[badabec]

How about one of these instead? A Diamond Tool Holder from Eccentric Engineering. He is based in Australia and his sister lives in the UK and handles the orders.
Dead easy to sharpen and HSS is cheap

The Diamond Tool Holder

 

[Misterg]

What size tooling does your lathe take? This will determine the size of indexable tooling you would want.

IMHO it's worth standardising on an insert shape if you can find one that suits what you want to cut. I find the 80° CXXX inserts quite versatile for internal and external turning, but YMMV.

"Most" turning tools are right handed = cutting right-to-left.

What you want from a "set" ? - RH tool, boring bar & parting tool would cover 99%+ of what I do, but again, YMMV. If you encounter the need for a smaller boring bar, then buy one; similarly internal/external threading tools, left hand tuning tools, grooving tools, etc.

Decent information on carbide inserts:

Assuming hobby use: Something like this (£27.99) is a decent 'selection box' to play with, but worth buying some decent inserts from a 'known good' source.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GWLTJ12

 

[tigdlo]

I've had some good luck with cheap inserts from aliexpress but they can be a bit hit and miss the biggest issue I've had is the bottom of the inserts aren't always flat, if they are unsupported under the tip they break quite easily when making interupted or heavier cuts.

Beware of fake inserts on ebay, you can order inserts on aliexpress with any name on the box, I've recieved fake Korloy from aliexpress when ordering no name inserts.

Holders are so cheap that sometimes it can be more cost effective to buy the holder for whatever inserts you can get at the right price.

 

[frank horton]

gonna say the indexable holders from China, inserts sometimes good and not...
but really depends on the size of ur lathe........
not much piont in using carbide if u only have a Myford...
carbide doesn't like being treated softly....

Badabek is correct about Eccentric eng Australia.....plenty of stock at his sisters....
I bought the bits, well bars as it's similar shape to norm HSS...
Made my own holders as I thought theirs was to costly and I sharpen by hand ....again their holder for that is too expensive...
One thing with their tool, u either have to drown it with coolant or work it dry.....
If u dribble coolant on it, it can cause micro cracks at the cutting edge......
I have found it a good tool but no better than HSS with cobalt...which is all I buy now...
Plain Hss doesn't cut it ....if u pardon the pun...

 

[addjunkie]

gonna say the indexable holders from China, inserts sometimes good and not...
but really depends on the size of ur lathe........
not much piont in using carbide if u only have a Myford...
carbide doesn't like being treated softly....

Badabek is correct about Eccentric eng Australia.....plenty of stock at his sisters....
I bought the bits, well bars as it's similar shape to norm HSS...
Made my own holders as I thought theirs was to costly and I sharpen by hand ....again their holder for that is too expensive...
One thing with their tool, u either have to drown it with coolant or work it dry.....
If u dribble coolant on it, it can cause micro cracks at the cutting edge......
I have found it a good tool but no better than HSS with cobalt...which is all I buy now...
Plain Hss doesn't cut it ....if u pardon the pun...

Id agree with the top paragrah, also if you learn to grind your own hss, you will always have the tool you need.

And no matter how good that bababek thing is, the price is mental!

 

[Agroshield]

Badabek is correct about Eccentric Eng Australia.....plenty of stock at his sisters....

Things have changed on the UK supply side:

Eccentric Engineering UK shop gone | Model Engineer

www.model-engineer.co.uk

 

[Kram]

Theres already many good threads on the subject worth reading.

Carbide shank boring bars are worth having if doing anything deep. 3x stiffer than a steel or hss, makes a huge difference.

The amazon kit linked above is reasonable, I'd suggest the 12 or 16mm shank version if you can find it. I still use those style chinese threading tools and external tools. Get branded inserts when they pop up cheap on ebay.

Insert size needs to match both the size of lathe and work your doing. The small inserts will work on any lathe, they take much smaller cuts, demand less to break chips properly, and put less cutting force in the work. Ccmt060204 or dcmt070204. You dont generally need to plan cuts too much, tho it will give better finish to take a reasonable depth final cut.

Insert also needs to be correct grade. If your doing steel it needs to be intended for steel and not a stainless version. The two cut very differently. I made this mistake as the stainless ones are common on ebay.

Bigger inserts are much faster removal, last longer, and work at higher forces, double sided so last ages. Example CNMG120404. With these you need to do test cuts, and plan your final cut to get the right finished size.

I suggest ccmt060204 or dcmt070204 as a small prcise insert to start with even if its a big lathe, they are good for boring.

not much piont in using carbide if u only have a Myford...
carbide doesn't like being treated softly....

Its a common opinion where people have bought the wrong carbide for their lathe or type of job. The smaller the lathe, the less common the correct inserts will be.

Any steel that has chrome in will cut much better with carbide... Example en24 or en19.

For aluminium and non ferrous, the poly crystaline diamond inserts are very good, fiver each but they will outlast a pack of carbide.

 

[Seadog]

I use Shop-APT. Dearer than the Chinese equivalent, but their hobby range stuff is good.

 

[Johnnybravo]

I use Shop-APT. Dearer than the Chinese equivalent, but their hobby range stuff is good.

I used some of their milling cutters. Pig of a job in hardened material where I knew tools would die regularly. Their coated carbide ball nose cutters lasted just as long if not longer than brand name cutters at 4 times the price. Was very impressed. Quick delivery too

 

[MattF]

not much piont in using carbide if u only have a Myford...
carbide doesn't like being treated softly....

That's incorrect. Insert tooling is all I use with my Drummond.

 

[Noods]

How about one of these instead? A Diamond Tool Holder from Eccentric Engineering. He is based in Australia and his sister lives in the UK and handles the orders.
Dead easy to sharpen and HSS is cheap

The Diamond Tool Holder

I watched the video just now and to me it seems a very clever tool.. Only neg is cutting the tip etc ( i know there’s a guide ) i don’t like sharpening chisels scissors etc..

 

[Noods]

Also… I thought i had a 3 jaw chuck around but no, i must of sold it or given it away.. Can you advise please on a brand of self centred chuck with inside and outside jaw capabilities for me to look out for, size of chuck not a issue just yet as i’m only planning at this stage with components coming next before the build ..

 

[Matchless]

Also… I thought i had a 3 jaw chuck around but no, i must of sold it or given it away.. Can you advise please on a brand of self centred chuck with inside and outside jaw capabilities for me to look out for, size of chuck not a issue just yet as i’m only planning at this stage with components coming next before the build ..

I have been very happy with my TOS 3 jaw I fitted to my 65 year ols Colchester Student.

 

[Kram]

For smaller stuff, an ER40 collet chuck. You can turn this yourself easily.

Bison 4304, 4 jaw independant is the chuck to get. They pop up on ebay occasionally.
If it must be a 3 jaw scroll, then a Pratt Griptru.

 

[Gritineye]

Word of caution for the beginner on diamond tools, they have no chip breaker and can produce very long sharp chips, especially on aluminium.

A huge birds nest can build up round the part very quickly.

It can be a big temptation to attempt to clear it with the lathe running, don't ever do that just don't!

I've had a go at making a breaker for mine without much success, a grove can be ground across the top of the tool but that sort of defeats the purpose of the design, which is simple sharpening.

 

[Kram]

Yes, that is half if the problem is getting the chips to break. Stringers are dangerous. If I cant get them to break by changing the feed and depth I will use an interupted feed to break them. Ruins the finish but fine for roughing.

Shop-APT inserts as mentioned are excellent. I dont know if they still have any, but the Unitip DCET 070202's are great.

 

[Erie Fred]

It would help greatly if we knew what you wanted to do with your lathe before recommending.

Also a 4 jaw chuck is easy to master, get a dial indicator, and learn how to align a part.
It's much more versatile, and a valuable skill to learn.

As far a HSS, grinding tool bit's is not nearly as hard as sharpening scissors, again a valuable skill to learn.
consult any older "How to run a lathe" type textbook, and look at the pictures, learn how to see/recognize the clearances needed.

 

[Noods]

For smaller stuff, an ER40 collet chuck. You can turn this yourself easily.

Bison 4304, 4 jaw independant is the chuck to get. They pop up on ebay occasionally.
If it must be a 3 jaw scroll, then a Pratt Griptru.

Excuse pls my ignorance but isn’t an independent 4 jaw chuck a nightmare for getting your work centred ? I realise that it’s more for that kind of work anyway but assumed it better to have both..

 

[Noods]

It would help greatly if we knew what you wanted to do with your lathe before recommending.

Also a 4 jaw chuck is easy to master, get a dial indicator, and learn how to align a part.
It's much more versatile, and a valuable skill to learn.

As far a HSS, grinding tool bit's is not nearly as hard as sharpening scissors, again a valuable skill to learn.
consult any older "How to run a lathe" type textbook, and look at the pictures, learn how to see/recognize the clearances needed.

Ok yes i see what your saying about by using a 4 jaw chuck with a dial indicator to centralise your work piece i’ve got all that as a mechanic of old..
I just thought a 3 Jaw would be quick with round stick etc..