HSS inserts?

Man that link has all kinda things to read. Thanks. I saved it.

I love carbide as thats all we use at school except the threading insert so far. I just hear so many folks say you cant or should not use it. I am sure I will have some before to long as I like tools and like trying things. Just seems hss is the safe bet for a first insert tool. If I can find a 1/2in one at school I might ask the instructor to let me try some carbide before I do anything. I just dont know if we have a holder that small.
kevin said:
You can find some good links to info about indexable inserts here (click on the link and scroll down to "Indexable inserts"):

https://sites.google.com/site/lagadoacademy/useful-links#info-other
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chuckorlando said:
Man that link has all kinda things to read. Thanks. I saved it.

I love carbide as thats all we use at school except the threading insert so far. I just hear so many folks say you cant or should not use it. I am sure I will have some before to long as I like tools and like trying things. Just seems hss is the safe bet for a first insert tool. If I can find a 1/2in one at school I might ask the instructor to let me try some carbide before I do anything. I just dont know if we have a holder that small.
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I think most of the advice against carbide in a HOBBY shop is that most of us just don't have the big,heavy machines needed to fully take advantage of the full potential of a carbide insert. Also, carbide tooling does have some limitations:

1) Most inserts are designed for steel or stainless. That means they will cut steel or stainless realy well, and might even take a chip off of aluminum or other soft materials, but not as well and probaly with a worse surface finish

2) As mentioned earlier, Carbide likes a deeper cut. I have experienced this myself while turning some 4140HT. I took a ~0.04" pass and got a beautifull, smooth surface finish. But then I needed to take off another .004" and the finish got dull and looked almost torn. I noticed the same thing on one of Abom79's videos the other night.

3) for a beginner, the carbide insert Alphabet soup is going to be very confusing. I have managed to figure out the basic geometry, but when shopping for surplus inserts on e-bay, I sometims still have problems trying to figure out what an older, now obsolete grade of carbide was intended for orginally.

I think if you want to see if carbide works for you at home, you might want to make a part at school using the same feeds, speeds and Depth of cut that you think your lathe can handle. If the part comes out looking good, then I'd say go for it.

Hope this helps.
 
ditto Henry's comments ^. I've had relatively little experience with either compared to many on here, but I can shave off the last thou much easier using HSS than Carbide, whatever the size of machine. For most people it probably isn't important, but if you're aiming for a tight slip fit and don't have a tool post grinder, it does make a difference!

Those AR Warner set ups do look very nice. Then again, a nice stone or hone has any of my bits back up to shaving off metal, even with them still on the machine :)
 
Another very satisfied user here of the A R Warner tools. Got one of their 5 piece turning sets. And a couple of their excellent cut off blades. Running it on a 12X36 Atlas and a 11.25 inch Sheldon. Been using them for several years. Takes about 30 seconds to sharpen on a flat diamond hone. Bought additional inserts for spares but am still using my original!
They also sell CARBIDE inserts! I've got several that I've used on some cast iron. Worked very well. Coupled with a AXA quick change tool post and you get great cutting and convenience.
 
The fact that you can stone them sharp again has escaped me up to now. I looked at them and they were abt the same money as carbide. (without serious education and bargain hunting) The fact that you can sharpen three points at once and re use them changes everything! Might try those out some day. Great tip:))
 
Personally,I have never used HSS inserts. Nor were they available when I started. We had to chip flint cutting tools when I began,and they were murder on interrupted cuts!!:)

Really,I would not waste my money on HSS inserts. Just learn to grind your tools. You need to learn to do that,especially of you get into doing any special kind of work where you need custom cutter shapes.

I made several shaped form tools for the 8" model cannon below. Ogees,shapes to turn the decorative bands on the barrel,quarter round cutters,etc.

If you can't make your own cutting tools,you will be forever limited to what is available off the shelf. That is just too limiting to me.

The wax seals are another example of custom ground cutters,though some of the contouring was done with freehand turning tools,like used on wood lathes,only smaller. The handles are water buffalo horns.

The cannon has not been polished yet,just seen as turned on the lathe.

canon 5.jpg canon 4.jpg canon 3.jpg wax seal stamps.jpg
 
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You would not happen to have any pics of some of these cutters? I used some form tools to make the handle for our last school project. One to round the noses and another to cut two rounded grooves. No one else in class can do this because we only have inserts. Unless they borrow mine. ahaha.

I'm not discounting the value or need for grinding. I have a new and ground hss tools and blanks and plan to buy a grinder today.

But for facing, turning and threading, inserts just seem so much easier. I have been watching vids for a couple days on grinding tools. Nothing involved seems difficult. Just a PITA when you can have 3 edges to use, rotate, or sharpen in very little time.

I'll sharpen some and see whats what today.

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Awesome work man.
 
Those are beautiful seals! Will you mail me something official? I had one more thought on these insert holding tools. They appear to have been priced by crack heads. Seriously, if I ever go through all of my bits of hss stock and try these out, the only thing I will be purchasing is the inserts. How they feel justified charging so much for such a simple tool is beyond me. I would not give more than $20 apiece, $10 would be more in line. A break on a set would be in line also. I mean really, one angle cut and a tapped hole do not make these things gold.
 
Mail you something official? You mean sealed with the seals?

I made them for a customer and do not have them myself. I'm not sure what you are requesting,so let me know.

You mean the HSS inserts are more than $20.00 each?????? I had no idea. There MUST be gold in that business.
 
You can buy a cheap 30 dollar set with 5 holders and then use the hss inserts. At least that would be my route or make some myself.

The inserts them self are 5-6 bucks each. Which still seems pricey being the carbides cost the same. You would think steel would be cheaper. But you charge what the market will bear I figure
LEEQ said:
Those are beautiful seals! Will you mail me something official? I had one more thought on these insert holding tools. They appear to have been priced by crack heads. Seriously, if I ever go through all of my bits of hss stock and try these out, the only thing I will be purchasing is the inserts. How they feel justified charging so much for such a simple tool is beyond me. I would not give more than $20 apiece, $10 would be more in line. A break on a set would be in line also. I mean really, one angle cut and a tapped hole do not make these things gold.
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