My $100 HQ400

Mikey thanks for the tool post. That is a ton of reading / research. I think it may be a bit befotim ready to grind my own tools but I'll keep it in mind.

BTW I used to live in aiea heights on Honolulu. Served on the USS Tucson. Loved it over there.
 
Hey Chris, yeah, that tool thread is a monster! It was a lot of fun doing it, though. This one might be easier to swallow/assimilate.

I do agree with Ulma Doc and ttabbal that HSS will very likely work better for your machine. You do not have the speed, power or rigidity to fully utilize carbide and while carbide tools will still work, they won't work as well as they should because of the limitations of your machine. And it isn't just the machine; carbide tools, especially inserted carbide tools, require more familiarity and skill to use. HSS will typically cut what you dial in; not so with carbide.

There is a lot to this tooling stuff but the bottom line is that you will have a much easier time of it if you go with HSS tools. Grinding them is not difficult but it does take a bit of time to learn it. If you must get going and still wish to stick with HSS, look at the AR Warner line of inserted HSS tools. They work, they work well, and they are economical in that you can easily sharpen the inserts.

Glad to hear you know Aiea and Honolulu, Chris. Hawaii is a really nice place to live in, that's for sure.
 
mikey said:
Thanks, Travis. Chris, contact @Z2V to see if any model tool sets are available if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Yes, there is still a set of Mickey’s tool models floating around. Chris, let me know if you are interested.
 
So what would be a good beginner set of HSS cutting tools to buy? Looking on little machine shop there are many sets in the $160 price range. I don't mind buying the tooling but I do want to spend wisely.

I primarily see myself playing around making aluminum spacers for my four wheelers and other small projects. Maybe some carbon steal projects.

I won't be doing any mass production for profit.
 
Pre ground HSS sets aren't a great deal. You can get blanks cheap on ebay and similar. Grinding them can be done with a cheap bench grinder. My favorite is the 2x72 belt grinder, but they get expensive unless you want to build one, which is a fun project. You will need some way to grind the pre made tools anyway as you will eventually chip them or similar.

For ready to go, the Ar Warner inserted tools mikey mentioned look great. I haven't used them though.
 
I've been watching YouTube and playing with some brass fittings that I have laying around. The one HSS bit that I had in the tooling looked beat but I I managed to figyout how to make a cut with it. :)IMG_3736.JPG
 
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