Hss blanks

It is also obvious after you think about it or see it, but HSS can easily be ground with the same or different cutting edges on both ends of the blank, double the tooling for your money! And when they get dull, you just grind them a bit more to get them sharp again, or modify them as needed for a special job. You do not need to wait for a special insert (and maybe a holder) to arrive from a tool vendor to get the job at hand done!
 
Hi Guys,

Here in the UK scrap yards, I think that you call them salvage yards, often have bucket loads of HSS tool bits that have been disposed of by engineering shops, particularly those that have turned to carbide insert tooling.

One I visit quite regularly has 40 gallon drums often full to the top of scrap carbide and scrap HSS. Its a long time since I purchased any new sticks of HSS. Most of mine is M42 cobalt.
 
Bob Korves said:
It is also obvious after you think about it or see it, but HSS can easily be ground with the same or different cutting edges on both ends of the blank, double the tooling for your money! And when they get dull, you just grind them a bit more to get them sharp again, or modify them as needed for a special job. You do not need to wait for a special insert (and maybe a holder) to arrive from a tool vendor to get the job at hand done!
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Makes sense! Thanks Bob, you've always given me good advise, and I appreciate it.
 
Sometimes, HSS tool bits have a gash ground on one end; grind your tool on the other end, not the gashed end, it marks the gate end that the bits were cast from, where there might be defects lurking. Bob's suggestion about grinding tools on both ends, brought this to mind. The gash thing is likely to be seen in old stock tool bits, less likely on new bits.
On my 9" Monarch lathe with AXA tool post, I mostly use 5/16" square tool bits, 1/4"bits are not so easy to clamp down with the setscrews if the bit is held right on the edge of the holder, and yes, 3/8" bits take considerably more grinding than smaller bits, Using 7/16 or 1/2" bits on a small lathe compounds this considerably -----
 
I agree with RJ - start with mild steel keystock from the hardware store and grind on that until you can grind a decent tool with control. It is far, far, far easier to learn this skill that way.

This deal is still active on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-3-8-...=item486dc82c77:g:ITMAAOSwRLZUCgJb:rk:21:pf:0

50 bits of 3/8" M2 HSS for $64.00! You would be hard pressed to find a better deal no matter where you shop. This is Chinese HSS but it works pretty okay. It is not of the quality you will find from good suppliers from the US or Europe but it is more than adequate for a hobby shop.

I have or had a whole bunch of bits ground by machinists of the past and it is fascinating to imagine what job they ground the tool for. Some of them are pretty imaginative; most were crude, and some would barely cut Delrin. Nowadays, I will personally not buy pre-ground tools; once you fix the previous grind the tool is usually too short to safely work with on the grinder.
 
mikey said:
I agree with RJ - start with mild steel keystock from the hardware store and grind on that until you can grind a decent tool with control. It is far, far, far easier to learn this skill that way.

This deal is still active on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-3-8-...=item486dc82c77:g:ITMAAOSwRLZUCgJb:rk:21:pf:0

50 bits of 3/8" M2 HSS for $64.00! You would be hard pressed to find a better deal no matter where you shop. This is Chinese HSS but it works pretty okay. It is not of the quality you will find from good suppliers from the US or Europe but it is more than adequate for a hobby shop.

I have or had a whole bunch of bits ground by machinists of the past and it is fascinating to imagine what job they ground the tool for. Some of them are pretty imaginative; most were crude, and some would barely cut Delrin. Nowadays, I will personally not buy pre-ground tools; once you fix the previous grind the tool is usually too short to safely work with on the grinder.
Click to expand...
Thanks mikey! Just ordered 50 of those, I will check with the local hardware store for 3/8 key stock tonight, hopefully they have some in stock, that I can practise on.
 
SubtleHustle said:
Thanks mikey! Just ordered 50 of those, I will check with the local hardware store for 3/8 key stock tonight, hopefully they have some in stock, that I can practise on.
Click to expand...

Join us on the model tools thread and we'll help you along.
 
Interesting post, similar argument in my own head of late. I ran my old Craftsman 12x36 for probably 20 years before I "had" to get a QCTP and carbide insert tools. New 1340GT and I started over again with a QCTP and insert tools, because that's what you are supposed to get and they are cool. I still have the two 1/4" HSS tool blanks for the old lathe, and they are not much shorter than when I got them. The 4 way tool post that came with the new lathe is kind of looking interesting too. Been watching videos and reading the voluminous arguments for and against both. Bought a few HSS blanks the other day to start grinding my own again. All that was old is new again. Will not dismiss the bucket of HSS next time I see one, although it seems proven that a few will last nearly forever. Ground blanks also make good parallels by the way -I have a few I inherited along the way that are much too large for anything I will ever own, but use them often in setups.
 
Hi Guys,

I agree that they make good cheap parallels ! But just be a bit careful, whilst the sides are very accurately parallel, they are not always dead square. Many times I've found that a nominal 10 mm is 9.80 by 10.0, and unless you either compare them or measure them, you could make an error if relying on them to be square.

When I find ones like that I use a red marker and put a line or size on the large side.
 
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