Lathe Tool Holders

[SouthernChap]

Ah, thank you. That's a great explanation.

I've just ordered some 02 and 04 DCGT inserts to see how they go.

As I said, I currently have 04 and 08 (the latter due to me not paying attention on amazon) DCMT inserts and the 04 radius inserts seem to be fairly forgiving of my clumsiness (not tried the inserts on the 12L14 stock I have yet) but my HSS tools seem to give a good finish on non-ferrous metals and as long as I don't get too greedy and am patient, they seem okay on the abovementioned 12L14 too.

 

[martik777]

I use inserts for ~95% of my work which is small production for a local company using a lot of 416MX

Aliexpress is the least expensive

All you need are 3 tool holders:

RH turning tool SDJCR1010H07 with DCMT070204 or 08 inserts

Parting tool: MGEHR1010-2 with inserts MGMN200

Boring tool: S10K-SCLCR06 with inserts CCMT060204

each holder is ~$10 and a box of 10 inserts is < $5

 

[Dabbler]

@martik777 can you provide 'for instance' URLs to the tools and the inserts, for those just starting out?

 

[martik777]

I'll do the right hand turning tool, you can look up the others:

SDJCR1010 $7

https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005837442496.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.269b13a3TWu3Xv&algo_pvid=c3af910c-8ce7-4014-a8be-945f270341cd&algo_exp_id=c3af910c-8ce7-4014-a8be-945f270341cd-0&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%2117.85%216.05%21%21%21127.90%2143.38%21%402103253417059019102903529edfc3%2112000034528149615%21sea%21CA%21119707506%21&curPageLogUid=11d8W5vPiwik&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

DCMT070204 box of 10 inserts for above: $5 070208 have larger radius

https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005915719051.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.23.777972aeFfzp84&algo_pvid=33e55b42-56f9-4b57-a599-b3350c64c270&algo_exp_id=33e55b42-56f9-4b57-a599-b3350c64c270-11&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%2114.20%214.81%21%21%21101.75%2134.51%21%402103253417059021201085544edfc3%2112000034834616106%21sea%21CA%21119707506%21&curPageLogUid=haGKFvXDKsHS&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A

 

[gard]

I use inserts for ~95% of my work which is small production for a local company using a lot of 416MX

Thanks for the input on what has been working for you. What size machine are you using? Do these holders have the carbide seat for the bit like some of the larger, more expensive holders? Do you think that is important? These holders look like an improved design from the set of crap holders I bought years ago for my 1945 SB 14 1/2" lathe. My lathe will work with 3/8 bits (no QCTP yet).

 

[martik777]

Thanks for the input on what has been working for you. What size machine are you using? Do these holders have the carbide seat for the bit like some of the larger, more expensive holders? Do you think that is important? These holders look like an improved design from the set of crap holders I bought years ago for my 1945 SB 14 1/2" lathe. My lathe will work with 3/8 bits (no QCTP yet).

I have the SouthBend 9A and use my own toolpost (Norman patent design) that holds a max of 3/8" which is why I use the 10mm holders. I can cut a .200 DOC on 4140 with these but rarely take more than .1.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "carbide seat". All these holders take carbide inserts that are held in place with a screw

 

[gard]

It looks like it is working great for you.

Often it is called a shim, it goes under the carbide insert and is advertised to make a more durable tool holder. I have never used one so not sure how important it is. here is a screen shot from shars but it seems to be common on some of the larger more pricy toolholder's. There sure are a lot of options out there.

 

[martik777]

I've made many 1000's of parts with these inserts for pennies. They do chip sometimes on interrupted cuts but overall work well.
I still use HSS for form tools and where I need a sharp edge.

Tip: If you indicate your parting tool so it dead straight it will work much better

 

[tcooper27]

Hi,
Hope everyone had a good holiday season.

I've been contemplating getting a set of tool holders for my mini lathe as I'm getting tired of poor finishes and regrinding HSS. So, I thought going to tool holders with indexable pre-formed tips would be a good idea to get better finishes and eliminate most of the regrinding. However, I know there will always be a need for HSS. This will be a learning experience as I have no experience with preformed inserts either.

My search began at Amazon and the plethora of choices prompted me to ask for advice. One set I saw looked good (this one) but the price scared me - very cheap for such a nice looking set. Is cheap good in this case as it's not the tool holder that is critical, just the tip. IDK.

Any advice or suggested sets will be appreciated. Just interested in the basics, left, right, boring, facing, etc.

Michael

I recently swung back the other way and started looking for a HSS solution for general turning instead of carbide. I messed around with a few different HSS tool holder designs to find something that could meet these requirements:

1. Easy to sharpen w/ repeatable results and no complex shapes
2. Able to be sharpened while the tool is still in the AXA block or is otherwise able to be "indexed" so that tool height remains unchanged
3. Able to turn and face with the tool post at 90 degrees
4. Great surface finish in a variety of materials

I tried AR Warner's HSS inserts in a standard CCMT tool holder first and they didn't quite hit the mark. They met 1, 2, and 3 but failed pretty hard at 4. Brass was about all it left a good finish in.

Next I made a knock off of the Wimberley tool holder. It was fairly easy to make with a tilt vise and meets 1, 2, 3 and mostly 4. You can sharpen it right in the tool block and Wimberley has a creative way to return the blank to the same height without messing with the height of the tool block. The downsides are it takes up a lot of real estate in front of the tool post and fouls on the body of a regular length live center. You also have only one choice of rake angle since it's built into the holder. Wimberley's is about 15 degrees and is a compromise to fit a range of materials.

I then made a tangential tool holder of the same style as most DIY's. It meets all 4 requirements and takes up a lot less room up front. I made this one so I could level the tip of the blank with the top of the tool holder and set the AXA holder's height based on that position. After sharpening I can just line the tip back up with the top of the tool holder using the bottom of the sharpening jig or something else that's flat and it's ready to go. Rake angle is based on the grinding jig you use and you can have a different grind on each end of the blank. Like the Wimberley style holder it's easy to make with a tilt vise but there are a few more steps involved.

 

[Dabbler]

@tcooper27 I am very impressed with both holders. I think your 'diamond' tool holder in the lower picture is especially elegant! Nice Work!