Setting up

I am still finding my way around my lathe and wary of making a mistake after breaking a parting tool due to my ignorance. In the photo I have set up what I believe to be a Type 1 HSS left hand tool to turn down a bar, the direction of cut is from the right to left in the direction of the arrow, towards the lathe chuck. The tool itself is in the other photo. Will someone please take the time to let me know if this tool is set up pointing the correct way for the intended cut.

Many thanks

Looks OK to me, Just make sure the cutting edge is set to centre height and you are good to go

Hi, the tool is actually a right hand turning tool and yes the set up looks okay for turning diameters.

the tool itself looks to be ground slightly strange, looking to have a large rake angle. Other than that the work is supported and it looks good to machine.

Thanks, and also to Jim C.

One hour of daylight left and I am now hot footing it back to the shed. It is reassuring that basic questions are treated in a sympathetic manner. Thanks again.

It's a simplified shape for cost saving but it's ok. That style of grooved edge is called a chip breaker. It helps to break long strings of swarf. The same thing is often put on indexable inserts.

It's set up properly although it needs to be on the centreline vertically too. Not suitable for going up to a shoulder though.

> Not suitable for going up to a shoulder though.

Unless you angle it slightly, then you will just about get away with it. When it gets blunt this tool is only sharpened on the very end, copying the existing angle. Just take enough off to remove any wear.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 16/05/2015 20:47:16

Looks fine to me assuming that the tool tip is on centre line should be OK.

Not to sure about your description "Type 1" though. Is that a shadow showing a step on the tool ? All my facing tools have a slight slope down to the right from the tool tip for cutting to the left (ie towards the chuck) & to the left when cutting towards the tailstock ie I have L/H & R/H facing tools. Means the swarf comes off in long strings where you seem to have a step could cause a jam

Alan

That's a good tool for cutting reasonably free-cutting steel on a light machine. As Jim C says, it has a large top rake angle but this is a handy dodge.

Used to have one ground like this myself when I used the Portass years ago - the old boy from Birkenhead who sold me it was an old hand (full time machinist and serious model engineer!) and ground one for me. You use the corner of the wheel to form the groove which results in a nice rake angle.

Murray

The picture on ARC's site will tell you wahts right/left

The tool looks to be one of the 5-piece set sold by Proxxon (for a mere 64 quid!) for use with the PD400. I too bought the set because I knew almost nothing about lathe tooling when I bought the lathe, so reckoned I should start with 'proper' tools. I was confused by the Form 1 thing - I assumed that it must be a standard designation, but it seems to be a Proxxon thing. Except for the parting tool they work well - a 3mm DOC in mild steel with the tool shown is possible, though perhaps not advisable on this light machine.

13Sigs - if it was the parting tool in this set you broke it's unlikely that the problem was with sharpness (all the tools are sharp OOTB). More likely it jammed - the saddle/cross-slide assembly on this machine is insufficiently rigid to take the cutting forces with such a wide blade, although the spindle has the power to drive it. Well, that was my experience anyhow.

Regards, Robin