Turning Tool And Facing Tool Questions

[Tozguy]

Joe,
Some people have made their own tangential holders so that standard HSS, cobalt and even carbide bits can be used. The 'crobalt' bit from Bay-com is relatively inexpensive. In my case the purchase price of a Diamond LH and RH holder has long since faded from memory. Such a pleasure to use it has become my go-to holder.
Mike

 

[Joe Pitz]

Thanks Mike, I have been looking at how others have constructed their tangential holders. When I develop more skills I will attempt to make one myself. But in the mean time I will have to save up for the Bay-Com set.

Joe

 

[toolman]

Joe, good luck with your endeavours! In my opinion, you are doing yourself a disservice using mild steel for practice because while you can get used to grinding shapes, you can't see how those shapes work in actual use. I watch CL and eBay for lots of used hss bits and when you grind a bit, you can see how they cut instead of just looking at it.
I'm not knocking your procedure at all, just throwing another option out there.

 

[Joe Pitz]

Toolman, you have to understand, I am so new at tool grinding that I am having problems getting the correct angles. Once I get the tool to start looking correct, I will switch to tool blanks.

Thanks

Joe

 

[Strtspdlx]

Toolman, you have to understand, I am so new at tool grinding that I am having problems getting the correct angles. Once I get the tool to start looking correct, I will switch to tool blanks.

Thanks

Joe

I agree with toolmans post. You can worry about the angles and this and that all you want. It'll only leave you more unhappy when you take all that time and care to make the tool perfect and it doesn't give you the desired results.
I would keep that in the back of your head every time you grind a mild steel blank as you cannot use it to see what changes effect certain things on material. eBay has cheap blanks and trust me it takes a lot to use up a whole blank and for under $10 you can get 5-6 in smaller sizes.
At the end of the day it's your choice but I'd strongly advise you to reconsider practicing on mild steel and start grinding tool steels and see what they do.


Regards-Carlo

 

[Joe Pitz]

Thanks Carlo, I do have a few tool blanks around I will try on these, tonight after work.

Joe

 

[Bill C.]

Thanks JimDawson, do you have a diamond wheel or do you use a green wheel? I hear it is hard to grind carbide without chipping it?

Joe

Green wheels were the only ones I used. I never had a bit to chip while sharpening. I had it pop off when my favorite bit was to small to use.

 

[Bill C.]

If I was making parts for a one of my projects that screwed together I would undercut the intersection between the face and turned diameter so both parts will screw tightly together. But if the print calls for a square shoulder then I use a left hand facing bit,( if the compound slide is 30-45 degrees) and lock the carriage clamp and taking small cuts with or without power feed slowly remove the remaining material until it is cleaned up. I like power feed but it must be set to the smallest setting because as the tool moves out it can leave spiral tool marks requiring hand feeding to cleanup.

Are you using a quick change tool-holder? I started out with what they call a lantern tool holder , the old standard of it's day, with several tool-holders then the next shop had QC tool-holders. Seems I could have used a extra holder or two for a complex part. If your lathe doesn't have a carriage clamp consider carriage stops to butt up to. I have used a "C" clamp and short piece of flat stop as a stop, granted not the best but got to use what you have sometimes.

 

[markknx]

I like to use the tool rest it helps keep the tool still. you can also put lines for the angle you want to hold the bit at. Or if the tool rest is larger you can use a bevel square along the edge as a guide. I did the former when these guys were schooling me on grinding lathe bits. Just some thoughts, and ideas I was given when I was learning (not that I'm a pro) But like Jim said there will be that aha moment and this is one of those things that hearing many different ways of doing it may help trigger that moment. Good luck and keep trying.
Mark

 

[Tozguy]

Just a few pointers on grinding that I have read and then proven to myself with time.
The grey wheels that come with most grinders are wretched. They will turn you off grinding in no time. For HSS grinding get a white alox wheel of the right spec. it cuts HSS almost like butter.
For carbide I use a green sica 80 grit wheel. Its slower going but I have never had a problem with chipping.
All edges are finished with an EZ Lap hone in 1200 grit(extra fine).

I admire the people who can grind freehand. In my case the it was too frustrating to be almost done when a slip up would ruin the job. It was much easier than I thought to make a solid tool rest attached to the bench and results made it well worth the effort. With the control afforded by a solid tool rest it much quicker to match angles and touch up a tool with a minimum of grinding.

It is also imperative to keep the wheel dressed for proper grinding. Diamond dressers are best for this and they need a solid rest to be used properly.