Replaceable insert ID questions

[mac1911]

You know you can grind your own acme tool from HSS. I made a 5 TPI acme tool, actually 2 of them, one from 3/8" HSS, and a second from 1/2" HSS. Both work, but the 3/8" tool only took me 15 minutes to make. (First time I ever ground an acme form.) Really was pretty easy to make. Your thread could have been single pointed by now. Heck, you could have cut ten screws!

Unless you are planning to turn a difficult material, HSS is a good choice. It's mystifying to me to see the majority of folks here shy away from grinding HSS. It's not hard to do, and it beats waiting for inserts to show up. You can grind forms that are custom and unavailable to buy. Dunno, it beats sitting around staring at your empty mailbox...

By the time I get time to get into the shop. Realistically not until Jam I can wait for deliveries ,
Which is also weather dependent , no heat. So until the next 50-60 degree day comes after Jan1 I wont be turning or grinding anything

When I do getvout there I dont feel like grinding tools
Yes I have made a few so far , small radius tool . Chamfering tool. Heck had to wait for the new grinding wheels , lol
I might get 2 hours a month in front of the lathe. Its a small hobby so saving some time so im turning vs making parts/tooling
I spent the first year with this lathe fixing it now its time to make things other than parts for lathe lol

Well I have another project for the lathe.
Which is why I bought the internal threading bar. It was $3 more to buy the set than just the one bar.

I want to make a spider that replaces the spanner nut on the spindle. Theres not much real-estate on the back side of the spindle.

 

[WobblyHand]

We all make our own choices on this. For some, grinding is a burden, for others it's just a way to get something done. With some relatively modest equipment one can grind HSS with ease. But with limited time we make trade offs. I get it.

FWIW, never broke a HSS threading tip. Maybe I am a relaxed machinist. Don't care if I take 4 or 6 passes on a thread since I'm not in a hurry. I've used my own ground tooling and Aloris blades. They all work great. As do inserts, if the shank is rigid (big) enough.

 

[mac1911]

We all make our own choices on this. For some, grinding is a burden, for others it's just a way to get something done. With some relatively modest equipment one can grind HSS with ease. But with limited time we make trade offs. I get it.

FWIW, never broke a HSS threading tip. Maybe I am a relaxed machinist. Don't care if I take 4 or 6 passes on a thread since I'm not in a hurry. I've used my own ground tooling and Aloris blades. They all work great. As do inserts, if the shank is rigid (big) enough.

When/If I ever get a proper home work shop and have more time to myself I will have no problem grinding HSS , heck right now in life I make /repair/repurpose almost everyrhing cause I cant afford to just go buy it all new. For instance
Got a scratch ticket as a gift won $50
Bout this set and a few feeler gauges for shims for another project.

 

[mmcmdl]

I've run into plenty of undercut issues where inserts would not satisfy the gov's specs and ground tools were a necessity . Grinding bits , sharpening drills , end mills , form tools etc were taught in 7th grade . It's not really hard to get started and they sure don't sell inserts for every application you'll need . The right inserts are nice for cnc production work where time is an issue but sometimes they still have to be altered .

 

[Downwindtracker2]

I did a one year pre-apprenticeship millwright/machinist course. It was very elitist , very high standards, in other words, tough. Grinding lathe bits correctly was not a 15 minute thing, closer to a day with honing ! That is if you were naturally good. I went to an estate auction, he had the same lathe as me. I won a box of bits. Yeah, I guess they would cut metal but boy, were they sad. There is a place for inserts.