I have choosen carbide tips tools for one main reason, they are easy and cheap to replace (the tips that is), buying one piece of halv inch HSS steel for tooling, in sweden costs around 30 dollars, i buy 10 tips for 30 dollars off ebay including shipping. But i hear you, HSS or Carbon steel tools seems to have an advantage in lifetime and the ability to be reshapen to whatever the type of cut i need to make. It could prob. paying off in the longrun going with the HSS tooling bits.
What kinda lathe do i use, its a Optimum 320x920 D a small metric lathe,
http://www.roughedge.se/blogg/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/k%C3%A4llare3.jpgI dont know how rigid it is it sits on 8 small "shoes" that are supposed to take up alot of the vibrations.
Craynerd, i have been setting the toolheight with the principle of using the dub tip and then taking a surface cut and measuring the knob produced and then adjuster the QCTH until the knob disappears completely. The tool is setup so that the tip of the tool is going 90 degrees with the work i have been wondering if the trailing thread is cut by som material building up on the tool.
And finally Fergus, i get it that there are thread we are cutting always, what seems strange to me is that the "overstep" of the tooltip is so fine that when feed "normally" it will produce a visible thread. I cant run the carriage slower than the chuck on my lathe, so i would make a smaller overstep that way. And i get it that a cutting edge is not smooth, you could probably never get it smooth either with an abrasive method of grinding / sharpening a toolbit or am i wrong here?!
That part about the industry i didnt know about.. So i guess a tool post grinder and a aluminium oxide wheel would probably be the "finishing" touch i'am looking for?!
Thanks all for posting answers, i greatly appreciate all the tips and responses on this forum!
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