Cutting down HSS tooling to smaller width/depth

Thanks everyone for the input. I think the message is pretty clear - reducing anything other than length on HSS is not worth the effort.

I’ve just ordered 5 AXA XL holders (from America, as even with shipping it was cheaper than ordering from uk EBay), so I’ll be able to use the 12mm HSS I have and I’ll pack the rest away for the inevitable day that I get a larger lathe :)


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When I bought my old lathe, it came with anything I wanted to take from the guys workshop (everything I didn’t take was going in land fill). So I decided to load up on all of the HSS tools:

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Most of this is 12mm to 20mm tooling. My Lathe takes 10mm tooling (maybe 12mm tooling if I start using the AXA XL tool holders).

What’s the most effective way to reduce these HSS tools down to a size that would fit my lathe. Im not trying to use the existing form of the tool on my lathe, just reduce them down so I can regrind the tool at the 10mm size (I.e use them effectively as blanks)

Would milling them down work? If so, would I need carbide tooling or would HSS end mills be ok? I think using a cutting wheel would be too difficult when taking the depth down?


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I would make a tool post that would take bigger size tools. That is much easier than messing with the tools.
 
I would make a tool post that would take bigger size tools. That is much easier than messing with the tools.
Think the original poster is more limited by compound height relative to the spindle. Bigger tool posts won't help unless the tool holder can sit below the compound. Simplest solution with the existing compound is to shave off the bottom of the tool holder, if there is enough material left on the bottom of the tool holder. Can be done with either a mill, or a lathe with a four jaw chuck. My Aloris AXA-8 tool holder couldn't reach center line. It was 0.047" too tall after touching the top of the compound. Removing 0.047" from the base of the tool holder allowed me to use it. It only took a few minutes to fix. Similarly, I have had to remove material from other AXA-1 tool holders. (I removed less material). The bottom surface of a tool holder is non-critical. Removing a few thousandths, or 40 thousandths hardly matters. I faced the bottom of the AXA1 with my lathe. Hardest part was removing the tool height screw, the rest was easy.

Original poster's lathe compound is too high to support 1/2" tools. The manufacturer took a short cut. My lathe compound is too high to support 1/2" tools. But all I needed to do was to remove material off the bottom of the holder to get it to fit. So for those tool holders with 1/2" tools, I simply turned off the bottoms, like in the picture below.
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For this class machine, I really don't think it matters that I had to take off 0.040". It is handy to be able to use the 1/2" tooling if you have it. Most of my tooling is 3/8", which can reach center line, so I haven't bothered to modify my other tool holders.

The new XL holders may or may not work. They might be too tall. After all, the real issue is the compound height, and that did not change. If they are a little too tall, just turn off a little on the bottom, until it works. The tool holder should not bottom out on the compound.

There comes a point where you simply have to be practical, and as far as I can tell, this is by far the simplest, easiest and most economical solution.
 
Looking at the measurements of the tool holders, the XL tool holders should lower the tool by 2mm. This will enable me to use the 12mm tooling. If not, I may do as some have suggested and take a little off the bottom of the tool holders, or I may stick with 10mm tooling. (Will the extra 2mm on the tool provide much more ridgidity?)


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Looking at the measurements of the tool holders, the XL tool holders should lower the tool by 2mm. This will enable me to use the 12mm tooling. If not, I may do as some have suggested and take a little off the bottom of the tool holders, or I may stick with 10mm tooling. (Will the extra 2mm on the tool provide much more ridgidity?)


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Not disagreeing with what the XL tool holders do.

But if you are compound height limited, like I was, you will find you can't lower the tool holder enough, even with an XL, before the bottom of the (XL) tool holder hits the top of the compound. AXA was designed for a range of compound to spindle distances. If your lathe compound to spindle distance is less than the standard (like mine was) then an XL or non-XL will interfere with the compound preventing the tool tip alignment to center line. I hope you will not run into this, but the fix is simple.

As far as reduced rigidity is concerned, there are many that laugh about lathes in this weight class. Yes, it will reduce rigidity. Will you notice as a beginning machinist? Not likely, not until you get more machining experience. Nonetheless, one can do a lot of stuff with one of these AXA lathes. I use the equivalent of 9.5mm tooling on my lathe for most of my work. It's fine. It's not the defining limit, I am.
 
What lathe is this? I had someone mill .100" off the top of my mini lathe compound so I could use AXA stuff.
 
Not sure on the OP. Mine is a Grizzly G0752Z (G0602) a 10 x 22 lathe. The distance between my compound and the center line is 3.0495". A member here on HM measured his G0602 at 3.097". (A difference of 0.0475") He had no problem with XL holders, but I did. My holders would hit the compound before hitting center line, for the 1/2" tools, XL or not.

95% of the time, I can work around it. For the other 5%, I cut off the bottom of the tool holders. Tool holders are a lot cheaper to replace than compounds, if you mess up. And you can machine them in your lathe! Either way, there will be some loss in rigidity, either in the compound itself or in the tool holder. I'd rather lose the rigidity in the holders for the 5% of the time that I use the 1/2" tools than all the time, but that's a trade off that everyone has to make for themselves. 95% of the time I use 3/8" tooling. It's cheaper and good enough for most of my use.
 
For reference, My 250-101 bottom ledge is .440” thick. My 250-101 XL bottom ledge is .415” thick.
 
For reference, My 250-101 bottom ledge is .440” thick. My 250-101 XL bottom ledge is .415” thick.
For those holders you only pick up 0.025" in adjustment range. Unless you go off the edge of the compound, you are limited by compound to center line dimension. If yours is 3.1" or greater, no problem. If it's under 3.05", like mine, you will have issues with 1/2" tooling, unless you make modifications.
 
Once the tool bit is in the tool holder, center distance of the cutting edge can be established by grinding the top of the tool bit near the cutting edge. Grinding a back rake is common, so just taking some more off the top is doable. You only have to grind a small part of the bit, and don't have to be precise.

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