Carbide inserts chart

[Chinggis]

Hello!
First I wish to tell, English is not my first language and I learn it myself, so please do not be to cruel to me .
I have a lathe from my father, it is Emcomat 7 and it is old, work hard and now I use it . Last year I buy carbide inserts (and tools) from AliExpress, to be honest, I am disappointed how they work. I make some mistakes, first I need to make bolt and I take from company where I work discarded treads. I try to get dimensions for my need and in that process all my inserts a dull but I make bolts in the end. Well, Threads are made form steel alloys hard one and carbide inserts a made for aluminum. In that time I do not know that. So now I have trouble to find what insert I need, is there a chart or description what all this letters and numbers have a meaning?
Thank you very much on help!

 

[extropic]

Carbide Depot

Welcome to The Hobby-Machinist.
If you click the link, then pick "Technical Resources" tab, I think you will find what you're asking for.
Good luck.

PS: It may be better for you to focus on collecting a good assortment of High Speed Steel (HSS) cutting tools and proper sharpening capability.
Carbide may not be the best option for a small, old, "work hard" lathe. Carbide commonly needs higher surface feet per minute and a stiffer machine than HSS.

 

[aliva]

Inserts For Sale | Carbide Depot Shop Online

Carbide Depot Shop Online has thousands of inserts for sale from industry's largest and most reputable manufacturers. Choose inserts for a variety of applications such as turning, milling, boring, grooving, threading, parting, and indexable drilling. Most of our products ship same day from US stock.

www.carbidedepot.com

 

[benmychree]

Carbide Depot

Welcome to The Hobby-Machinist.
If you click the link, then pick "Technical Resources" tab, I think you will find what you're asking for.
Good luck.

PS: It may be better for you to focus on collecting a good assortment of High Speed Steel (HSS) cutting tools and proper sharpening capability.
Carbide may not be the best option for a small, old, "work hard" lathe. Carbide commonly needs higher surface feet per minute and a stiffer machine than HSS.

I agree with this post.

 

[benmychree]

The people who use this site are not cruel to others, You can count on that.

 

[Chinggis]

Thank you all for fast replay I have HSS tools too, but I think that carbide inserts will be longer sharp than HSS, well I buy vidia tools to from AliExpress and this one are really good one. Unfortunately I am not finish grinder for lathe tools so I have a hard time when it come to sharpening my tools. But thank you all on help!

 

[macardoso]

Thank you all for fast replay I have HSS tools too, but I think that carbide inserts will be longer sharp than HSS, well I buy vidia tools to from AliExpress and this one are really good one. Unfortunately I am not finish grinder for lathe tools so I have a hard time when it come to sharpening my tools. But thank you all on help!

I'm a big proponent of carbide, specifically for me because I do not wish to grind inside my tiny basement shop.

I've had mixed luck with AliExpress and Ebay import inserts. I strongly prefer CCGT and VCGT for work in aluminum and finishing in stainless and steel. They are razor sharp and behave similarly to HSS.

If you are roughing and need a tough insert, then I'm less certain on what to recommend. I have a small quantity of name brand inserts that I use in my roughing tools and have not had a need to hunt for import ones.

 

[extropic]

Thank you all for fast replay I have HSS tools too, but I think that carbide inserts will be longer sharp than HSS, well I buy vidia tools to from AliExpress and this one are really good one. Unfortunately I am not finish grinder for lathe tools so I have a hard time when it come to sharpening my tools. But thank you all on help!

I understand that inserts are easy to replace, however they are not as sharp as well sharpened HSS. The sharper the cutting tool, the lower the cutting forces. Low cutting forces are better on a light machine. In the long run, it will be to your advantage to develop the knowledge and equipment to do your own HSS sharpening. FYI, a member on this site sells a set of samples of typical HSS lathe tools to use a examples for others learning to sharpen. There are publications that can teach you the fundamentals of grinding HSS lathe tools. Start a new thread asking for help grinding HSS late tools and you will get plenty of good help.

 

[Mitch Alsup]

I understand that inserts are easy to replace, however they are not as sharp as well sharpened HSS.

This is inarguably true for CNMG tips, but not true for CCGT tips. CCGT have polished cutting surfaces compared to the CCMT unpolished ones.

The sharper the cutting tool, the lower the cutting forces. Low cutting forces are better on a light machine.

Yes, sharper tools have lower cutting forces, however sharper tools dull faster. So it is all a big tradeoff.
And there there are people like me who sharpen carbide tips (more like hone the cutting edge than sharpen, but it works)

 

[extropic]

This is inarguably true for CNMG tips, but not true for CCGT tips. CCGT have polished cutting surfaces compared to the CCMT unpolished ones.



Yes, sharper tools have lower cutting forces, however sharper tools dull faster. So it is all a big tradeoff.
And there there are people like me who sharpen carbide tips (more like hone the cutting edge than sharpen, but it works)

Everything is a compromise.
Any tool can be dulled or damaged. The goal is to use the tool appropriate for the situation.
Read the OP.
The OP is talking about an Emcomat 7" lathe. For work within that lathe's capabilities I think HSS is probably the best option.
HSS will do, very well, anything such a lathe is capable of.
Also, the capability of grinding effective cutting tools is a fundamental skill that everyone with a manual lathe can benefit from.