PM-1660TL

AlanB said:
What a monster. It's a bit more work but personally I'd rewire for VFD and gain the variability, soft start, torque control, savings in shop space, etc. Garage shop space is extremely valuable and being able to crawl and change speed on the fly is very important to me. When my new first lathe arrived many years ago the motor blew up immediately and I ended up putting a treadmill DC motor and controller on it because they were cheap and available at the time, and I hadn't become familiar with VFDs yet. They finally sent me a new AC motor which is still in the box, and I've never been interested in going back. I do a variety things on my lathe like winding line onto reels that could not be done safely, accurately and efficiently without the variable speed. To each his own, it's a personal choice.
Click to expand...
I feel like I am already committed here with the ARM RPC. I will almost certainly buy a large PM lathe in a few years, and I plan on the 3 phase lathe & mill sharing the ARM (rotary phase converter on a cart).

I definitely get that a VFD adds functionality and options, but if I had native 3 phase power you can bet that I would just plug these machines into the outlet and call it good.

I will leave my mind open to a VFD after I retire because I plan on going to SRJC for an AA in electronics. With my work schedule, I have precious little time in the shop and I want to start cutting metal ASAP.
 
I am so low on funds here that I am going to have to go old school and grind HSS blanks for my turning, facing & chamfering.

I have CXA tool holders so would I buy 3/4” X 3/4” blanks? I want to buy quality HSS. Any recommendations on where to buy quality material? I’ve seen blanks on eBay manufactured in Czechoslovakia and Canada.
 
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Do you know what type of material you are going to work on the most? I have gotten all of my stuff from Ebay, and only look for the brand names that are recommended here. I don't know if this will be helpful to you, but I found this interesting...
The Traditional Tools Group (Inc.) -- Document View
 
Aukai said:
Do you know what type of material you are going to work on the most? I have gotten all of my stuff from Ebay, and only look for the brand names that are recommended here. I don't know if this will be helpful to you, but I found this interesting...
The Traditional Tools Group (Inc.) -- Document View
Click to expand...
That is a super interesting link!

I almost always work on mild steel. I had hoped to get some quality tool holders like this, but I don’t have the funds:


Isn’t using home ground HSS tool bits a valid way to save money, with little or no penalty assuming that I grind them to spec?
 
Once you do a couple HSS blanks it gets easier to figure out how to grind the geometry. The insert tools are nice too, but you'll get up and running if you get blanks to shape, or find some pre made blanks. Curtis is very kind, and helpful to dumb animals(me) when dealing with inserts, tools, and types, he's very easy to talk to.
Lathe inserts .com
 
I see that 3/4” is the maximum height for a tool bit in a standard CXA tool holder.

I also see that the width of the slot is 5/8”. So a 3/4” wide tool bit would stick out 1/8”. I wonder if I should use 5/8” X 5/8” bits.

For financial reasons, I will also probably have to use a T-shaped HSS parting blade for parting and grooving.
 
I have bought these brands of kits from PM for my 1 HP lathe with an AXA toolpost:


It was nice to know that all of the angles are correct. I am just not sure if I should use a 5/8” or 3/4” shank.

Another reservation that I have about HSS tool bits is that I would have to reset the tool height every time I sharpen the bit. With the inserts, I set the height once and it stays good for months.
 
Can't answer the size for the bit, but probably better. My holders are 1/2 to 5/8, and 3/8 blanks work well. I have done well parting with the T, and P blades.
I do it all the time, use a tool height gauge, find out your exact tool height measurement, and turn one. there are examples online, and someone here can help too, if you don't have one.
 
What about brazed tools?
What's the slot height for the parting tool holder?
 
So you are spending 20k on a lathe and electric stuff and can't buy tooling?

Joe
 
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