Tool steel, TiN, Ti coat, Cobalt, Carbide.

Is it worth buying special tooling for a lathe I'm going to use at home? I don't have a sharpening centre, and really don't want to be bothered sharpening hss tooling. What are your thoughts on titanium nitride, titanium coated, cobalt and carbide tooling? Do they even do lathe tooling in the nitrides etc? I was planning to perhaps use indexable carbide tools with replaced tips, not those brazed ones.

Do you also know that beta carbon nitride is the strongest substance on Earth? Yes, stronger than diamonds, they're small talk now. Check out how much it is though. <grins> I suppose they'd have to make it first hey?

John H.


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