Tool steel or not tool steel, that is the question !

AJ

AJ

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Looked through a lot of threads but have`t come up with what I`m looking for. I need help finding a basic breakdown on which type of steel to use for which project. For example I`m making a 18"x18"x5/8" grinding station(the base). It`ll have one large grinder driving 2 8" CBN wheels and a pulley driven Miller Falls bench mandrel with 1 8" de-burring wheel and 1 8"wire wheel, along with a small self driven grinder for light material and touching up my lathe bits. Now I sure as heck would`t use stainless plate for the base (though I could) but what do I use ? I will be welding to it. Also I want to make a ball turner for my lathe. Can I make this from some scrap stainless steel I have laying around or should I use something like W1 tool steel or maybe 4140 ? Being such a NEWB I have no clue what to use for which project ? Back to my point, where can I find a basic breakdown of which steels are good for what projects ? Any tips charts would be greatly appreciated. Also what if I want a harder steel but not hard like W1, what would I use ? Other then case iron what is good for lathe tooling, like a new compound tool rest base ? These are all the questions I have. Thanks in advance for any help provided, AJ
 
A36 hot roll is generally what I'd use for a welded part, absent other considerations.

I'm guessing 4140 would be more than adequate for a ball turner, but I'm interested to hear what others think.

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There are entire books written on this subject, but I can give a quick recommendation for common uses.

As above A36 (standard hot rolled mild steel) would be my first choice for a grinder base.

If you need steel with some toughness to it, the 4xxx steels are a good choice. The most common are 4140, 4150, and 4340.

For shaft type uses the 10xx and 12xx are useful grades

Use stainless for corrosion resistant applications, most common is 303, 304, and 316. Then there are the 4xx grades with a bit less corrosion resistance.

For applications requiring hardness, the various tool steels would be a good option. O1, W1, A2, D2, and S7 are the most common.

Browse through the McMaster steel selection, they have a basic write up on many of the uses. Also the listings gives some technical specifications on the various grades. https://www.mcmaster.com/steel

I should add that whatever is on your shelf would proabaly work fine for home shop use. :)
 
Good question. But for me living in darkest Africa I use what is available.I suspect for most things that dont need to cut or drill then mild steel would be good enough. I made my own toolpost holders about five years ago from mild steel and can honestly say they will outlast me in a homeshop environment.
parting tool.jpg
 
Without a maximum/minimum cost limit your question is unanswerable.

If indeed there is no limit to cost a cast iron base would be very stable and easily machined, cast iron stock is readily available in quite large sizes.
If cost is a major factor you are on your own so do what ever works for you.
 
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What "Plunger" said in post #5. Unless the part must be wear or impact resistant or a cutting tool almost any steel will work very well and last a long time. Over building by using unnecessarily exotic materials wastes time, effort and money. Then again if you're doing it for pleasure or as an exercise have at it. BTW, stainless for the ball turner would be one of my last choices. Soft, tough to work, expensive, tends to gall.............Bob
 
Yes, stainless is a very poor choice for anything where a sliding or rotating fit is required; galling is the problem, except for some of the 400 series stainless that are heat treatable (after having been heat treated), such as 440-C stainless.
 
I have stainless stock laying around, but rarely use it for anything. Stainless fasteners as well. Monkey likes shiny...
 
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