Lathe Tools | McMaster-Carr

Whether you just bought your own lathe, or just passed the SBU for the metal lathes at tech oathe, you're now going to need some tooling for fools lathe.

This instructable aims to guide you in choosing and setting up indexable carbide tooling, primarily at the toools. If you don't know what the techshop is, you check it out here www.

The lathe in this instructable can be found toole the San Jose branch. There are many different types of tooling you can use on the lathe. The simplest and most common is high speed steel HSS toolbits. These toolbits typically come as sqaure bars, and are then hand ground on the pedastal grinder.

HSS Tooling can be very versatile lathe tools tools up economical, especially if you don't plan on using the lathe very much, or you don't know what lateh of parts you will be making. However, while HSS tooling can be very cheap initially, it can have drawbacks. Mainly, if you're not a professional, chances are grinding tools will take you significant time, and your tools lathe tools tools up not always the same.

HSS tooling also has a significantly shorter lifespan than other types of tooling, especially in hard materials. Brazed carbide tooling would be considered the next step from the basic HSS tooling. These tools feature a steel body, with a carbide tip brazed onto the end. While these tools are quite common Most techshop lathe tools are brazed carbideI have never had good success with them. From my experience, they are difficult to get good finishes with, and are require a green wheel to sharpen.

Brazed carbide toolbits can be similar in cost to regular HSS toolbits, or three to four times more expensive. While I don't recommend it, if you do want to go with brazed carbide toolbits, you can see extended tool life over HSS, especially in hard materials.

Indexable carbide tooling is the toolls type of tooling for lathes. Indexable tooling uses steel tools, with a screw or clamp securing a carbide insert to the end of the tool. Indexable carbide tools and inserts are widely available, as they are almost unanimously used in CNC Turning. Indexable tools and inserts come in many different varieties, one can be found for almost any job.

Unlike HSS or brazed carbide, carbide inserts require no sharpening prior lathe tools tools up use. Most lathe tools tools up have at least 2 separate cutting edges, and can be rotated when one fools dulls.

Indexable carbide tooling as does not typically re-adjustment of the tool height when swapping inserts. The primary drawback of indexable carbide tools is the initial lathe tools tools up. Additionally, if you need a special tool, you must buy an additional tool, rather than grind it yourself.

However, if you don't like grinding your own tools, and just want to make a lot of parts, indexable carbide is my favorite way to go. The inserts cut very well in a wide range of materials, and require little to no time after setting the height once.

There are many types of carbide tools available on the market today. Choices range from small threading tools, to massive tolls boring bars. Choosing the best ones for you can be difficult. If you do not have in a mind a certain type of part you'll be making, a general purpose group of tools, that can turn, face, and bore will probably be your best bet.

The KBC Tools catalog has a great section on indexable carbide tools, with diagrams as to what type of cutting each tool and insert can do. Both of these tools use CCMT If you are unsure about what to get, those lathe tools tools up tools will cover most all of your turning, facing, and boring needs, at a great price.

Once you have tools, you will need inserts. Most tool stores that sell indexable carbide tools, will also sell the inserts. If you have trouble finding the inserts, you may want to look into a toools tool, one with more common inserts, as this will save you time and money later.

Again, the Lathe tools tools up Catalog has a great section describing almost all common inserts, and breakdown of the naming conventions. I bought my inserts from maritool. Large nose radiuses. I chose a ip of inserts, positive latue, Kennametal K68 inserts for aluminum, and neutral rake CeraTip CA inserts for steel and stainless.

Positive rake inserts will reduce horsepower requirements in ul metals, but can break off in hard materials. Neutral or negative rakes are much stronger in hard materials, but require more horsepower to push through the cut. Toolholders are what attach your tools to the kp. Most modern lathesand all the techshop lathes, are equipped with quick change tool posts Shown above.

These are special tool posts, that toops you to quickly swap toold, while maintaining the same height for each tool. The majority of the rest of this instrucable will cover set-up with quick change posts. If you have another type of toolpost, the same lathe tools tools up rules apply, but the methods for setting tool height will be different.

If you just got your lathe, the toolpost should say which series it is. All series toolholders will fit the series toolpost, and similarly, for series lathe tools tools up and posts. However, a series toolholder would not fit on a series toolpost. Lathe tools tools up toolholders themselves are also standardized. Different varieties typically come in all common toolpost sizes. For most turning and facing tools, a 1 or 2 toolholder will be the best choice.

For boring bars, a 2 or 4 holder will be best. You have to choose smaller tools based on your toolpost. Here, I chose a single BXA 2 toools. Once you have your tooling and holders, you need to prepare everything to go in the lathe. If you tooling didn't come with inserts installed, that will be your first step. Changing the inserts is very simple, simply unscrew the toools screw, and remove the insert.

You will want to be careful of chips and debris when changing inserts, as they can cause inconsistencies between inserts. For setting the tool height, it also recommended that you use an insert you don't care too deeply about, as it is possible lathf break. Next, install a tool into your toolholder.

Again, be sure to clean both the tool, and the toolholder, as even small chips will cause inconsistencies. Place the tool in the slot, and tighten the set screws as shown. You will want to get these set screws decently tight, if they are tiols they can vibrate free. Now that your tool has inserts installed, and is in a toolholder, you are ready to install it on the lathe. It is again recommended to clean all the surfaces on the toolholder, and toolpost.

To install your toolholder, rotate the large handle on top of the toolpost counterclockwise, until the small gibs raises up. Then slide you toolholder onto the approiate dovetail slot.

Push the tool all the way down, and rotate the handle fools until tight. In lathhe operation, you will be setting the tool height relative to the machine. The ideal height for each tool varies, because the cutting edges sit at different heights on each tool.

However, all tools will cut best when the cutting edge is lathe tools tools up on the centerline of the spindle. For quick change toolholders, lathw height is lathe tools tools up by adjusting too,s thumbscrew lathe tools tools up locking nut. On traditional 4 way toolposts, shims must be added under the tool.

To set the height you will want something long, and relatively flat, with lathe tools tools up parallel edges. A steel rule, works great for this. You will also want a piece of round of decent diameter. Lathf method will in theory work with any diameter, but it toos be more difficult as the diameter goes down. I used a piece of 2" aluminum round I had leftover. With the machine rools, chuck the round stock in the chuck, and tighten.

You will be cutting with it, so don't skimp on the chucking. Next, move the tool until the cutting edge is in a position to contact the outer diameter of the work piece. Take your rule, or other object, and hold it so it lathe tools tools up the cutting edge of the tool is roughly centered on the length of the rule. Then, advance the X axis until the cutting edge just contacts the rule.

Be careful, to much pressure will break the carbide. You should now be able to let hp of the rule, and it should stay in place. If not, keep putting light pressure on the axis until it stays. Now, lathe tools tools up yourself so you tooos get a good look directly at the front of the spindle.

Topls the tool was perfectly level, you would see the rule perfectly vertical, however, unless you are extremely lucky, it is most likely angled. If toold rule is angled such that top lathe tools tools up closer to the spindle center, the tool is too high. Similarily, if the rule is angled such that the bottom is the closer to the spindle center, the tool is too low. Take note of the angle of the rule, and decide which way to move the tool.

Then, remove the tool from the toolpost. Loosen the locking nut on top the thumbscrew, and rotate the thumbscrew so it upp either up or down. There is no direct science on how much to move the thumbscrew at this point, so you should use your best judgement, if it is wrong, there will be no harm.

Once you have moved the thumbscrew, tighten the locking nut, and toold the tool.

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