Indexable Parting tools

[Darren]

I fancied an indexable parting tool and this looked just the ticket for a small lathe.

http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/cgi-local/ss000001.pl?RANDOM=NETQUOTEVAR%3ARANDOM&PAGE=SEARCH&SS=CGG101&TB=A&GB=A&ACTION=Search

I asked Chronos if the tips are commonly available (as in elsewhere) as I don't like to be tied to just the one supplier. What if they discontinue the line at some point?

Besides Chronos want £4.24 each for the tips (+vat and P&P no doubt) and I'm sure we could do better.
But the code they gave me seems to turn a blank on the net.

I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience with this type of tooling and in particular the tips?

Yesterday I was parting some 30mm Stainless and found it pretty tough going. Tried slow/fast, high/low/on center all the usual stuff. HSS blade wear out exceptionally quickly as in a couple of re-sharpens per cut.

So using this tool and the stub from a broken carbide drill shaped on one of those little diamond cutting wheels bit I made this





I had to reduce some shank material to make it fit low enough on my lathe, this is the sort of tough milling I was on about in the vice back stop thread of Johns.




I have to say as a normal cutting facing tool it cut really nicely, good enough for me to make some more cutting tips up and continue with this idea.

As a parting tool it was so so, it cut ok but the tip kept chipping making it necessary to keep re-sharpening.

Remember, I'm cutting SS here, I have no problem with brass or aluminium with normal HSS parting blades.

[bogstandard]

Darren,

There are many of this type of parting tool on the market, Glanze do come out about the best. But as you said, the tips are rather expensive.

Remember me saying about the correct grade of tip for the job, well the one you have just made, is not, most probably, the correct material for the stresses of parting off, hence it keeps chipping.

That is why the tips are most probably so expensive, horses for courses.

Also each manufacturer of holders tends to go for their own particular shape of tip, so making the choice even more like a minefield. They only have to come up with a new shape, and it means starting over again.

I bought one from Chester UK many years ago, and bought 5 tips with it, luckily they are a type I can regrind myself, I am just down to the last tip, so in another year or so, I will have to find another one that works as well as this one does.

That reminds me, I must contact Gareth at Chester UK, to check to see if he has any old stock stashed away somewhere.

John

[Darren]

Also each manufacturer of holders tends to go for their own particular shape of tip, so making the choice even more like a minefield. They only have to come up with a new shape, and it means starting over again.

I was afraid of that....

That reminds me, I must contact Gareth at Chester UK, to check to see if he has any old stock stashed away somewhere.

That might be a good idea John, would save you a packet, for a while anyway....

[bogstandard]

Darren,

I remember when these first came out, and are still going strong now.
These people attend most of the shows, and people swear by them.

But look at the prices, they haven't changed much since they were first introduced many years ago. But they are still available.

http://www.greenwood-tools.co.uk/ishop/728/shopscr23.html

For tips

http://www.greenwood-tools.co.uk/ishop/728/shopscr6.html

Other info from the same site

http://www.greenwood-tools.co.uk/ishop/728/shopscr10.html
http://www.greenwood-tools.co.uk/ishop/728/shopscr10.html

If you are still wanting to go for such a system, it is better to go to one of the shows, look at the tools, then go around the tips suppliers and see what they have to offer. You should be able to match up a good quality tool with a long lived tip type.

What you must remember is that to keep rigidity, all parting has limitations on the diameter of bar that can be cut. Even with the monster one I use, 2" bar diameter really is getting towards the max limits in model engineering terms. Above this, you would be expected to use something like a power hacksaw.

John