Making A Cutting Tool With Hss

[clockboy]

The one thing that has hooked me onto Horology is that it is never ending learning curve whether a collector or repairer. I purchased Star lathe a couple of years ago and after many trials and tribulations have become quite competent at turning & polishing. It also came with a cross slide but I could never get it to cut as it should and also the post does not have an easy adjustable height so catching centre is a matter of packing the cutting tool. As consequence I always use the tip over rest and a graver. But when cutting down stock the slide rest is the way to go so after watching the vid below I decided to make a cutting tool.

 

When I did the first couple of cuts with the new tool I was really pleased but then I started to get a really poor cut. On inspection with a loupe found that the tip of the tool had broken. I then reground and the same happened again. Then after some research many engineers recommend that never quench HSS steel when grinding as it can create macro fractures. So on the third attempt I re-ground without the quenching and low & behold the tool has stayed sharp and cuts with a really nice finish. Attached some pics hopefully shows this and one of my set up.

 

[Mark]

Great tip :)

 

I use a diamond wheel for my graver sharpening which tends not to heat up the end of the graver and gives good results.

[clockboy]

Yes I have been looking at these.

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a carbide graver such as supplied by eternal tools .com

They are supposed to stay sharp for a long time BUT to sharpen them is pain unless you have diamond wheel

[Mark]

Yes I have been looking at these.

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a carbide graver such as supplied by eternal tools .com

They are supposed to stay sharp for a long time BUT to sharpen them is pain unless you have diamond wheel

 

I love their carbide spade drills - honestly, they are amazing.

 

BUT the carbide gravers! Whilst they cut through steel like a hot knife through butter, you will spend half your life sharpening them. They are very brittle and you quickly end up with imperfections which make the finish quite undesirable. And then if you slip, the tip can easily snap off. Anyway - this is my experience with them, but just be aware, they do not solve all your problems, they have problems of their own. Another thing with the carbide is that you can turn at lower speeds.

But I went back to using my HSS gravers for the bulk of my work.

[clockboy]

Thanks Mark, My brother-in-law uses them but warned me about the re-sharpening issue. The spade drills though sound good I did purchase a 1mm for a specific job from flee bay & was impressed.

The other drills I use are the Tungsten carbide ones from Cousins

   

[bobm12]

Hi guys,

 

This is a great thread and since I'm a complete novice in this lathe business, I must ask:

 

How much space does a watchmaker lathe takes?

 

and most important,

 

is it possible to use it in a room in the house (I'm thinking about the mess)?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Bob

[Mark]

It's about a two foot by one foot.

 

I have used mine on the kitchen table in the past, no problems.

 

If you mount it on a sturdy piece of wood with a nice big hook you can even hang it on the wall until needed.

[bobm12]

Excellent Mark! Thank you very much! I'm now completely hooked. This is great news for me...and the wife...maybe! :D

[Mark]

You have to keep the wife happy - this is priority #1 :D

[clockboy]

As Mark says they don,t take up much room BUT keep it way from the assembly bench them little sworfs get everywhere.  

[Mark]

As Mark says they don,t take up much room BUT keep it way from the assembly bench them little sworfs get everywhere.  

 

 

Too True :)

[bobm12]

Thanks for the tip clockboy, maybe I can devise some sort of shield or enclosure. I'll figure it out when I get it and also consider it will probably be like Mark's initial lathe: in the kitchen. I'm starting an ebay search for something decent.

[clockboy]

If you can get a wide bedded lathe they are so much better unlike my Star which has its limitations

[Mark]

I got a chinese one from Sincere Clocks (ebay) and have been very happy with it. I regularly strip it, clean it and lubricate it - its a great tool for the price. The only issue I had was when I first got it the collets were very very tight. I had to grind out the bore some (not touching the tapered edge) and it runs true and perfect.

 

I have another Lorch wide bed but I can't remember the last time I used it :)

[clockboy]

It all depends on what is going to be cut. If the lathe is only going t be used for small watch parts i.e. balance staffs then the narrow bed lathes are very good. 

However I have found with my lathe (Star) that has a narrow bed when cutting thick stock or using as I was using yesterday a cross slide without doubt it struggles. Because of this only thin cuts can be made because the bed tries to flex. The ideal is to have two lathes one for the watch bits and a mini engineers lathe for the clock & larger bits. I do not have enough room for this but wish I had.

[bobm12]

Same problem here, I don't have much room either therefore the space consideration. Do you have a suggestion for a starters lathe that will keep for a long time maybe with upgrades or something? Pardon my ignorance on the subject.

[clockboy]

Providing you purchase one that looks like it has been looked after and also comes with some collets to get you going. Then if you like it and enjoy you can always sell it on & upgrade to a better machine. Also I recommend  a book Model Engineer's Lathe by Donald De Carle.

Lots of useful info on the subject

Edited November 20, 2014 by WatchRepairGuy

[bobm12]

Thank you clockboy, I'm waiting for that book. Geo recommended it too. I've been researching and asking questions everywhere since it might be a substantial investment....or not depending of what I buy. In any case, I want to be sure it is not a repeat story of when I bought my first screwdriver set if you know what I mean.

[clockboy]

Yes I do no what you mean. I made the same mistake in the early days cheap is sometimes more expensive in the long run.