According to :
I have a new tool post for my lathe:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7596326685
O.K. That looks like AXA size (probably Phase-II series 100).
And hopefully, you also have gotten the modified toolpost to put the top
edge of the tools at the centerline, as without that, they will be too
high for your machine.
For those holders in general, you will want 1/2" tool shanks
(the largest which your holders will accept, just as 5/8" is the largest
that my BXA series will accept.
Now I'm moving into the tooling phase. I'm told to avoid the cheap sets
of insert tooling which offer five tools in one set(each at a slightly
different angle),because the inserts tend to break easily, there is no
carbide anvil to support the inserts, and the inserts are more
expensive than common industrial ones.
I'm guessing that the reference was to sets like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7542676470
These are exactly the ones which I meant.
The designations for the inserts are still confusing because it seems
like every manufacturer uses their own numbers. The only way to know
which are quality tools, what the numbers mean, and the ease and cost
of insert replacement is to ask those who have experience.
First off -- have you found the charts of insert sizes in your
MSC catalog? (It is good for more than just ordering tools. :-) There
are charts of the numbering scheme from at least two makers of inserts.
So can anyone give me recommendations?
Now. I would like to cover all bases with as much ridigity as possible.
A) Facing
B) Turning
O.K. For that, I would suggest the Aloris AXA-16 or AXA-16N
toolholder. It handles both boring and turning with one holder (two
inserts -- one at either end. It should be at page 1626 in the MSC Big
Book. As far as I can tell -- none of the other companies yet make ones
like this.
Here is what it (the 16N version) looks like:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...PMT4NO=6186276
The 16N is for negative rake inserts, but there are inserts for it which
have a chipbreaker groove so designed to make the actual rake positive.
But, you still get six corners, as you can flip the insert upside down
after the first three corners are used up. The ones which are positive
rake only give you only three corners.
This has a built-in chipbreaker for each insert which is part of
the clamp which holds it.
You set the height once -- and that is right for both the
turning and the facing inserts.
You'll have to order the proper size inserts for it. I could
tell you the proper ones for the BXA-16N, but the AXA-16N takes a
smaller size. (Ask MSC when you call them.)
C) Boring
Lots of choices -- and they tend to be weaker than the turning
and facing tooling. And there does not seem to be room for carbide
anvils with those.
Those that you found below (the 7586286270, IIRC) will probably
do. Just make sure that you can get more inserts for them.
D) Threading(Outside)
E) Threading(Inside)
For those, you will need different tooling and different inserts.
Look in the MSC catalog under the names Valenite and Iscar. Find the
shanks first, in the proper 1/2" shank size. Then from there, find the
inserts for the threading which you want to do.
Look on page 667 for both external and internal holders (not the
miniature ones, I think), and the threading inserts.
Beware that you cannot use the same inserts for internal and
external threading. The "spur" is on a different side of the corner for
each.
F) Cut-off(Parting)/Grooving
You've got a good holder with the toolpost set. I personally
would go for the T-profile Cleveland Mo-Max parting tools. They are the
"P" type blades. Go to page 550, and select the height to fit your
holder. (I use the BXA, so the size for mine will be different.) Given
the probable power of your spindle motor, I would suggest going for the
narrowest of these blades which you can find to fit.
Any thoughts on these?(Or they also the "cheap" tools that I'm told to
avoid?).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7586286270
This looks like a potentially useful set. And the wrenches (and
screws) are the special Torx ones, instead of the Allen keys which round
out rather quickly on the cheap sets.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=7553892781
And this one is particularly interesting. Note that the
included angle for the threading tool (LW) is 55 degrees. This is right
for cutting Whitworth threads, but you are highly unlikely to be cutting
those. 60 degrees is far more likely.
The two of the remaining tools appear to use the tiny 55 degree
insert which the tools for my Compact-5/CNC uses. They are very nice,
and the inserts which I have are very sharp (no TiN coating), but hard
to find. I lucked into a large bag of them from another regular on this
newsgroup several years ago.
I use one of these on the Big Clausing, when I need a nicer
finish, instead of quicker cutting and greater rigidity.
Unfortunately, there are two other insert styles not counting
the grooving/parting tool.
These are too small to offer the carbide anvils, but seem to
hold up a lot better than the cheap sets -- even in the same machine.
Enjoy,
DoN.
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