On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 09:42:39 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:

Why don't people always use the thinnest parting tool blades made?
On my little lathe I have found that I simply can not use 1/8" HSS
blades but the 1/16" ones work OK. I'm getting ready to tool up my
16" lathe and I'm wondering ..

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington

I use both, and even some bigger ones, depending on the material, the
rigidity of the lathe and the power it can develop.

You saw my big Clausing. I can run a 3/16 parting tool with it, no
problems. I sometimes use a big parting tool as its easier for me to
grind in features such as chip breakers, tit cutters and other forms,
in a bigger tool. The Hardinge you saw, usually gets a 1/8" or smaller
tool, as it tends to slip the belts if I try to get burly with it,
making customized cutoff features more problematic.

Plus, I have been known to break 1/16" cutoff tools fairly regularly
when trying to push a cut in stainless steel, even with flood coolant.

Shrug. YMMV

Gunner

"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child -
miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied,
demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.
Liberalism is a philosphy of sniveling brats." -- P.J. O'Rourke