# Parting Poll



## BFHammer (Mar 4, 2017)

Select your preferred method of parting.  Feel free to leave comments below to expound on your choice or to offer others I may have overlooked.


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## jbolt (Mar 4, 2017)

I use all of the above depending on the circumstance.

HSS, and HSS Cobalt T-type cut off blades in a BXA tool post holder for most metals up to 2" in diameter. 

ISCAR type insert blade in holder for most materials over 2" in diameter or harder materials

Carbide insert type tool holder that is used for thick wall tubing up to 3/4" wall.

Nikcole Mini-System parting and grooving tool for thin wall tubing and ring grooves.

I have a few custom HHS parting tools that part and chamfer.

Good ole hacksaw for rods up to 3/8" when precise length isn't important.


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## Btroj (Mar 4, 2017)

HSS cutoff blade in cutoff tool specific holder.
It is what I have, all I have used, and mas been satisfactory thus far.

I did use a slightly different method once on a large diameter chuck of Al, larger than I felt comfortable with the length of extension required with the cutoff tool.  I cut as far as I could with the cutoff tool and finished with the lathe off and used my reciprocating saw.  Messy but it worked.


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## gonzo (Mar 4, 2017)

My favorite means of parting is to send the lady an e-mail and move out of town!


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## Cobra (Mar 4, 2017)

HSS in the dedicated blade holder for QCTP.  One holder for 1/2" blades and one for 5/8".
Blade ground square  with 7 degree relief.  I would rather have to deal with remaining tit sometimes than have it cut a dish shape.


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## T Bredehoft (Mar 4, 2017)

Proprietary HHS blade, (don't know how I'll replace it when its gone) in a home made holder, upside down to cut off with motor reversed. Works a treat.


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## woodchucker (Mar 4, 2017)

have both, but use the HSS / cobalt blade most often. The Carbide when I have a need. I don't have a carbide grinder, so any touchup I do to carbide is on diamond plates. So it's much easier to keep a keen edge on the HSS / cobalt.  Here's the type of carbide parting tool I have, not what you were thinking with an insert.  I have those too.  But this is awesome for difficult to part tools, as the whole shank is carbide, so it lowers the vibration a bit.


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## Wreck™Wreck (Mar 4, 2017)

gonzo said:


> My favorite means of parting is to send the lady an e-mail and move out of town!


That is a parting gift.


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## darkzero (Mar 4, 2017)

A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.




I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.




Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544


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## Wreck™Wreck (Mar 4, 2017)

If you want some free Widia/Manchester tools I can supply them, mostly trepanning and profiling tools for lathes and vertical boring mills. We no longer have any machines that will run such tools, my employer is in a throw it out mood at the moment.


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## darkzero (Mar 4, 2017)

PM on the way


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## Silverbullet (Mar 4, 2017)

Hi Wreck, I'm close to you. I used to work in Riverton . Everworth had a shop just off the highway . Way back in the 70 s. Herb North owned it . Did work for us pipe and the steel mill . I remember those 72 hour weeks. After a few months your a zombie yep I remember them well. Would those tools work on a planer ? If you think so I'd like one if you have enough.


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## darkzero (Mar 4, 2017)

Thank you for the offer WreckWreck but the tools you have sound much too large for any home shop size machine to be able to make use of. Hopefully they will find a good home someday & get used.


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## Wreck™Wreck (Mar 4, 2017)

Silverbullet said:


> Hi Wreck, I'm close to you. I used to work in Riverton . Everworth had a shop just off the highway . Way back in the 70 s. Herb North owned it . Did work for us pipe and the steel mill . I remember those 72 hour weeks. After a few months your a zombie yep I remember them well. Would those tools work on a planer ? If you think so I'd like one if you have enough.


Doubtful, all turning tools with specialized uses, 2" round shanks as well. I have worked in machine shops for 30 years and have never seen a planer in use. I do on occasion use a  Morrison key seater which is the same process yet only for internal keyseats.

Crude but effective, Morrison does have an interesting method of advancing the DOC however.


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## MozamPete (Mar 5, 2017)

HSS parting blade in a home built rear mounted tool post


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## BGHansen (Mar 5, 2017)

I use either a GTN-2 or GTN-3 in the appropriate holder, use HSS with a tapered side blade (grind and stone before every use), use a MGMN 300 and 200 grooving tool like the one pictured below.  Band saw also if it's a big round.

Bruce


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## epanzella (Mar 5, 2017)

I use an aux holder so I can use a bigger blade. I found the biggest aid to parting is to eliminate the compound. I had an old 11 inch Logan that would  part steel with at best  50/50 success rate. I eliminated the compound and it parted steel with no problems. I also eliminated the the compound on my G4003G Grizzly. That machine already parted well but without the compound it slices steel like butter at 200 rpm hand fed about as fast as I can go.


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## Mariah (Mar 11, 2017)

My preference is HSS or cobalt t blades upside down with spindle in reverse.


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## Rockytime (Mar 11, 2017)

Parting is such sweet sorrow!


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## Wreck™Wreck (Mar 11, 2017)

Rockytime said:


> Parting is such sweet sorrow!


She got the house, you got the old beater pickup (-:


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## JohnBDownunder (Mar 12, 2017)

I use a HSS tapered parting tool in dedicated tool holder, upside down and running in reverse with drips of cutting oil. Works well on my 7x12 Seig clone both Steel and Aluminium so far. (Ha spell check, I'm an Ozzie  so that's correct for me as it is for the UK.)


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## 2volts (Mar 12, 2017)

HSS tool in holder or carbide tool in holder.

Careful set up - 

tool is perpendicular to the part
tool height is half a bees dick below centre height
and remember that the faint heart never won the fair maiden, the final requirement is commitment - 

turn that handle, feel what's happening, fine adjust cross feed to suit and keep going until its all over.
pete


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## Mariah (Mar 12, 2017)

Length or width???


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## GarageGuy (Mar 12, 2017)

darkzero said:


> I can't vote cause my choices are not listed....
> 
> My main go to tools for parting are Manchester Seperator inserts, pictured on the left. Very free cutting & the inserts folds the chip so they evacuate the groove nicely. Only good for about Ø1.25" though. I'm also a big fan of Nikcole Mini Systems. I use them mainly for grooving though but for very small diameters I do use them for parting. The second to last is a Iscar parting blade with a GFN 1.6mm insert & the last one is a GTN2 insert. I pretty much never use these. I hate GTN inserts.
> 
> Anything bigger & I just use the bandsaw. In fact I prefer to use the bandsaw whenever possible.



Same here.  HSS works great for me on the lathe at work, but my home machine isn't quite rigid enough to do a good job.  The grooving tools work great, though.  I'm not sure why, but they must be sharper or at a better angle because they work fine.  Anything larger than 1 1/2" and I use the band saw as well.

GG


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## 4GSR (Mar 12, 2017)

Need to add a category to your list.  "All of the above"


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