"Kelly Jones" wrote in message
....
Thanks. Lots of good info. I spent the day playing with the machine.
The
first thing I did was to reset the tool height like Phants suggested
and got
an immediate improvement. Then I chucked up some 6160T6511 I got at
the
local scrap yard. It turns beautify.

For a "quick test" - You can tell carbide by attempting to sharpen (or
to just grind) a spot on a "back surface" where it won't hurt the intent
of the tool. If the grinding wheel breaks down instead of the tool - it
is probably carbide.

You need a "green wheel," for sharpening carbide, a very soft wheel
(counter intuitive) or a diamond (very hard) wheel... You can also
sometimes tell by weight - if you have a comparative size in steel -
carbide is noticeably heavier...

And You are "off and running" - congratulations..! Machining Beautifully
is as exciting and gratifying as you can get in any hobby; the joy of
actually producing a piece or a part that looks good and/or functions
just the way you wanted it too only adds to the joy. That is why so many
people that do this for a living choose to come home and do it as a
hobby as well...

One caution in recognition of your status as a "newbie" - Be careful of
taking advice from us "old farts" at face value, and remember that
advice is restricted to only what you told us. There are sometimes valid
reasons that the material is chosen, and for reasons other than the fact
that it "machines better."

If this part you are making is a "pressure vessel" or must have certain
hardness or even electrical properties, be careful when substituting one
material for another. Probably not important in your first practice
pieces, but a good opportunity to remind you that you are ultimately the
only one responsible for the entire process; start to finish. Think it
through...

Good luck and happy tooling...
JHbs