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Ive used some 3/8 & 1/2 square tools that were factory ground to
about 1/16 on the end for parting
and cutoff. They work great but when I tried to reproduce one from a
blank, well the results werent very good and it takes forever to grind
away that much material. Has anyone ever ground there own ?

If you'll select the proper wheel, HSS grinds quite well. If you're using
the typical pedestal or bench grinder with the wheel that came with the
machine, you can expect more than your share of misery. The wheels are
too hard to function well for the material, and there's nothing you can do
to improve their performance.

I have hand ground turning tools for well over 50 years now, including
parting tools. I don't own a commercial one, preferring the performance of
those I hand grind.

You have received some excellent advice regards using a parting wheel to
eliminate the majority of stock when starting with a blank. Still, you
must hone your skill to achieve good results afterwards. Get a proper
wheel and stay the course.

It might pay you to download a large file that was compiled from many of my
posts on the Chaski board some time ago. I discuss wheel selection, wheel
dressing and HSS grinding in detail, including grinding chip breakers.
If you are not well versed in the art, it may prove useful. Or not! :-)

Here's a link: http://www.savefile.com/files/915454

Harold