Carbide Tool Set for Mini Lathe?

oskar

oskar

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I guess I was too fast and bought last month a “Boxed 5 Mini Lathe Tool Set 1/4" Indexing with 5 Carbide Tip Cutting Tools M9282” from England.

I understand now carbide tools are good for big machines which have the required power.

Can I use this set with my mini Taig lathe?

Carbide Set.JPG
 
You have heard a lot of good/ valid reasons why smaller less ridgid/less powerful lathes will perform better with HSS cutting tools but as long as you watch your depth of cut and speed/feed rate,lock the axis not in use (in order to have more rigidity during any operation), you'll do very well with that tool set.
But I'm just a hobbyist, you don't have to take my word for it, just wait and read the responses of all the smaller mini lathe owners and find out for yourself what they normally use, you'll be surprised how popular these tool sets are.
Not many lathes can reach 5000 RPM and beyond., not everyone has those production type/ heavy machines but that never stops anyone from using carbide cutting tools.
 
I’m also a hobbyist and don’t intent to take aggressive cuts. In addition I only work with aluminum (so far) and I’m happy to hear that carbide will work
 
Mini lathes lack power and rigidity. Therefore they need tools that are sharp and cut easily. Many/most carbide cutters are designed for 10+ HP lathes weighing 5,000 pounds or more. For your mini lathe, what you need is sharp and positive rake, which presents the sharp edge directly to the work,, low friction and with an easy path for the chips to flow away from the cut. It does not matter so much if it is HSS or carbide inserts or HSS inserts, what really matters is if it cuts the metal like butter.
 
Oskar, you've gotten excellent comments here already. I just wanted to tell you that on these little lathes, carbide does not work nearly as well as a good HSS tool. You can use carbide; a lot of Taig users do and get along just fine but a good HSS tool will easily outperform them on your lathe. By that, I mean they will cut deeper, finish better and allow greater accuracy with fine cuts than carbide will.

I own a Sherline lathe and know how the tooling impacts performance. On our tiny lathes we need all the help we can get and from long experience I can tell you that you will be better off learning to grind a good HSS tool. Use what you have to learn with but keep in mind that there are better options.
 
I was planning to use this carbide tool set today but on close inspection I noticed the edge on the carbide is not sharp like an HSS tool, actually the cutting edge is kind of rounded.

Is this normal?
 
I've purchased a couple of the 5 piece 1/4" carbide insert tool kits and all the inserts were rounded. I've been told that this is normal because very sharp carbide chips very easily. The carbide inserts work OK on the mini lathe but HSS inserts work much better. If you don't have a QCTP you'll need 1/16" shims to center the tool on the work.

Roy
 
Thanks Roy I now understand and sound good. I do have HSS blanks and will grind my own but I got this set just to try the carbide. I also have a QCTP so I guess I have to adjust it as needed

Nicolas
 
Nicolas it sounds as though you are prepared and ready to go. If you have any chatter or finish problems make sure your gibs are adjusted to eliminate as much looseness as possible and still have smooth motion in the carriage, cross slide and compound. I have a little bit of resistance to motion on mine (mini lathe)and use locks on the part that does not need to move.

Roy
 
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