Lathe Tooling Recommendations?

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493mike

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Hello fellow humans,
I am in the process of setting up my new Enco 12 x 36 lathe. I could use some help in selecting basic cutting tools for general machining. The lathe came with a quick change tool post and 4 tool holders so I am thinking 1/2" size? Any pros or cons?
I read about HSS inserts and holders from Arthur Warner Co. and that seemed like a reasonable route to proceed. I did visit their web site with favorable impressions of their offerings but no prices are listed. Does anyone here have experience with them?
I took machine shop in HS and 1 year of auto machine shop in college so it's been 40+ years since I did any lathe work but it is starting to come back!
Mike
 
Congratulations on the new lathe, your new addiction has just begun. I have a 12x36 Enco also and it has a bxa tool post on it. I use 1/2" insert style bits on mine. There is quite a variety out there to choose from, I purchased mine from enco and they have worked quite well for me. Buy the best quality you can afford as it will pay off in the long run.
 
I also have the same lathe and use everything from 1/4" to 1/2" --mostly HSS but some carbide depending on what I am doing at the time (and what I have ground)
Sorry I can't give you any info on the HSS inserts from Arthur Warner, someone will be along though
Congrats and enjoy your new lathe.
 
Mike, congrats on the new lathe. It's always fun tooling up a new machine. I know you probably want to get to cutting as soon as possible and inserted tip tools seem attractive - if you can turn a screw then you can cut something. In the beginning, that's fine but in the long run you will be much, much better off learning to grind your own HSS lathe tools.

If you want HSS inserted tip tools then the AR Warner tool sets are the way to go. They are high quality tools and the inserts are easily resharpened by honing the top of the insert on a diamond stone. These are a good option for someone with a lathe that runs at mortal speeds, maybe up to 2500 rpm max.

If you prefer carbide then you might consider a SCLCR (right hand) tool holder in 1/2". These take CCMT inserts for most materials and CCGT inserts for aluminum and they work reasonably well. If you go with this, use a nose radius large enough not to leave fine threads (0.002" nose radius works) in the work. The advantage of the SCLCR (or SCLCL for LH) tools is that you can face and turn without moving the tool angle. I own these tools and they come in handy for some things like cutting the harder and more abrasive tool steels. The disadvantage is that they require much higher speeds than most of our lathes run if they are to work as designed. They will cut but they will not finish as well as they are capable of.

Brazed carbide tools are another option. They are cheap, can be resharpened on a diamond stone or grinder and will take some amazing abuse. If you buy these then buy good ones. Micro 100 makes some really good tools that will vastly outperform the more typical Chinese stuff.

If you want the finest tools that work well at the speeds a typical hobby-class lathe runs at, then grinding your own HSS tools is your best bet. Tip geometry can be confusing at first but once you figure it out you can make the tool do almost anything you want it to. None of my carbide tools or the AR Warner set I own will hold a candle to one of my HSS tools ground in my shop. They rough deeper, hold tighter tolerances and finish much better than any other kind of tool I have tried so this is the way I would encourage you to go in the long run. The problem is that you must learn to grind them. It isn't rocket science; you are only grinding three flat spots at the tip of the tool after all but it takes some time to wrap your head around it.

Bottom line: in the beginning, brazed or inserted tip tools will be fine but in the long run learn to grind your own.


Mike
 
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493mike said:
Hello fellow humans,
I read about HSS inserts and holders from Arthur Warner Co. and that seemed like a reasonable route to proceed. I did visit their web site with favorable impressions of their offerings but no prices are listed.
Mike
Click to expand...

+1 on everything Mikey says above.

I have several kits from Arthur Warner (Turning kit, boring kit, and their threading (internal/external) kit. One of the feature I like is the inserts sharpen by just honing the tops. Their prices are under the "Shop Now" menu....for turning: http://www.arwarnerco.com/c-12-turning.aspx Their threading tool is excellent for external threads, but limited to a relatively larger internal bore. So I make my own threading tool for both external/internal threading.

I found that a couple of brazed carbide tools are good to have around.

For special forms, I grind my own HSS blanks. Really a skill I encourage to tackle. It is not hard and you learn the basics of tool geometry this way.
 
Thank you gentlemen for the responses! I did learn tool grinding back in college ( 40+ years ago). I might even have some notes somewhere. I suppose I will order some blanks and start grinding!
Mike
 
Hi Mike,

Since it sounds like you got plenty of great advice above I will just say:

Welcome to the group.

Have fun!
-brino
 
Learning how to grind your own tooling is the way to go. For a lot, if not most, of us hobbyists we don't always get the practice time and results we want right away. I tried grinding my own tools and it took a very long time to get tooling that gave me respectable results. I then bought a tangential tool holder, the Diamond Toolholder. Super, super easy to grind the tool bit and the results are fantastic. For the beginner that wants great results pretty darn quickly, short of buying pre-ground tools, I think it's the best way to go. I looked at the Warner tools but in the long run I think using a tangential tool using 1/4" HSS bits is more economical and you're not locked into proprietary tooling. Last time I looked Warner was the only ones making/offering HSS inserts. Welcome to the family and I hope you learn and share with us, but mostly have safe fun!
 
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Diamond tangential toolholder, or build an equivalent. Buy both versions, L & R. Remember you can use round tool stock in it too.
 
493mike said:
Hello fellow humans,
I am in the process of setting up my new Enco 12 x 36 lathe. I could use some help in selecting basic cutting tools for general machining.
Mike
Click to expand...
You will find that the tool that works is the correct one, one may spend months reading 70 year old how to books about the subject and generate poor results.

Trial and error is where you are going to end up. Make it happen, this is a true learning experience.
 
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