Re: Inserts in the home shop

I don't understand why you'd even want such a thing. I like HSS tools
cause they allow for some really screwball shapes, and because I can
take very light passes on steel.

For running aluminum, steel, etc carbide is the way to go. You have
to have a solid machine to run them with lots of power under the
hood, but if you can, why not? I was turning some stainless a couple
days ago. Would have had to run the lathe at about 250rpm with HSS..
Nuts to that. 750RPM for brazed carbide - worked like a champ.

And what's the about sharbening carbide? Takes like 2 seconds and you
rarely have to do it (unless you mess up - but who does that? :))

Regards,

Robin

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., dan.eaton@c... wrote:
> Tim Goldstein wrote
>
> >I broke a number of inserts (is it ok to talk about using inserts
in
> >a home shop or is that not politically correct?) until I
> >learned that you need to cut the whole hardened thread in one pass.
>
> I read an artical on setting up your shop in Live Steam magazine by
> the fella that built the Shay, Heisler, and other engines. He made
a
> good case for the home shop machinist to just use HSS tools. They
are
> inexpensive and can be sharpened on a common grinder.
>
> I was talking to a knowledgeable friend of mine and he agreed up to
a
> point. Sharpening a tool correctly is sometime easier said than
done.
> Maybe that's why so many folks seem to build tool sharpeners as
their
> first major project.
>
> I don't have a very good grinder so I use carbide inserts in a
holder
> I built for most things and HSS tools when something special is
> required. The inserts are always ground to the correct angle and
> fixing a dull cutter is as simple as fliping/rotating the insert.
So
> from my point of view, inserts are politically correct. 8^)
>
>
> Dan Eaton (Saint Louis)