Paul T. scribed in
:
Don't let any oldtimers talk you into using HSS tool bits for
this, that was cool in its day but times have changed, and its a
lot easier to get repeatable results with the carbide tools,
especially for learners. For this size lathe you would need the
positive relief type tools, take a look at
http://www.thegallos.com/carbide.htm for some background on this.
well, I'm 36 and purchased my lathe in 2000, so I'm not an oldtimer,
and I'll tell you straight that you speak nonsense above.
carbide is not the answer to the HSM question. carbide is designed
for high speed production rates and does that very well, doing deep
cuts to final dimension (which is often oversize and final size is
achieved on a grinder because it is cheaper that way)
what is DOESN'T do well at all is sneak up on a dimension which is
what the home machinist does a lot of becasue we do ONE part so it is
not set up for production runs to tolerance. sharp HSS can take off
curls of steel that just about float in the air and can be the
difference between a fit and a scrap part. can carbide do that? no
it cannot, because its edge is not *sharp*. Also, HSS is much easier
to grind to shape or sharpen with nothing more than an ordinary bench
grinder with the wheels it came rom China with on it.
yes, carbide has a place in every shop, but not the *only* place. it
cannot do everything, just as HSS cannot do everything, and don't
forget a place for a few old files that can heated and bent, then
hardened and ground, for those special jobs.
So, Adam Smith, get a 12x or 13x lathe (I agree with Paul on that at
least), and get some HSS toolbits. Trawl the web for how to grind
it, and cut metal/plastic/Barbie dolls till you figure you can make
one of those horn parts. Then do it. I'd say you can be making
successful parts within 3 months of purchase. And don't be afraid of
books... there are a LOT of good books to help you start that will
still be useful in 20 years time, buy them, it's the cheapest
education available in the world.
swarf, steam and wind
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