# New PM1236 getting setup



## Bob S (May 21, 2013)

I just got a PM1236 moved down to my basement after uncrating it and tearing it down into light enough pieces that would go down the stairs using four guys. That was last Saturdays project, now I'm re-assembling the pieces and will use an engine hoist to get it onto its stand. Re-wiring the various parts comes next week after I get back home from company training. Then I need to run the 220v to the shop and hopefully energize it for the first time. I will also have to align everything but that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I'm glad I found this forum with a specific PM group. I've read all the back threads and most of the questions I had we're answered here!

Hopefully I'll be able to contribute to the group in the future, I have a Tormach CNC mill also (great machine!) that I use for building custom robot parts. Mainly I'm working on a large hexapod, I'll post some photos later. In the past I've owned a ShopTask 3 in 1 which was good for the learning phase but I quickly outgrew it. The next tools were a Sherline mill and lathe when I was in between houses and needed something small. The mill got converted to CNC which extended it's usefulness until I got the Tormach. The lathe is still used but I can see it gathering dust with the mill shortly!

Bob S


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## rdfoster (May 21, 2013)

Bob: Glad to hear of another PM1236 owner. I've had mine for a short while and am learning much from this forum. I hope you get yours running soon. I started with a G0602 (which I still have) and this is a real step up though I did love the G0602 as well.

Good luck with your PM1236

Bob F


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## MikeWi (May 21, 2013)

My wife wants me to harass you for using 4 guys when we did it with two old people with bad backs. LOL  Have fun!


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## Bob S (May 21, 2013)

Well, we did hand carry the parts down the stairs! Does that count?

It was fun tearing the lathe apart, it does allow me to clean it up well and get acquainted with the location of all the parts. I used the cell phone camera to photograph all the wires that were disconnected so hopefully I can get everything back on the right terminals!


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## itsme_Bernie (May 21, 2013)

MikeWi said:


> My wife wants me to harass you for using 4 guys when we did it with two old people with bad backs. LOL  Have fun!



Hah hah hah!




Bernie


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## Ray C (May 21, 2013)

Good luck!  Moving big stuff -fun to think about -hard to do.

If you're not aware, please look in the PM1236 FAQ thread and find the user manual that we cobbled together  It might be helpful...


Ray


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## Bob S (May 24, 2013)

Got the lathe on the stand now and bolted down. Alignment will have to wait a bit longer. I have to run 220 to the machine but the electric box is full. Got an auxiliary box to put up and power it through that. This will be the weekend project along with everything else on my wife's list!


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## Ray C (May 24, 2013)

Oh man, that's gotta suck...  All set up and no way to plug it in.   Enjoy the journey!



Bob S said:


> Got the lathe on the stand now and bolted down. Alignment will have to wait a bit longer. I have to run 220 to the machine but the electric box is full. Got an auxiliary box to put up and power it through that. This will be the weekend project along with everything else on my wife's list!


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## Bob S (May 27, 2013)

After discussions with friends I returned the aux electric box and two of the half height circuit breakers so I could free up the two spaces I needed. This turns out to be much faster than the original idea and I got power to the lathe late last night.

Initial power up was done referencing the excellent write up on this forum. The lights came on but the motor wouldn't run. I made a assumption that one of the various limit switches was having issues so multimeter in hand I proceeded to check each one out. I finally determined that the switch on the brake mechanism was not activating. A closer look showed that the lever on the micro switch was bent. Once it was bent back into place and power restored everything came to life! I ran through the gears to ensure everything was working correctly, no issues identified.

Today I'll complete the break in run and do a few test cuts to see how far out of alignment it is. I do have some small aluminum spacers to work on that alignment issues won't affect so time to put this machine to work! 

Bob


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## Ray C (May 27, 2013)

The micro switch thing happens a lot.  It's exposed at the bottom and it tends to get roughed up in shipping or while getting it off the pallet.  Ask me how I know...  I yanked a wire off mine when it caught on a splinter in the pallet.


Ray





Bob S said:


> After discussions with friends I returned the aux electric box and two of the half height circuit breakers so I could free up the two spaces I needed. This turns out to be much faster than the original idea and I got power to the lathe late last night.
> 
> Initial power up was done referencing the excellent write up on this forum. The lights came on but the motor wouldn't run. I made a assumption that one of the various limit switches was having issues so multimeter in hand I proceeded to check each one out. I finally determined that the switch on the brake mechanism was not activating. A closer look showed that the lever on the micro switch was bent. Once it was bent back into place and power restored everything came to life! I ran through the gears to ensure everything was working correctly, no issues identified.
> 
> ...


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## Bob S (May 27, 2013)

Having some fun with the lathe, definitely needs to be aligned soon but for some of the shorter work I need to do now its fine. The small lathe cutters I have are a limiting factor so just finished ordering some larger carbide cutters. 

I do have a question about the quick change post that came with the preferred package. There is about 1 inch of screw thread exposed above the bolt that locks the base to the cross slide. Is this normal? I haven't used one of these items before but the photos I have seen don't seem to have this much exposed on others.

Bob


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## GaryK (May 27, 2013)

Bob S said:


> Having some fun with the lathe, definitely needs to be aligned soon but for some of the shorter work I need to do now its fine. The small lathe cutters I have are a limiting factor so just finished ordering some larger carbide cutters.
> 
> I do have a question about the quick change post that came with the preferred package. There is about 1 inch of screw thread exposed above the bolt that locks the base to the cross slide. Is this normal? I haven't used one of these items before but the photos I have seen don't seem to have this much exposed on others.
> 
> Bob



I cut off what stuck up on mine. 

Gary


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## Bob S (May 27, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I thought there might be some part that screwed on there but I didn't find anything left over once I got everything attached!

i have a question for anyone with the DRO option. How do you make it reduce the count when moving the Y axis towards the headstock. There is a DirectN option in the parameters that seems to be the right option but I didn't see any change when I selected it.

Bob


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## Old Iron (May 27, 2013)

Bob

I used to live in Michigan back in the day and the Twin Cities were my stomping grounds. When I was there they had the amusement on the lake in ST.Joe used to go to the Dick Clark show and dances there.

Paul


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## Bob S (May 31, 2013)

Doing some drilling tonight and found that the tail stock is off set slightly to one side. I can't seem to figure out how to adjust the tailstock to return it to the center position. There isn't any info in the manual and the parts diagram isn't very helpful either. There is a setscrew along the front side of the tailstock but it doesn't seem to do anything when loosened. I tried a few whacks with a rubber mallet just in case things were stuck together but that didn't work either. Since it was late and I didn't want to cause any irreversible damage, the next stop was here to get some advice from people with more experience with this lathe.

Bob


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## Ray C (May 31, 2013)

That's easy...  We'll get you all set up...

There are two screws on either side.  Each presses against a fixed tang that's protruding downward from the top half of the tailstock.  You loosen one side a little and turn the other and capture the tang between the two screws.  As you tighten one, it pushes against the tang and therefore moves the top half in the direction you want it to go.

Easy!

You'll come to hate the recessed allen screws and maybe you'll beat me to the punch and make a screw that has a thumb knob on it -maybe one that's calibrated to the thread pitch so you know how far you're pushing the top half...  Hmmm, here's a novel idea!

Ray

EDIT:  BTW, you don't need to unlock the barrel lock on the ram but, you will need to release the bed lock.  After you've made an adjustment and if you're spinning a supported piece, possibly between centers, always remember to lock the bed lock and re-establish a firm set on the center point.  Failure to do so cold send a part hurdling in some random direction.





Bob S said:


> Doing some drilling tonight and found that the tail stock is off set slightly to one side. I can't seem to figure out how to adjust the tailstock to return it to the center position. There isn't any info in the manual and the parts diagram isn't very helpful either. There is a setscrew along the front side of the tailstock but it doesn't seem to do anything when loosened. I tried a few whacks with a rubber mallet just in case things were stuck together but that didn't work either. Since it was late and I didn't want to cause any irreversible damage, the next stop was here to get some advice from people with more experience with this lathe.
> 
> Bob


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## tripletap3 (Jun 1, 2013)

At first my tailstock adjustment seemed frozen but the screw holes and the cracks were just filled with that "bondo" they use to make it look pretty. It was a simple job to disassemble the tailstock clean out all the casting sand and scrape away the excess "bondo". Everything now moves smooth as silk. I have seen pictures of the factory workers sanding that "bondo" down and I have to think that job has got to suck.


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## Ray C (Jun 1, 2013)

Hey Triple...  I don't know what that stuff is but it has unique properties.  It comes off when you don't want it to and doesn't when you do.



Ray



tripletap3 said:


> At first my tailstock adjustment seemed frozen but the screw holes and the cracks were just filled with that "bondo" they use to make it look pretty. It was a simple job to disassemble the tailstock clean out all the casting sand and scrape away the excess "bondo". Everything now moves smooth as silk. I have seen pictures of the factory workers sanding that "bondo" down and I have to think that job has got to suck.


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## Bob S (Jun 1, 2013)

Thanks for the info. What I thought was just a thru hole turned out to be the other set screw once I got all the bondo out of the hole and discovered that it was threaded.

It was a good day making some small spacers for my project with the new carbide turning tool set I got from Grizzly. However I was using the cutoff tool and the supporting metal under the carbide insert broke! The insert isn't damaged in anyway so I think I got a defective holder. I wasn't being aggressive and was getting a nice curl of aluminum off the insert with no chatter when it broke.

Time to get back to work on the spacers, only 8 left to go out of 48. Tomorrow I'll be anodizing everything I made over the last couple of weeks.


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## GaryK (Jun 1, 2013)

Bob S said:


> However I was using the cutoff tool and the supporting metal under the carbide insert broke! The insert isn't damaged in anyway so I think I got a defective holder. I wasn't being aggressive and was getting a nice curl of aluminum off the insert with no chatter when it broke.



You have to be careful parting aluminum. Use lots of oil. Material can build up on the cutting tool very quickly and break your tool in an instant. The exact same thing happened to me.  

Gary


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## Ray C (Jun 1, 2013)

Gary, are you using carbide cutoff blades?  If so, you mind giving me a part number for one for a BXA holder?


Ray



GaryK said:


> You have to be careful parting aluminum. Use lots of oil. Material can build up on the cutting tool very quickly and break your tool in an instant. The exact same thing happened to me.
> 
> Gary


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## darkzero (Jun 1, 2013)

tripletap3 said:


> At first my tailstock adjustment seemed frozen but the screw holes and the cracks were just filled with that "bondo" they use to make it look pretty. It was a simple job to disassemble the tailstock clean out all the casting sand and scrape away the excess "bondo". Everything now moves smooth as silk. I have seen pictures of the factory workers sanding that "bondo" down and I have to think that job has got to suck.



I hate that body filler. It's thick on some areas & really thin on other areas. On my mill there's one area where it's like 1/4" thick!


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## GaryK (Jun 1, 2013)

Ray C said:


> Gary, are you using carbide cutoff blades?  If so, you mind giving me a part number for one for a BXA holder?
> 
> 
> Ray



Ray, I'm not sure what size you get for BXA holders because I'm using a KDK tool post. But it's about the same size.

I got THIS which takes GTN-2 inserts. I bought a 10 pack on Ebay but I'm still on my first insert. Enco sells the blade also. I ordered one from Enco
after I broke one end of the one I got from Shars. The insert was fine after the break.

When I use it, I cut at the normal speed I'm turning the material at. I don't slow it down like some do. Works perfect except when I got lazy with the oil
on that aluminum bar!

The best cutoff tool I have ever used. The inserts have the perfect geometry which you just can't grind by hand.

Hope this helps!

Gary


On second thought I just went to the shop to check my BXA holder that  came with my lathe. I just remembered that I still have it.
The blade is about .025" too tall to fit. It's just a simple matter to remove a very little material from the blade to get it to fit.


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## tripletap3 (Jun 2, 2013)

Ray C said:


> Gary, are you using carbide cutoff blades? If so, you mind giving me a part number for one for a BXA holder?
> 
> 
> Ray



I am glad you asked that Ray. The BXA cutoff uses a weird size of 11/16? While they are not hard to find you are limited.
Chuck


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## Bob S (Jun 2, 2013)

I was using lubrication during the parting operation, just surprised as there was no indication that anything was wrong prior to the break. There was a nice curl coming off, no chattering or noise, and no expected  resistance on the feed as I manually fed the tool. I sent a email to Grizzly customer service, hopefully they will agree this was not normal.

In the mean time I'm back to having to remove the part and using the bandsaw to cut it off. I've just about used up all the 1" diameter rod I have, ordered some more last night. I'm also going to order some HSS cutoff blades for situations like this.

Most of today is being spent anodizing the parts already made, the first batch of 8 is drying, another batch of 7 is being dyed and 8 more are being anodized. 4 more pieces waiting for their turn! That will be a pretty good day once these are all done!

I really like the PM1236 so far! It's a nice tool and easy to use. It cut down the amount of time it was taking to make each of these spacers by a significant amount and I'm getting pretty good results so far. I need to stop and take some time to align the headstock as I can see its out slightly.

I noticed that I have to extend the tailstock to around 1 1/8" in order to seat the drill chuck. I remember someone had an explanation about this, I just don't remember what it was. I'm about ready to cut off the excess so I can get the full 4" travel but wanted your advice before going that far!

Bob


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## Ray C (Jun 2, 2013)

The ram situation....   If an MT taper tool gets stuck, just crank the wheel backward and there's an internal shaft that will pop the tool out nice and easy.  Since a lot of MT tools come in different lengths (some have tangs, some don't) some of them do not protrude into the ram very far.  It seems they erred on the side of caution and made that internal shaft pretty long so you can easily un-stick even a nubby taper tool.

Ray



Bob S said:


> I was using lubrication during the parting operation, just surprised as there was no indication that anything was wrong prior to the break. There was a nice curl coming off, no chattering or noise, and no expected  resistance on the feed as I manually fed the tool. I sent a email to Grizzly customer service, hopefully they will agree this was not normal.
> 
> In the mean time I'm back to having to remove the part and using the bandsaw to cut it off. I've just about used up all the 1" diameter rod I have, ordered some more last night. I'm also going to order some HSS cutoff blades for situations like this.
> 
> ...


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## tino_ale (May 10, 2020)

Bob S said:


> I was using lubrication during the parting operation, just surprised as there was no indication that anything was wrong prior to the break. There was a nice curl coming off, no chattering or noise, and no expected  resistance on the feed as I manually fed the tool. I sent a email to Grizzly customer service, hopefully they will agree this was not normal.



Hi,

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm running into the same sort of issue only my PM-1236.
I broke my parting tool for the 2nd time. In fact, with pockets milled at both ends, I've broken the blade 4 times, which is a real PITA.
This gets expensive quickly, each time half a blade and one insert goes to trash...

I'm using SGH inserts in a 19mm blade, 2mm thick.
I do get the blade as square as It can get. Blade, holder are secured.
I'm lubricating with cutting oil.
I broke my tools in both aluminium and steel. Works fine at the beginning until I'm "deep" into the work (a few mm, really not that deep BTW), then it will snap with absolutely no warning.

I'm really wondering if cutting speed is the problem ? Since parting gets me nervous now, I tend to slow the RPM. Could that be the problem ?
I've set cutting height at centerline, is this a safe bet ?

Or maybe 19mm height 2mm thick is just not strong enough ? Should I move to a 26mm and 3mm thick blade ?
Should I move out of indexable inserts and blades altogether ?

I'm kinda lost here. I'm open to any advice, I don't have a big stock of inserts, I could change my blade system, as long as it just works and stop breaking every now and then...
It needs to work with aluminium, mild steel, brass and 6/4 Titanium

Cheers


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## bakrch (May 10, 2020)

Part off blades typically break when the chip coils up, binds to the sides of the groove, and is then pulled into the top of the insert.

If you aren't getting splattered with oil,  you're probably not using enough lube.

When I part off,  taking a bath in flood coolant is the norm.

Grinding a fish tail into the center of the insert helps the chip form a "belly" , helping prevent tight coils.  When I buy inserts, these  are the geometries I look for.


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## davidpbest (May 10, 2020)

tino_ale said:


> Hi,
> 
> I realize this is an old thread, but I'm running into the same sort of issue only my PM-1236.
> I broke my parting tool for the 2nd time. In fact, with pockets milled at both ends, I've broken the blade 4 times, which is a real PITA.
> ...


I was in your same situation when I got my PM1340.    Parting was absolutely the most challenging and frustrating operations in my first couple of months.   I decided to dig into this topic deeply and see if I couldn't overcome the challenge.   I do a lot of work with stainless steel which is one of the more difficult materials to part because it is so gummy.   I also work with lots of other metals, but stainless is by far the worst, and I simply had no choice but to master parting or the lathe was going to become a boat anchor.  In the process of digging through this, I learned several things that I will share here.  

*Alignment of the parting tool is critical.*  It must be exactly perpendicular to the centerline of the spindle rotation, and by "exactly" I mean the parting tool needs to be indicated in, not just eyeballed or registered against the chuck.   And the cutting part of the tool height must also be exactly at the centerline of spindle rotation - indicate this in as well (if you need instruction on how to do that, let me know).   If you have a QCTP like Aloris/Dorian, once the tool height is set properly, it should repeat when installed a second time - unless you move the cutting tool in the holder.   For this latter reason, I prefer indexable parting tools rather than HSS parting blades.   Also, some of the parting blade tool holders are angled in a way that when the blade is moved forward or backward in the holder, the tool height is changed which means you have to realign the tool height every time the blade is sharpened.

*Speeds and Feeds are also critical.*   Running at high RPM's is a quick way to destroy the parting tool or the part you're machining.   For steels, I generally run 180-250 RPM for OD's in the 0-3" range.   The larger the OD, the slower the RPM.   You can get more specific if you use a Feed/Speed calculator targeting a recommended SFM.  My point is go slower than you'd like.    Jerky feed rate is another cause of parting failure.  A  hand-fed tool is more likely to be advanced at an inconsistent rate, and when the rate increases, the tool digs into the part and can cause the insert to fracture, or the tool to flex and bend as the material tries to climb on top of the cutting edge - it can also force the part out of the chuck if it isn't well gripped.   As a result, I employ power feed of the cross slide to part, usually at the slowest feed rate of the machine - that way I know the tool is advancing at a consistent rate into the material.

*Lube is your friend.*   I used to think "I didn't need lubrication to face or turn the OD with a carbide tool, so why would I need it in parting?"   WRONG!      You might be successful parting without lube, or by using a mostly-dry acid brush with some kind of lube, but you're taking a big risk doing so.   I have two squeeze bottles with 1mm drip tubes - one with cutting oil, the other with WD40 - that I hold over the cutting operation dripping a consistent amount of fluid throughout the parting operation.   I use cutting oil with ferrous materials, and WD40 (or denatured alcohol) with aluminum/bronze.   I shoot for a drip rate of 1 drop per 2 seconds right on top of the cutting action where the tool meets the material.

*Rigidity is critical.*   A lot of my early problems stemmed from lack of rigidity.   Choke up on your cutting tool as much as possible - especially if you're using a blade-type tool - make the stick-out just enough to get through the material depth required.

The compound of this size lathe is not the most rigid platform to begin with, but if you have the compound cranked out in a cantilevered manner, it is going to flex more than when the tool post is pulled back in and directly over the base of the cross slide.   Think about the pressure on the cutting tool - it's being forced downward by the rotating material, and if the compound flexes downward, the cutting edge of the tool is no longer on center, the tool starts digging in, downward forces increase, and the part being turned wants to crawl on top of the parting tool which will surely fracture the insert, may bend the parting tool or even cause the material to be pulled free of the chuck jaws.     

The single best thing I have done to improve rigidity, was to make a solid block tool post mount.   It's amazing the difference, and unless I'm cutting a taper, my compound sits in a drawer.    Here are some resources that might help you understand the concept of a solid tool post and how to build your own if you'd like:

_Robin Renzetti's video_
_Stefan Gotteswinter's video_
_My PM1340 Solid Tool Post Build for the PM1340_   includes detailed drawing with dimensions.

*Good Parting Tools Help a LOT.*   I feel like I have purchased and tried every type of parting tool commonly available.   I've tried T-shaped and wedge-shaped HSS blades, making my own HSS parting tool by grinding a 1/2" square tool steel into the perfect narrow blade shape at the end, Wedge-style insert parting tools, and several insert parting tools with screw-down clamps for the insert.   

Here is a typical setup for a blade type - notice how the tool cutting height will change if the blade is sharpened while still mounted in the tool, or will change if the blade is moved in/out:





You could fix that angled blade problem by using a special block for holding the parting blade horizontal in a standard QC tool holder.   Here's one likely setup for that, but then you're hanging the blade out to the side in a cantilevered manner which is really bad practice if you're trying to improve rigidity.   Shown below is that type of arrangement, and that parting blade will likely chatter and flex under the downward pressure of the material being cut, and your parting operation will fail:




​There are special tool holders and blades for wedge-type inserts, where the insert is held in place by friction.   This is one example where the blade is held close-in to the tool holder, but the tool holder only accepts a proprietary blade like the one shown, not a HSS T-shaped or wedge-shaped blade.   In my experience these wedge-insert blades to not do a very good job keeping the insert seated, and if the tool isn't exactly aligned and height just perfect, the insert can be forced out of the blade, breaking the insert, bending the blade, or both.




​One of the wedge-insert systems that does work pretty well is the Aloris BXA71 with the wider style blade that takes GTN 6 inserts - the tool is held horizontally, so changing it's position doesn't disturb cutting height, and is plenty rigid not to flex, and will hold the insert securely, but the GTN 6 insert for this is blade is a full 1/4" (6mm) wide.   My experience with GTN 3 size inserts (3mm wide) is not good - the blade is not robust enough to resist flex and the insert often comes unseated.   Shown below is the GTN 6 blade holder in the Aloris BXA-71.




By far, and in my opinion, for this type of lathe, the best choice is an insert tool with screw-down clamping for the insert.   This recommendation is valid only if the steps mentioned above are followed, otherwise you'll be damaging an expensive tool and breaking expensive inserts.

Below are my three favorites.

Keith Fenner turned me onto this one - it's expensive and the inserts are typically ~$12/cutting end:




​
The inserts for that are not cheap and you won't find them on eBay either, but they do have cutting edges both ends:   _Link_


Randy Richard turned me on to this one - less expensive tool, the inserts are a bit more per cutting edge thatn the Seco above:



​Inserts for this are less expensive and more available but have only one cutting end:  _Link_

And here's a third I like:



​The inserts aren't cheap either, but they are more durable that either of the styles above:   _Link_

Hope this helps.   Sorry for the long post.


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## Tozguy (May 11, 2020)

David, your post deserves more than just a like. It should become a sticky on the subject of parting.
Parting does require attention to details and you have covered them well. Bravo!


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## tino_ale (May 11, 2020)

Thanks a lot for the time you've taken to explain the subject in depth.

I do indicate the blade orientation (square to centerline) but not height. That could be the issue ? If you have a pointer to the method to indicate please shoot.

I'll also research the rigid compound tool post mount.

I have the Dorian blade holder that you mentioned, blade is only a 19mm high 2mm thick, it will flex very easily. You are right about the blade breaking when the cuts curl and won't slide out of the groove.

I was concerned that maybe I am using too low RPM and too low in feed, if I understand correctly, you can basically not go too slow. I will try power feed in the future too. What kind of advance speed do you usually use ?

Lastly, do you know if I can use a HSS blade or carbide brazed tipped blade in the Aloris BXA 71 holder ?
I would like to train and make sure I get a good hold on parting with cheap blades before I buy the blade and inserts.

Those holders are nice but really for people who have a very low screwup rate and I'm not there yet. The Aloris could be the happy medium.

Thanks again


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## davidpbest (May 11, 2020)

That Dorian blade holder is next to useless IMO.     It's one of the reasons I discourage people from buying the Dorian starter kit which comes with it.   Much better to buy just the Dorian tool post and pick individual tool holders.   

You can go too slow in parting and this is typically evident as you dive down to the centerline of the part.   I outfitted my 1340 with a VFD, so I actually dial up the speed (the way a CNC would) as I get closer to the center of the part.   But my approach is certainly not scientific.    What generally happens is that part will try to climb on top of the parting tool if the RPM's are too low - it actually starts to tear the material rather than cut it.   I use the term "aggressive enough" with caution here because parting is not a place to start getting aggressive in general, but you do want to keep the tool cutting as consistently as possible, or the material being cut starts to deflect and climb on top of the tool.   A lot of this is material specific - brass is a lot different from stainless steel, just to pick two extreme cases.

This video might be helpful to you:   






Here's another:   





This video covers tool height setting to exact CL of the spindle rotation:   







And here's a picture of the tool height setter I made for my 1340:







Mine is a lot fancier than Joe Pie's but if you want to make one, description of how it's made and dialed in is _HERE._
Read the descriptions below each photo and you'll get a good idea how to build one and how to establish the height.

As to your question about the Aloris 71, and what to use to practice with, have a look at the following photo:






Notice that the blade clamping top and bottom is wedged shaped to force the blade against the side of the cavity.   The side of that cavity is coplaner to to the side of the tool post when mounted.   So you can't put a blade in the Aloris 71 that is not flat in profile.   Many of the HSS and braised carbide blades are not flat profiles - they are a wedge or T-shape to provide relief at the cutting edge, and in this holder they will align at an angle relative to true vertical.  There are flat profile parting blades with braised on carbide that would fit in the Aloris - but you want one that is 1.5 inches tall and 1/8" thick.    Finding one that is 1.5" tall could be a challenge (I haven't looked). 

That said, the blade shown above (71-125-1BSL from Aloris) takes GTN size 3 inserts.   You can find import GTN 3 on eBay for about $2 each in packets of 10, and this combination is probably a good setup to practice and refine your parting skills before jumping to an expensive insert tool like I showed in my earlier post.   This Aloris 71 setup with the GTN3 sized blade is exactly what I used to get my head around this topic.    The GTN 3 cuts 1/8" wide (3mmm), and that blade, being 1/8" thick, is rigid enough to stand up to lots of abuse.

Hope this helps.


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## tino_ale (May 12, 2020)

Man that blade you have on the height setting tool is BEEFY
Mine looks like a chewing gum in comparison (2mm wide).

Thanks for the great info, will watch.


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## macardoso (May 12, 2020)

tino_ale said:


> Man that blade you have on the height setting tool is BEEFY
> Mine looks like a chewing gum in comparison (2mm wide).
> 
> Thanks for the great info, will watch.



Thicker is stronger, but also much higher cutting forces. Note he mentioned a 13x40. My 12x36 could never cut with that.


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