Cutters

Hi , I have been looking at buying some cutters for metal turning and there is some rubbish looking ones out there ,I know that most people buy tool steel and grind their own but where can a newby buy decent cutters for my lathe ,my main hobby is wood turning and the same apples to having good chisels rather than cheap nasty ones so my question is where can I buy good cutters from?

Thanks

Just about anywhere is the answer. If you cannot grind your own tools or hone them to keep them really sharp, then buy carbide tips and holders. The tips can be changed when blunt. Try Arc Eurotrade, that is where mine came from.

I would urge you to invest in a sharpening set up for HSS turning tools. They are a lot cheaper than going the carbide tip route and I tend to get a better finish on most materials. Although this could be the wrong type of tip that I use!

Andrew.

If you have a wood turning lathe then you probably have a grinder already. They are made from similar HSS to steel lathe tools so it should work fine. I assume you have a proper metal lathe too? Not much future trying to turn metal on a wood lathe IMHO! If you want just one tool for metal turning I suggest a Diamond Tool Holder from Eccentric Engineering - look for their advert on the right. Only one face to sharpen and hone, and it works beautifully on most metals as well as plastics, and probably wood too for all I know!

Hi Brian,

I use HSS about 20% of the time. I started with this set, and have since supplemented it with right and left knives of the same type (available individually from the same supplier.) An advantage for the beginner is the pre-formed knives are easy to sharpen.

With HSS tools of this type, or blanks, I'm afraid you can't avoid learning to use a grinding wheel! It needs practice and not everyone is good at it.

The obvious alternative is indexed carbide insert tooling. All you have to do with these is set the tool to the right height and replace the insert when it loses it's edge. Unfortunately carbide works best on fast powerful lathes, and - although they perform on slower machines, it may be harder to get a good finish than HSS.

One type of tool for the beginner to avoid is brazed tip carbide.

Don't get too hung up on buying quality. Unlike a decent wood chisel, HSS cutters are consumable. If a purchase doesn't work out, try a different type.

Chaps often appear on the forum asking where they can get quality tools and the conversation tends to follow the same path:

• Q. Lots of cheap rubbish out there, where can I buy a quality tool?
• A. Example like this, where the tool shank is about £200 and the tips £40 each. (To be fitted to a lathe costing £1000 ... )
• Result: Questioner collapses clutching his wallet and adjusts his expectations when he's feeling better. I've yet to see anyone ask the question and then actually cough up for an expensive item. The answer is to reduce the risk by avoiding very cheap, though you will miss some genuine bargains. I've done much better buying from the established vendors than random sources. Firms active on this forum are unlikely to supply truly awful junk, and they behave when things go wrong. Secondhand is a good option if you know what you're doing.

The good news is excellent work is done with hobby tools - you don't need to spend a fortune to get reasonable results.

Hope that helps,

Dave

PS John Haine mentions the Eccentric tool - not used one myself but they get good reports and the blanks are easy to sharpen.

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 26/07/2018 09:57:48

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 26/07/2018 10:00:38

Hi ,some very useful info received thank you , my main hobby is wood turning and I do admit I sharpen and hone all my own chisles I have a grinder a Tormek system and a Robert Sorby pro edge delux sytem I have to say the SB Pro Edge is my preferred method of sharpening my chisles ,I have created a account with Arc Euro trade and will have a look what’s available

Thanks

Brian

Can't see why the Tangential tool should not work for woodturning.

Shop made, or bought, they work very well on metals.

Easy to sharpen, give good results, with small or large cuts, and will turn or face without alteration.

Just need to make sure that they are set on centre height.

Howard

For optimum results on wood you probably would want a larger top rake but that would be easy to do.

<Need to read all of the thread alert>

Whilst there are some red herrings thrown in, I believe the original question relates to turning tools for metal, not wood

Yes, it got off track a little didn’t it! It happens from time to time.

While the Tangential tool will turn wood in a metal lathe it wouldn't do in a wood lathe. Different tools and principles involved. Edit: it would work in a copy lathe though.

I recommend getting a batch of used HSS tools from an ebay advert where the average price is below £1 each. That way much of the time consuming initial grinding is done. There will be some weird shapes too which you can adapt or wait until you realise why they were originally made that way. Most of my tools came from other club members at club auctions or the club show shop.

Edited By Bazyle on 26/07/2018 17:50:34

I know I,ve said this before,but I dont think you can go too far wrong by buying a few pieces of HSS and grinding your own toolbits. Many people do it,it,s cheap,good training,and if you break a tool,so what ? you just regrind it !

Just to show how simple it is,even I can do it,and that,s saying something ! I seldom if ever use tipped tools or indeed buy in ready made turning tools,it,s much more fun making your own.

Having said that,when I first bought my lathe,I bought a cheap set of tools with it,five -in-a-pack type. Nothing wrong with them,still use them from time to time,then I got stingy and began grinding my own,turning,facing,threading,boring,ect. It,s no big deal,and you learn a lot along the way,so give it a try.

HSS is cheap enough and a little goes a long way,when you learn how to make holders for those little bits !!

Give it a go !!

Bought some tool steel of eBay cheap as chips ,I sharpen my own chisles knifes gouges etc so I should be ok it will be a learning curve and it won’t hurt to learn.

Brian

Make your own holder for a tangential turning tool, (There are at least two designs in the model Engineering magazines, including a sharpening jig).

If you lack a mill, careful work with a hacksaw and a small file will probably suffice for the slot and the toolholder shank. Then you have one tool that will turn and face. Ideally, make a centre height gauge for setting

Howard