"manytoys" wrote in message
oups.com...
snip---

Seems I will have to learn to grind HSS, damnit....

Don't let that intimidate you. Clear your head and study some properly
ground tools, then emulate what you see. Understand what clearance is, and
why you need it. Learn what rake is, and how much is appropriate. That
way you can make intelligent decisions when a tool doesn't perform as
expected. It takes a little work to get good at it, but it is worth any
and all time you dedicate to it. For HSS, you'll almost always want
positive rake except for machining brass, especially on your small lathe.
Zero rake is a better choice in that situation. Get to understand chip
breakers and how they work----they can make a mediocre tool into a fantastic
tool.

Trust me-----you will *never* be comfortable running machine tools until you
understand cutter theory. It really sets you free. I tend to grind in
an unconventional manner, using no tool rest, with my grinder at chest
height. It takes some getting used to, but once you're on to it, you'll
never go back to a low grinder or one with a tool rest. It just gets in
the way when you need to grind chip breakers and clever tools.

Harold