Thread: Lathe tools

Try Fiora Machinery in Cannington.

Fiora Machinery

BT

What about these?

I have the 1/2" version and am very happy with them.

I never use carbide on my lathe as it is a belt drive. Carbide needs lots of power to use properly and if the spindle/lathe stalls, the carbide will chip every time. The best material for cutting tools for a belt driven lathe is high quality HSS. I use HSS with Cobalt and it certainly does the job. HSS will take a deeper cut than carbide if the speed is reduced and use coolant. Using HSS also teaches you how to grind and shape specific tools and especially, what is wrong when they don't work properly. Anyone learning how to machine with carbide tools only, knows zero about what is wrong when they don't work or if they break. They simply reach for another insert and keep going and have no idea how to grind a HSS tool. When I worked as an instructor in a US college, all my students had to use HSS and learn how to shape and use it. For a home workshop, HSS is the most economical tool material to use. A lot of people knock back HSS because they don't realize its potential. For most small lathes, 1/4" or 5/16" is more than sufficient although I use 3/16" more than the larger sizes.

Thanks for the help guys I am going out Friday to spend some money.
David