I finally finished my carbide insert toolholder and tried it out. I went't very slowly, with minimal toolholder overhang, in a 3/4" billet of aluminum. There was no chatter or vibration, so I took a moderate cut. It worked very well for both turning and facing, with a very smooth finish even with higher than normal carriage feeds. The toolholder is very simple, consisting of a bar of 6061-T6 to fit the lathe toolpost, with a section on the end filed down to hold the insert at the correctt angle. It is drilled and tapped for the 4-40 screw that holds the insert (included with the insert). I built the entire thing with hand tools and draw-filed all the surfaces smooth and flat. I could feel no vibration at the end of the toolholder during use, so I believe this is a solid tool. My next project is to make a carbide insert boring bar/inside turning tool for the same kind of inserts. Let me know if you have any comments. Woodworker88 Los Altos High School "Eagle Strike" Robotics Team #114
- posted
18 years ago