# Recommended place to buy HSS blanks



## TexasPyro (Mar 9, 2020)

Being new to machining (lathe) I took the easy path to immediate "success" and bought some carbide insert tooling when I bought my lathe. As time wears on, so does my confidence. I'm wanting to mess around with grinding my own tooling out of HSS. Where would yall recommend to purchase them? I've got some in my McMaster cart but wonder if a $30 blank from there is really better than a $12 Accusize blank from Amazon, at least for a noob? I dont mind spending the money on quality, but am curious if the $30 route is really all that much better for messing around with different tool shapes. I dont intend on cutting anything very hard for now, mainly mild steel, aluminum, delrin, etc..


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## Chewy (Mar 9, 2020)

Wholesale Tool, KBC, Travers, MSC.  Plenty of others. Depending on size, around $5 to $10 each.  EBAY (and Amazon) are very expensive in comparison with free shipping, but you can just buy one.  The other sources, you really need to make up a decent order of stuff to justify shipping.  I add HSS blanks, drill bits and taps to each order to build up stock and spread the shipping out.

I have nothing against McMaster Carr. I find their prices somewhat high.  BUT they have the stuff that nobody else has, so some of that is justified.  Start making a list of McMaster stuff that you need and can't find else where.  I do buy from them, but not real common items that I can source elsewhere.


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## rgray (Mar 9, 2020)

cdcotools.com was where I got most of mine. Bought by the dozens years ago when purchasing other items. so haven't bought any for years now. Price was much better 8 years ago. lol


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## TexasPyro (Mar 9, 2020)

Pricing definitely seems to be all over the place. I guess my real question is, is a $25 M2 1/2x1/2" blank from McMaster really worth that or is that considered way over priced. I see MSC has blanks all over the place price wise as well. I know the Chinesium stuff isnt generally as good, but is it that bad for a noob? I have no idea how honest their alloys are, to say, McMaster or MSC.

Chewy, I haven't heard of a couple of those places, I'll have to check them out! Thanks!


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## DavidR8 (Mar 9, 2020)

I don’t know the length of the blank you’ve looking at but I can buy a 4” long 1/2” blank locally for $9.







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## rgray (Mar 9, 2020)

This outfit seems to have good pricing.





						HSS and Cobalt Tool Bits | DrillsandCutters.com
					

HSS and Cobalt Tool Bits. Drillsandcutters.com stocks HSS and Cobalt Tool Bits & a large selection of other drills & cutting tools.




					drillsandcutters.com


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## Chewy (Mar 9, 2020)

The blanks from the places I mentioned will do you fine.  As well as CDCO, LMS, AR Warner, etc Don't know about KMS tools. Have to look into that, but if David put it up, it is a reputable company.  Point to think about. You will grind the heck out of the first blanks, learning how too do it. You are not working on exotic materials.  You could take a piece of key stock and use it on brass and aluminum. M2 blanks from any "in business" USA or Canada company will more than meet  your needs. I do have EBAY blanks that I bought several years ago and they work fine. 
Save your money for quality measuring tools and save it on items that the don't make that big a difference,. The people on the forum will give you all sorts of places to check into. More then I know about!


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## DavidR8 (Mar 9, 2020)

KMS Tools is a local Canadian chain. 
KBC has 1/2” blanks for $9 Canadian so likely about $6 US. 

$25 for a HSS blank is completely bonkers. 


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## Chewy (Mar 9, 2020)

I agree David. Disclaimer!  Didn't mean to imply that companies from other countries like UK, Austrailia, ETC aren't good.  Just don't buy much from them, although that will be changing soon because I'm getting into steam engines.


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## tech610 (Mar 9, 2020)

I buy my hss blanks from Victor Machinery Exchange. 1/2" toolbit is $3.60  





						High Speed Steel Toolbits, Cobalt Toolbits - Square and Rectangular.
					

Browse our extensive variety of high speed steel, cobalt, square, and rectangular toolbits today. We carry high performance tool bits for any type of application.



					www.victornet.com
				



I mostly use 1/4 in my mini lathe.


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## Janderso (Mar 9, 2020)

My 2 cents,
A ground HSS tool can last for decades, just a touch up now and again.
If you buy quality, you are money ahead.
If you buy from McMaster you are getting what you pay for. IMHO


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## projectnut (Mar 9, 2020)

I'm not sure what size blank you were looking at on the McMaster site, but almost any size under 3/8" is less than $15.00.  Still they are asking what I would consider premium prices.  That being said you never have to worry about the quality.  McMaster caters to industry, and would never put price over quality.  If they did they would loose corporate accounts in a minute.  

One interesting note is that they never reveal the brand of the items they sell.  Most likely because if they did potential customers would realize they only carry quality brands and look elsewhere to try to get those same brands for less money.

If it were me I would buy a few quality brand name tools like Cleveland, MoMax, Milford, Rex, Morse or ETM.  Some of these brands are no longer current, but can be found on eBay and other similar sites.  By starting with known quality tooling you have a base line as what to expect as far as sharpness, profile and longevity are concerned.

Once  you are satisfied you can make quality and precise cuts with good tooling you might want to explore other, possibly less expensive brands.  While I agree that a given tool blank sharpened to a specific profile will last a considerable amount of time, changing profiles quickly eats up a blank.   I probably have close to 1,000 different size, composition, and profile blanks in the drawers.  In times past it was less expensive and less time consuming to buy a new blank (or box of blanks) when making new tooling.  I'm not sure I would recommend that course today, but I would certainly consider retaining some form tools if you feel you may need to create that profile in the future.

A little perspective on the cost of HSS tooling.  Back in the late 80's when carbide became the rage dealers all but couldn't give away HSS or any of its variations of tooling.  I was buying boxes of the stuff for between $.25 and $.50 per blank.  Once the carbide rage slowed a bit people realized there was still a place for HSS.  The prices have gone up considerably, and there are now far fewer manufacturers making it.


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## mickri (Mar 9, 2020)

I am getting ready to order some stuff from Shars.  I noticed that they have 6" to 8" long blanks for only a little more than the shorter blanks.  The actual length of most of my tool bits is under 2".  I plant to cut the long blanks into 2" pieces.  That will significantly cut the cost.


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## ttabbal (Mar 9, 2020)

As you are new to HSS grinding, I would get some known good but still cheap bits to learn on. You will mess up and it's nice to do so with the cheap stuff. Once you nail down the angles and techniques, then get the nicer stuff and make a couple grinds for your day-to-day use. 

I use a box of cheap import M2 for testing, once I like it, I grind a nice brand name cobalt or tungsten version. I have abused some of those cheap M2s and they hold up better than I expected. 

I wouldn't cut them down. Sure, you use a small amount most of the time, but I do occasionally need to extend the tool a little more than that. The import bits are inexpensive enough that I don't think it's worth it.


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## Barncat (Mar 9, 2020)

Look at eBay for used lots of HSS. Might find ten or 20 pieces for not too much. Lets you try some other people’s grinds to see what does or doesn’t work. Just regrind the bad ones as long as there is enough length left in them for your tool holder.


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## benmychree (Mar 9, 2020)

Chewy said:


> The blanks from the places I mentioned will do you fine.  As well as CDCO, LMS, AR Warner, etc Don't know about KMS tools. Have to look into that, but if David put it up, it is a reputable company.  Point to think about. You will grind the heck out of the first blanks, learning how too do it. You are not working on exotic materials.  You could take a piece of key stock and use it on brass and aluminum. M2 blanks from any "in business" USA or Canada company will more than meet  your needs. I do have EBAY blanks that I bought several years ago and they work fine.
> Save your money for quality measuring tools and save it on items that the don't make that big a difference,. The people on the forum will give you all sorts of places to check into. More then I know about!


Use key stock for tool bits on brass and aluminum ???????  This is ridiculous!!!!!!!


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## Z2V (Mar 9, 2020)

Several of us have bought these bits. Nothing fancy just HSS.. If you want to pm me an address I’ll drop a couple in the mail for you to try.









						50pcs 3/8  x 3"  HSS Square tool bits for $189.00 #HS-2BT-38---new  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 50pcs 3/8  x 3"  HSS Square tool bits for $189.00 #HS-2BT-38---new at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


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## Chewy (Mar 9, 2020)

I was trying to get the point across that you don't need to start at the very best with HSS.  Imports/Ebay will suffice.  I believe that there are models out there that people are using to learn how to grind.  By the way, I actually cut a couple of grooves in aluminum with a piece of key stock, quality unknown as it had been in the drawer for about 20 years. That was when I didn't have a  small piece of HSS.  I just used a .093 HSS parting tool sideways to round over a piece of 12L14, 5/16" radius.  It worked.  I now have a selection of HSS  thin by wide made up in different radius for that purpose. 
Necessity is the mother of invention.


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## f350ca (Mar 9, 2020)

I"ve inherited a good selection of larger old HSS blanks, but was low on 1/8th to 1/4. Bought some from Busy Bee, Canada's expensive version of Harbour Freight. They seam to work fine.

Greg


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## homebrewed (Mar 9, 2020)

+1 on Victornet.  They also sell cobalt blanks.  I'm going to use one of those for a vertical shear bit (I'm a bit concerned about the edge wearing out during a finishing pass with M2 HSS).


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## Tozguy (Mar 9, 2020)

Busy Bee sells to the USA and have a $100 free shipping threshold. So whenever you want to top up an order to get free shipping, add HSS blanks which means they come out at very low net cost.





						Search Results
					






					www.busybeetools.com


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## wlburton (Mar 9, 2020)

Go ahead and buy a few new ones, but if you are lucky enough to have a machinery auction company in your area or the occasional estate sale which includes some machining tools, you will eventually be able to amass more high quality HSS bits than you could ever use, most of them at least partially ground for you, for very little money.  Many of mine will probably still be unused (they don't wear out that fast) when my own estate sale comes around some day, supplying some lucky person in the next round of hobby machinists with some good usable bits.


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## mikey (Mar 9, 2020)

TexasPyro said:


> Being new to machining (lathe) I took the easy path to immediate "success" and bought some carbide insert tooling when I bought my lathe. As time wears on, so does my confidence. I'm wanting to mess around with grinding my own tooling out of HSS. Where would yall recommend to purchase them? I've got some in my McMaster cart but wonder if a $30 blank from there is really better than a $12 Accusize blank from Amazon, at least for a noob? I dont mind spending the money on quality, but am curious if the $30 route is really all that much better for messing around with different tool shapes. I dont intend on cutting anything very hard for now, mainly mild steel, aluminum, delrin, etc..



What size is your lathe? It appears you're looking for 1/2" blanks so I assume you're working with at least a 14 x 40.

In general, I would agree with buying on ebay and until you learn to grind a decent tool, stay with Chinese tool bits. Later, when you can grind accurately, then invest in good blanks. I suggest you not buy old bits that are already ground. It is rare that you get one ground by someone who knew what they were doing.


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## ericc (Mar 9, 2020)

I definitely agree with the "buy China" suggestions.  I donated a bunch of HSS tool blanks to our local makerspace.  My go to tool is the one with the big "CHINA" written on the side.  I just used it to trim a bridgeport lead screw, which is medium carbon.  It struggles a little and may get a little burned, but a quick touch with a grinder restores it to full function.  That tool will last for ages, even if it is sharpened for every session.


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## Tozguy (Mar 9, 2020)

No need to go to full 1/2'' blanks. This is a 3/16th blank ground for threading to a shoulder. It lives in that tool holder adjusted to dead center and both ends are kept sharp.


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## TexasPyro (Mar 10, 2020)

Wow, thanks for all of the responses everyone. I have a ton of different spots to look into now. I went ahead and ordered a few 3/8" Chinesium blanks to play with for now. My lathe is a 13x36, based on what I've seen posted here, I should be fine with 3/8" blanks? I guess my next question is, what are your go to wheels for grinding tools? My grinder has 8" wheels.


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## macardoso (Mar 10, 2020)

McMaster Carr caters to an interesting crowd. I expect to pay a 25% premium on what I buy from them, however they have a business model that many industrial suppliers cannot keep up with. Most items ship same day as the order and arrive within 2 day pretty much anywhere in the USA. When I need a quick part for work, I can have it available for pickup at their distribution center within 2 hours or delivered to my company by their courier service within 4. 

They keep the brands they stock to themselves unless you make a special request. This allows them to only stock 1 brand for each item and get around people's brand preference. To be fair, they always stock very high quality stuff. There is also minimal to no minimum buy on their products which is a big deal for us home hobbyists.

Finally, their website is a paradigm of design that no other large supplier (MSC, Grainger, etc.) can even come close to. I can find what I need in seconds and even find new products I never knew existed just because they are logically organized. 

After all that, I always come back time and time again and don't have an issue with their markup.


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## ericc (Mar 10, 2020)

I think you'll do fine with those.  You can branch out with more options once you gain some experience.  Right now, a correct grind is the most important, and Mikey's great thread will help a lot.


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## pontiac428 (Mar 10, 2020)

I've slowly accumulated about 20 lbs of Latrobe, Mo-Max, Cleveland, and other USA HSS and Co blanks by simply watching for lots on eBay.  My only rule is not to pay more than $3 per name-brand blank.  My drawer is full, probably for the rest of my lifetime.


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## chips&more (Mar 10, 2020)

If you have not formed a HSS tool yet? You will quickly learn that the hand grinding can/will be tedious on larger bits and or bits that are a better grade than just HSS. Soooo, if you start off with, say, a 1/2” bit you will notice a lot of hand grinding time. When maybe a 3/8” or even better a 1/4” bit will do the same job and take less time to grind. My three cents…Dave


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## mmcmdl (Mar 10, 2020)

If I had to take a WAG , I have over a ton of lathe tools , and I find more with every drawer I open . They multiply like wabbits in my house .


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## Tozguy (Mar 10, 2020)

TexasPyro said:


> I should be fine with 3/8" blanks? I guess my next question is, what are your go to wheels for grinding tools? My grinder has 8" wheels.


yes 3/8th is a good start. The crux of grinding quickly is to grind cool. The best wheel for cutting quickly is a white aluminum oxide wheel with an soft open structure. The one that impressed me is a HK2A80H12. There is a range of 8'' wheels that would work well for you in this category.


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## tmenyc (Mar 10, 2020)

I may have missed this, but also get on the email lists for all of the major suppliers and use their free shipping.  With metal, it's the shipping that's the killer. 
Tim


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## mikey (Mar 10, 2020)

TexasPyro said:


> Wow, thanks for all of the responses everyone. I have a ton of different spots to look into now. I went ahead and ordered a few 3/8" Chinesium blanks to play with for now. My lathe is a 13x36, based on what I've seen posted here, I should be fine with 3/8" blanks? I guess my next question is, what are your go to wheels for grinding tools? My grinder has 8" wheels.



You're right at the cross over point where you can step up on tool size if you choose. There are no real rules for how big a tool you should use on a lathe. Lots of guys are using 1/2" tools on really small lathes and others who use 1/4 or 3/8 tools on much bigger ones. Heck, the Monarch 10 EE can use 1/4" tools. Bottom line is that the bigger the tool, the longer and more work it takes to grind it and 3/8" tools take about half the time it takes to do a 1/2" for not much gain in tool stiffness. Larger tools are also more expensive. I think you made a good choice - 3/8" will work fine.

I'll leave the grinder wheel suggestions to the other guys. My grinder wheel is a belt but if I was going to use a bench grinder, I would look at CBN wheels instead.


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## finsruskw (Mar 10, 2020)

MY current MSC monthly flyer has them
3/8 for $4.99
1/2" for $9.79
free shipping w/a $50 order
Ordered some yesterday, they showed up on my door this afternoon!


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## ThinWoodsman (Mar 11, 2020)

Places-to-buy and the merits of McMaster-Carr have been thoroughly discussed above, so I'll pass over those. I would point out that every day there is posted on ebay another collection of dozens of HSS lathe tools, and these generally sell at about $2 a bit. Save you some time in grinding, as you can modify the existing tools to suit your preference - or use a cutoff tool to trim off the ground bit and you have a blank.

What I haven't seen (but may have missed) mentioned so far is the difference in HSS composition, which directly impacts the price of an HSS tool blank. The cheap or unlabelled ones are generally M2, which has no cobalt. Those are in the ballpark of five bucks new, plus or minus a few dollars. The pricey ones, and I bet this includes the McMaster-Carr ones, are M35 or M42 HSS which has cobalt. 

Whether or not you need cobalt HSS tools is up to you, but when doing price comparison be sure to factor in the grade of steel - a $10 M32 tool is justifiably more expensive than a $4 M2 tool.


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## WobblyHand (Apr 22, 2020)

Take it from a beginner, make all your mistakes on the cheap stuff!  If you need something better, or find the tool isn't holding up, go higher quality, as required.  I bought toolbits off the eBay link and have lots of tooling to practice on.  Sure, I bought a few cobalt bits too.  I haven't had to grind them, because the _cheap_ HSS bits have held up.  Save your money so you can buy more toys!


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