Shars Carbide Tipped Tools Bits - Comments & Reviews

DavidMTL

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Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some comments and reviews on the Shars carbide tipped lathe tools. I searched the forum but didn't find much that's recent.

The maker space where I volunteer is getting ready to start a fresh session of training classes so this would principally be aimed at people who've never used a metal lathe before or who only have very limited experience. We'd like to offer a small starter pack of tools which are affordable but also fairly functional. Basic turning with cold rolled, aluminum, brass, but probably not stainless. The idea is functional but also affordable. We want to keep the barrier to entry low but still get the job done.

I mostly use similar style tools from KBC but they run two to three times more expensive. If the Shars stuff is pretty much the same why pay more.

And while we're at it, I might as well ask about their HSS endmill sets.

Thanks for the help.

David
 
Hi David,

I would start by giving each student a piece of say 3/8" square M42 HSS tool steel and teaching them how to properly grind a lathe tool ! Forget carbide tipped tools. They will create unnecessary problems for the students without them understanding why.
 
My question is why, for entry level lathe instruction, carbide would even be part of the curriculum. You and they would be FAR better served by teaching why and how a lathe bit removes material and basic tool grinding using readily available and inexpensive HSS bits. Carbide is basically a special purpose or production tool it's not "lathe 101".....................Bob
 
I would also question the value of inserted tools in the hands of a neophyte. I agree with the HSS tool thing but learning to grind may not be in the cards. A very good and reasonable alternative is brazed carbide tooling. If I wanted cheap, that is the way I would go. Buy a few credit card diamond hones and sharpen them and have at it. Brazed tools are far tougher, will cut almost anything your students are likely to see.
 
Hi Mikey,

I beg to disagree, in your own words "I would also question the value of inserted tools in the hands of a neophyte". I don't see that carbide would be "A very good and reasonable alternative" to teaching a neophyte how to grind a lathe tool properly.

The only reason that I can see based on the original post is having something that can be sold to someone that is effectively ignorant of the purpose and correct use of carbide tooling is profit !

In addition those neophytes will go away thinking that carbide is the best thing since sliced bread, which as you and I know that it isn't. Because they have been sold a kit of tools and told this is what you use. Then when they start having issues, and both you and I and others have seen the questions that arise on this forum about carbide tooling use.
 
Hi everyone,

I might not have phrased this right.

Brazed carbide tip tooling - the cheap $ 2 ( or the 38 piece set for $ 40 ) stuff not insert tooling.

Grinding your own tools is nice ( we'll be including some literature and video links in the course package) we'd like people to be able to do some basic work as part of the course and having a basic starter kit would be handy.
 
Brazed carbide tip tooling - the cheap $ 2 ( or the 38 piece set for $ 40 ) stuff not insert tooling.

The brazed on stuff has sharp noses (corners) that the competent operator will shape with a diamond file so that it has a nice radius, the a trip to the honing stones to polish up the rounded nose. If you want more of this, I have 36 left, the only 2 I am currently using are the ones with the 90º nose and the only thing I use them for is beveling the edge.

Insert tooling allows one to choose the insert with the proper (or desired) nose radius.
Insert tooling is probably not a good investment for machines with less than 2 HP.
 
Hi David,

I think you are missing the point ! The brazed carbide lathe tools are rubbish. If the students don't have the knowledge and the skill, never mind the equipment, to be able to regrind them correctly, they are never going to be able to produce satisfying work.

All that will happen is that they will spend time trying to understand why what they are trying to achieve is not happening. Having purchased, from you, the tools that you said are for the lathe and are now having problems with ! How are you going to look in their eyes when you said that this was what is they needed.
 
I'm trying to get my head around why one would attempt to teach lathe basics by using specialty tooling that requires special equipment to form or sharpen correctly, breaks easily, requires higher than usual SFPM speeds, is expensive, not versatile, requires different grades for different materials, etc etc. when one could take a single HSS blank tool bit and teach his students how that one bit can be used to do pretty much anything the machine is capable of both inexpensively and efficiently with a nice helping of cutter theory and practice thrown in as a bonus..............Bob
 
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