Rh Tool Holder Carbide Insert Questions? ??

[mikey]

You will probably never reach the point where a molded chip breaker will actually work as described in the literature. If and when you do it will seem like magic These are production tools that require feeds, speeds and DOC's that your machine is likely incapable of maintaining, however I have found that the high positive rake sharp aluminum specific inserts do an outstanding j0b on plastics such as PVC and LDPE, you can not break the chips in these materials so just let them fly.

You probably need a high speed Swiss lathe to reach the cutting conditions these tools need for optimal performance. Unfortunately, most of us don't have one in our home shops. Still, the SCLCR/L tools are probably the most popular inserted carbide turning tools in the hobby shop because they do work rather well, albeit not as well as they would on a high speed lathe. I actually use and like them, especially in aluminum, but your point is well taken that for the average smaller, slower lathes found in most shops, HSS is a better option.