Lathe Cutting Tools

Necroposting... I seriously considered the AR Warner HSS inserts and tools. The thing that I don't like, and maybe this is worrying about nothing..yet!.., is Warner is the only place you can get HSS indexable inserts. I've looked around, admittedly a few years ago, and could not find anyone else offering them. I don't like being locked in like that and if Warner goes OOB then where you gonna get new HSS inserts? That and the fact it's so easy for a newbie to get great results quickly is the reason I got the tangential tool holder (TTH). HSS blanks can be found easily and sharpening them for the TTH takes a quick minute. The only downside is having to check height after reinstalling tool blank after sharpening but that takes seconds.
 
I'd like to add that there are positive rake carbide tools (mine is from Kinnemetal, @ 11$ per insert) that requires little power and give great results in most materials. That being said, I'm about 50/50 for HSS and carbide.

Try out carbide that is set up for aluminum, that is honed and positive rake - they work well at lower SFPM/RPM.
 
Has anyone here ever tried these,I'm not trying to pedal these or promote them but I have been watching and reading reviews on these and I'm very tempted to try them ,Seems there are so many uses and options these would be good for and grinding the tips seems reasonably simple .Ive always used lathe tools with inserts and have quite a selection but I have to say this looks like a better option and eliminates buy tips al the time .
Here is a you tube link from eccentric engineering who seem to be the makers of it

Has anyone here had experience with these lathe tool holders they would be willing to share on here


Regards Nat
 
That is the tangential tool that @Splat referred to in post 41 above. Pretty sure @Tozguy uses one, too. Very intriguing design, I have to admit and they seem to be highly regarded by those who own them. I have no personal experience with them so I'll butt out.
 
mikey said:
That is the tangential tool that @Splat referred to in post 41 above. Pretty sure @Tozguy uses one, too. Very intriguing design, I have to admit and they seem to be highly regarded by those who own them. I have no personal experience with them so I'll butt out.
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I am really tempted to try them but they are not cheap however if they are as good as it looks would save in the long run
 
Moper361 said:
I am really tempted to try them but they are not cheap however if they are as good as it looks would save in the long run
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Yeah, I was tempted, too. I think this is a good set up if you don't care to grind traditional tools. What I find most attractive about this is the simplicity of the equipment needed - just a bench grinder and you're good to go. I'll be the first to admit that grinding traditional HSS tools takes the right equipment and more know-how. For me, this works but for someone entering the hobby it might be a bit much, at least at first. If you decide to jump, please consider doing a review for us.
 
That's mostly the reason I bought them back when I got my first lathe, Mikey. Simplicity of use and easy to sharpen for this newbie. You can pretty much jump right in and get very respectable results. You still have to know about feeds and speeds. I did at first try grinding my own HSS but just couldn't get the results I wanted. I have since learned to grind some tooling but I admit that I still get better results from the TTH. Grinding tools is a skill not taken lightly or with little practice. BTW, thanks Nat for linking to that video. I've never seen it and it did show me a few things I hadn't done before.
 
Splat said:
That's mostly the reason I bought them back when I got my first lathe, Mikey. Simplicity of use and easy to sharpen for this newbie. You can pretty much jump right in and get very respectable results. You still have to know about feeds and speeds. I did at first try grinding my own HSS but just couldn't get the results I wanted. I have since learned to grind some tooling but I admit that I still get better results from the TTH. Grinding tools is a skill not taken lightly or with little practice. BTW, thanks Nat for linking to that video. I've never seen it and it did show me a few things I hadn't done before.
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Hi Splat From what I'm ready most off the people who have purchased these tool holders have all said the same as yourself and are getting good results out of them ,I would love to have a play around with one before buying but that's not going to happen so guess I just need to bite the bullet .I can see so many positives with these tools ,I'm sure there are downsides to but I've not seen many yet .Guess all I need to do is work out the correct tool holder for my lathe I use a BXA quick change tool post so thinking that gives me a little more room to play with .im trying talk my father into buying one first as he is a hobbiest like me and he is interested but we're both the same would like to try one in anger first before buying due to the price being a little high
 
I understand, Moper361. Do you have the means to make a tangential holder? There are many plans out there, such as this one from John Moran. I have no regrets with the purchase....I just wish it was cheaper! ;) Oh, and I have the 9.5mm version which I have no complaints using on my 12x36 lathe.
 
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I'll give you some of the downsides I've thought about, although this is just conjecture since I don't own one. However, I have thought about it for some time now and these downsides are why I don't own one.
  • Cost. $132.00 for AXA tool with grinding jig plus tax. And then there's shipping.
  • The side relief angle is fixed at about 10 degrees. This works but I would rather be able to alter this angle if I choose but there is no provision for this. The end relief angle is also fixed but I don't know what that angle is. So, there is no provision to alter the cutting forces the tool produces.
  • The rake angles are fixed unless you alter the angle of the jig somehow. The rake angles are the most critical angles on a turning tool and not being able to alter them at need is a deal breaker for me.
  • Tool geometry is the same for all materials, which makes no sense to me. All other HSS tools require different tool angles for each material group except this one.
  • Tool geometry is the same for all lathes. Small lathes lack the power and rigidity of larger ones and since we cannot modify the angles then how do we raise the performance level of the tool for smaller lathes? Sort of an important issue if you ask me.
On the other hand, the tool is very simple to grind and requires no understanding of tool geometry. This is a huge plus, especially for new guys who just want to get cutting on their new lathes. If I was a new guy and didn't know what I know now, I might just jump on this tool.
 
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