Parting Trick

[jschmidling]

Jack, I understand being on a budget, which is why buying good stuff matters - buy the right thing once and take care of it and it will outlast you. I have an Eclipse P1-N parting blade that has been in use for nearly 30 years and it is still going strong; it was my first parting blade ever and I still reach for it whenever I part on my Sherline lathe. If you cannot afford a decent blade, PM me your personal address and I'll send you a good one.

Thanks for your kind offer but it's not quite that bad.

When one has nothing but a few screwdrivers left, one has to assign priorities about what to replace and how much to spend on each item. In general, my strategy is to buy the least expensive thing that should do the job. I buy almost everything through EBAY and PayPal because of the no hassle, nearly automatic refund if not happy.

I have had a few regrets (bench grinders, table saw, Mickey Mouse drill press to name a few) but in general I am getting back to being able to do many of the things I used to do. I will probably never have a real milling machine or a foundry again but I am having a lot of fun.

A mini lathe isn't much of a lathe but it is infinitely better than no lathe.

I think I have the parting business under control now. Strangely enough, the thin blade actually works pretty well upside down in the $30 CQTH as long as I make sure the flatter side faces to tool holder.

It didn't work at all in the rear mounted one but I think it's the washer business we discussed before. The QC holder has a step on the back side that keeps the hold down level.

BTW, I was reading the thread on tool grinding samples that were to be passed around and wonder if that ever got off the ground. I have a hard time understanding some of the views in the books and a model to work to would be worth a thousand pics.

Anyway, thanks again,

BTW my email addy is no secret and my prefered way to communicate jack@schmidling.com

Jack

 

[mikey]

I'm sorry for the loss of your property; I'm sure it was really devastating and I hope you get back on your feet soon. Tough time in life to have to do that. If you change your mind about that blade, do let me know.

As for the model tools, contact @Z2V and he should be able to hook you up.

 

[Nutfarmer]

Several very good reasons:

1. I will be 105 about that time and I figured that $7 worth is about all I would need.

2. I lost shop, business and 50 years of treasure in a recent fire and replacing everything with the highest quality just is not within my budget.

3. Most of the companies I grew up with and respected no longer exist and the ones that do make everything in China and we have no way of sorting Chinese Junk from quality anymore.

4. I gathered that LMS was highly respected by this group and thought I would get what they advertised.

5. Until someone like you comes along and recommends a quality product, I am just groping in the dark and go for bargains assuming no great loss if junk.

Other than that, thanks for your help.

Jack

Sorry for your loss. Replacement is hard. The China thing is hit and miss. Mostly miss. Bought a 5C chuck that was was supposed to be with in .0002 . It was so far out of wouldn't even mount on the spindle . Stay away from CME.

 

[ttabbal]

Figured I would do some practice cuts with the toolpost. Not bad at all. Very stable, good finish, though I suspect I can do better with practice and honing my blade. 12L14, hand feed. It's very smooth to the touch. I also had the blade extended much too far. Good test though.

I think it might be a tiny bit high still, milling off a little on the base to bring it into alignment. Doesn't look like it in the photo due to parallax.

 

[mikey]

Yup, looks a bit high but the cut looks clean. When you get the tool height correct the tool will cut with very little resistance. It will cut accurately and much faster than you think.

As you found, the extension of a rear mounted tool is non-critical in this application, as is the speed.

Good for you, Travis!