3/8 x 3/8 tool blank source?

Dan_S said:
Nothing wrong with stuff made in china!
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Each to their own. I have had too may failures, I will never again buy anything chinese made, if the results are important. I have had chinese made stainless steel knives with slag inclusions in the blade. Chinese made spanners that break in the first half dozen uses. An engineers square that was almost a full degree out.
I have a chinese made bench drill press, that is gutless, out of square, and the chuck does not run true. My cordless drill has more power and is more useful. It is beyond redemption and nothing on it is even worth salvaging.
 
Some of the Chinese stuff is getting pretty good. Remember when those cheap HF drill bits would bend before breaking? That doesn't seem to happen any more. I recall seeing someone posting XRF results for Harbor Freight HSS in lathe tools. It was not HSS, it was some kind of tungsten hot work steel with lower tungsten content to save money. Performance suffered as expected. If you can spark test, you should be able to figure things out. Get a couple of known tools, even stubs are fine. You will be able to tell the difference between simple high carbon steel, M2 and M42 immediately. These will all work, with appropriate cutting speeds for each. Just about any cheap Home Depot drill bit is at least M2 and will cut fine. A broken piece will fit in a center drilled 3/8" square holder. If you can score a big box of junk tool bits at a garage sale that have some good names for less than $1 per bit, jump on it. They are good for spark testing, placing in some special holder, or examining for grind angles. If they are long enough and ground well, you can just go ahead and use them. I've gotten all kinds. I have two coffee cans full, and three of them were great with just a tiny touch up required.
 
Dan_S said:
Nothing wrong with stuff made in china!
Click to expand...
Second that,Service unmatched,prompt delivery and I personally have never had a problem with Chinese goods. Most of the stuff I have imported is far superior to the bulk of what is marketed locally.
One product that I can recommend is: http://corbaltusa.net/ The only stuff that it does not like is a Blue coloured epoxy something used on electric motor armatures. Other than that it can take some serious abuse. Hones to a super fine edge as well.
 
And here I am looking for tool stock also as a newbie ...so I am gathering just buy off of Ebay unless some new source has become recommended? That CorbaltUsa link does not work .... what is special about it?
 
Yes I saw that ...geez sounds like I would be willing some hss to someone though. One thing ...with your previous recommendation of th AR Warner cutoff blade ...is the AR Warner T-15 HSS worth the premium of $14 for 3/8 3 inch blank?
 
I already have a lifetime supply of blanks and I bought one of those 50 bit lots. Gave half away to someone I really like. Over the last 30+ years, I've gone through more than 300 bits but I admit I'm a bit of an exception.

As for the T15 bit from ARW, no, I wouldn't pay for that unless you have a lathe that can turn hard metals that would produce enough heat to need T15. T15 has a high Tungsten content that holds an edge under red hot conditions, which your lathe probably will not do on its best day. For most of us, even a 5% cobalt tool is more than enough to handle what our hobby class lathes can do. At this point and with your lathe, I would stick with M2 HSS.
 
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