I tend to use mostly HSS toolbits in my shop because the work well for me. At NAMES I saw a guy selling insert tooling using T15 toolsteel which kind of peaked my interest and got me to wondering about the advantages of various toolsteels.
What are the advantages of these various toolbit when used in a lathe: Import M2, RexAAA, MoMax, MoMax Cobalt, Tantung
My current opinion is:
- Import M2: Use on Mild steel or aluminum. Don't expect to last too long on anything tough. I have LOTs of these and don't seem to use them much after trying MoMax
-Import Cobalt: very little experience. Not too motivated to try them after using other toolbits.
-RexAAA: No experience. I bought a box at Cabin fever and I have not tried them out yet. A web search says they are T4 containing lots of tungsten and Cobalt so I expect them to work well. Will they work as well as MoMax?? Too bad I only got 1/4 inch
-MoMax: Better than import M2. Longer life
-MoMax Cobalt: use on tougher steels like 4140 They seem to work well on other things too. Pretty tough to grind and expensive too.
-Tantung: Fast turning of tough steel. 2-4 times M2 speed. Does not like slow speeds (cutting edge chips) Recommend cutting speeds of 100-300. Pretty tough to grind and damn expensive. chuck