So I bought a lathe....

Big JD-From the hills

Big JD-From the hills

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So I picked up a used 1992 tida 12x36 gear head lathe localy. I am wondering what kind of tooling one would reccomend for general profiling, inside and outside threading, crown work, parting. I am looking to spend less than $1000 on tooling, as its only going to be used ocasionaly, not a money making setup.

So if any one could reccomend specific inserts and tool holders ect that would be awsome. As I look through the fastenall and the acklands catalog I just don't know which would be best. Should I get a catalog from KBC maybe?
 
When I took lathe operation at our local community college, all we used were HSS tooling bits that we ground to shape on a bench grinder. All our projects were made using this type of tooling from threading to profiling and parting with excellent results. Perhaps part of this was economy and the learning process imparted, but the results were excellent. I continued to use the same tools and methods afterwards when I got a job as a lathe operator. I suspect for the home workshop, this is the way to go compared to investing a pile of dough in carbide tooling.
 
"...looking to spend less than $1000 on tooling..." Don't count on it. Got 3 and 4 jaw chucks? A new 3 jaw chuck starts at $139Cdn. $165Cdn. for a 4 jaw. You'll need the live and dead centres too. And some grease.
Busy Bee(no stores in Sask. They do mail order though) has a sale on until 30 May for a 10 pc "Metal Working Kit" $125Cdn. And chucks. $74 for a 3 jaw. $117 for a 4 jaw.
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/homepage?&NTDESC=homepage2.htm
Like Grizzlypeg says, make your own tooling. HSS blanks start at 88 cents each.
You have the skills to use a lathe? The one you bought need 220 power(likely costs extra from SaskPower. It'd have to be installed if you don't have it already. House current won't work if the machine needs 220.) or can you plug it in the wall?
 
Agreed, HSS is the way to go. Your lathe probably doesn't have the power or rigidity for carbide. IIRC, the Interprovincial Journeyman ticket is done using HSS tools (or it was).
 
Big JD-From the hills said:
I am wondering what kind of tooling one would reccomend for general profiling, inside and outside threading, crown work, parting. I am looking to spend less than $1000 on tooling, as its only going to be used ocasionaly, not a money making setup.

So if any one could reccomend specific inserts and tool holders ect that would be awsome.
Click to expand...

More or less you grind your own tools. Buy 5 or 10 pieces of 1/4" or 5/16" square lathe bit blanks. You also need a thread guage and a steady rest. Finally a micrometer and a dial caliper. You can make chambering reamers (D bits) from drill rod. Almost forgot get a magnetic base and a dial guage for centering in a 4 jaw chuck

cheers mooncoon
 
mooncoon said:
More or less you grind your own tools. Buy 5 or 10 pieces of 1/4" or 5/16" square lathe bit blanks. You also need a thread guage and a steady rest. Finally a micrometer and a dial caliper. You can make chambering reamers (D bits) from drill rod. Almost forgot get a magnetic base and a dial guage for centering in a 4 jaw chuck

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

How 'bout 1/4 or 5/16 keystock? Harden to straw colour after shaping?
 
sunray said:
"...looking to spend less than $1000 on tooling..." Don't count on it. Got 3 and 4 jaw chucks? A new 3 jaw chuck starts at $139Cdn. $165Cdn. for a 4 jaw. You'll need the live and dead centres too. And some grease.
Busy Bee(no stores in Sask. They do mail order though) has a sale on until 30 May for a 10 pc "Metal Working Kit" $125Cdn. And chucks. $74 for a 3 jaw. $117 for a 4 jaw.
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/homepage?&NTDESC=homepage2.htm
Like Grizzlypeg says, make your own tooling. HSS blanks start at 88 cents each.
You have the skills to use a lathe? The one you bought need 220 power(likely costs extra from SaskPower. It'd have to be installed if you don't have it already. House current won't work if the machine needs 220.) or can you plug it in the wall?
Click to expand...

I am not an electrician but does a household stove not use 220 for the oven? Also, I believe that some swimming pool motors run on 220 which is taken off the electrical panel in the home. Also, do electric water heaters not use 220 as well?
 
meadowmuffin3 said:
I am not an electrician but does a household stove not use 220 for the oven? Also, I believe that some swimming pool motors run on 220 which is taken off the electrical panel in the home. Also, do electric water heaters not use 220 as well?
Click to expand...

Yes, yes and yes. No problem as long as you have the space in your panel and an easy way to route new wire.
 
E- Bay

Check on E- Bay you can usually find tooling for decent prices , if not stay with HSS tools for the type of work you are doing , And as a reminder if you do buy carbide tooling ( cemented Shank ) you will need to invest in a proper stone for sharpening the carbide a standard alum oxide grinding stone does not work on carbide. If you buy tooling with indexible inserts stick with the known brands such as Kennemetal / seco / sandvic / iscar.
good luck :D
 
All domestic homes are provided with 220V from the hydro-provider and this is split in the fuse box into two 110V supplies. It a very simple job for an electrician to run you a 220V supply to any point in your house or outbuildings.
AS for tool, I was old school grinding my own HSS cutting tools but now I use replaceable tip cutting tools. These tools run at high speed will give a mirror like finish to allow steels like 4140.
 
Wiring ect isn't a problem, I have 3 and 4 jaw chucks, drill chucks, live centers, dead centers, steady and follow rests. I have a small craftsman 109 lathe that I have worked out the basics on, but don't have any formal training(I will see if I can't hang out at the local machinist's place a bit more).

I would preffer to go with carbide insert type tooling though I think, something that would allow quick setup, without mucking around with shimming all the time.

Mooncoon thanks for the tip on the drill rod, i have a few lengths of w1, though I might pick up some 01 instead? Any more info on the D shape would be helpfull(ie, does it need to be hollow ground?. I have a magnetic base and dial gage also, micrometers ect, for engine related measuring

One thing down the road I will probably need is a 6 jaw chuck, but not right now
 
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"...will probably need is a 6 jaw chuck..." For what? Your 4 jaw will do nicely for any precision firearm related job.
You have everything but the actual cutting tools. They're fairly inexpensive. A carbide insert set at Busy Bee(on sale until 30 May) runs $45. $59 regularly. The inserts aren't rediculously expensive either. $5 to $7 each(they last) depending on the size of holder.
Local industrial auctions can be a source of tooling too, but you have to know what stuff is worth new. Search engines are your friend.
 
mooncoon said:
More or less you grind your own tools. Buy 5 or 10 pieces of 1/4" or 5/16" square lathe bit blanks. You also need a thread guage and a steady rest. Finally a micrometer and a dial caliper. You can make chambering reamers (D bits) from drill rod. Almost forgot get a magnetic base and a dial guage for centering in a 4 jaw chuck

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...
Agreed on the tools, at school we are taught how to grind various bits for different uses, probably the cheapest route.

I rarely use the 4 jaw chucks, but they are handy for some irregularly shaped objects, and doing some off-center drilling or other work. Mostly, i have pretty much stuck to the 3 jaw chuck, but i don't do much more than cylindrically shaped objects.

If you have access to a TIG welder (not sure of what other weld styles to use, i stick to TIG mostly), you can make up some custom cutting tools to cut the insides of hollow objects. I know if you set your bit up right, you can do just about everything you would normally be able to do on the inside of whatever you are machining too. This should cut down on having to buy special cutting tools for whatever job you are to do.

Not sure of the exact metal specifications, but we use HSS, and carbide tipped tools here.
 
For a 12x36 machine you'll want 1/2 inch sq toolbits for the regular work and an assortment of "grind to fit" 3/8 versions for special shapes like coves or bevels or other odd balls. For carbide I've had mixed luck since I always seem to have the wrong grade of insert for the job of the moment. Just trying to keep all the correct grades around made my brain hurt so I don't use them except for cutting some heat treated stuff now and then. You may well end up with carbide inserts for regular turning but you will need some HSS bits around for special shapes. I also found that on the whole I got better surface finishes with a freshly ground HSS tool than with carbide inserts. Most of them are set for negative rake cutting these days and those need a lot of torque and rigidity to plow the metal off with accuracy and care. And unfortunetly the negative rake inserts are the only ones you can find for cheap. The postive rake inserts cost dearly. Another reason I said to heck with them and stick with HSS.

And just because you use carbide inserts with a holder does not mean you're going to get away with no shims. LESS shimming maybe but it'll still need to be shimmed.

By the sounds of it the tooling you need most of all at this point is some books on machining. May I suggest "The Amatuer's Lathe" by Sparey? It's full of old tools used on old machines, mostly a Myford actually, but the techniques have not changed one iota other than the issue of carbide tipped tooling. All the basics are in there and it should serve you well. Another freebie is the Logan Lathe Users Guide that is floating around on the web somewhere. If you can find and download that it's well worth a read. For the Sparey book start by trying your local library and see if they have it or can bring it in from another branch. It's not a very big book but it makes up for it by concentrating the knowledge.

And a lot of stuff you can make up yourself. Things like indicator mounts that insert into a tool position, tail stock threading die holders and other bits and pieces.
 
I am interested in doing some machining and metalwork and would like to know what is the cheapest/smallest lathe that you could realistically do gunsmithing ,some knife handles or pieces and even maybe some simple bike parts like bar end weights. Damascus bar end weights would be cool and easy as they are just round ,chamfered piece of steel ,tapped to screw on the bar.

The cheapest/smallest new new lathe on the market and the best value in a used one would be nice to know? I would have loved to go to the Camillus auction where they sold off all the tooling and machines and stock from a 120 year old company with a HUGE premises that never threw anything out and had tons of military contracts in WW1 and WW2. I know they can't make the 11+ inch blade becker machete because the equipment big enough does not exist anymore.

Actually if you are into lathes and knives you will want to check out the Chris Reeve A2
hollow handle knives. They are a single A2 billet put on a lathe and made into a 1 piece knife then heat treated. The handles are nicely knurled and tapped so the pommel can be screwed on. It also has a very nice guncoat. They have to remove a LOT of A2 to get a knife but it is a very nice finished product and pretty cheap really for what you are getting. I think i just talked myself into buying one.
 
I'd go with the carbide myself.
Have a look for some used equip. Here in Edm. there are a couple shops Modern for one sells used. Pyrimid... lots out there.
After seeing what Acklands wants for a Pic-Quick screwdriver, its best to shop around.
United tool in Edmonton might send you a catalog, its got reasonable prices and good stuff.
Alot of that import stuff like STM, KAR and SOWA is getting better and cheaper (I only meas. with Starret and Mit.its my job)
Congrats! on the lathe, Have fun.
 
KBC offers its house brand quick-change tool post kit for about $350. This will eliminate the shimming for both the tool-steel bits and carbide holders. I would buy an assortment of tool-steel blanks from 3\16" to 1\2". The smaller for boring bars, small cutters, and the larger for profile type bits. At the end of the day, you will likely be using mostly carbide insert tooling. For a light-weight lathe, stay with inserts that have a small radius on the insert tip i.e. 1\64"--1\32". These take less power and will produce better accuracy and surface finish. If a small milling machine is in your future, you can produce most of the actual carbide-insert toolbars yourself. Make lots of chips....

240
 
I did what you did but a couple of years ago. IIRC carbid tools do not work as well on aluminium as HSS. If your going to grind your own make sure you get the proper wheel for the job. Yes there is a difference and its noticeable. For tooling go to a proper tool supply store. There should be somebody behind the counter who can steer you in the right direction. They probably willl not have the sizes for the mini lathes in stock but will be able to order it in. Avoid cheap chines stuff that Busybee and the like sell.

"Calibrate your lathe" do not trust the markings on anyuthing. If you cant get electronic read outs your next best bet will be the dial indicator and magnetic base.

Get good cutting fluid/coolant it also can make a big difference.

Youll find you end up using it more than you think. Last week I made a part to fix a leaky faucet.
 
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