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Question about turning high volume of 4140 HHS vs Carbide Inserts
- Thread starter reidhardy
- Start date
- Replies 39
- Views 3,332
ChipSplitter
Titanium
- Joined
- May 23, 2019
- Location
- Maybe
Heeeere it goes!
What lathe are you using ?
How much HP available ?
Part config to use all avail HP ?
ChipSplitter
Titanium
- Joined
- May 23, 2019
- Location
- Maybe
That doesn't even matter, Doug.
The real question is if it deserves an answer on this forum..........
mjk
Titanium
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Location
- Wilmington DE USA
Use billet tool blanks.
Grind them with a Dremel
Sorry, how can someone thinking about removing that much material consider asking this question.
If you have a lathe big enough to hold it, you surely should have the tooling to go with it.
Grind them with a Dremel
Sorry, how can someone thinking about removing that much material consider asking this question.
If you have a lathe big enough to hold it, you surely should have the tooling to go with it.
Steven-Canada
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2015
- Location
- Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
Sounds like a homework question
Limy Sami
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2007
- Location
- Norfolk, UK
Just look at his previous posts.
AARONT
Stainless
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
- Location
- Madison, WI
If this is an honest question. Do a feeds and speeds comparison between HSS & Carbide. Even if you don't include tool wear and time wasted grinding/resharpening your HSS blanks, it should become pretty obvious.
reidhardy
Plastic
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2020
I have never personally worked with large material like this. I can do the research, but I was looking for more first hand experience, which is the entire point of the forum. I'm not asking for speeds and feeds, I can figure all that out. I was just asking for you guys personal preference if you were going to be doing this. I have heard that HHS is good for roughing because it is not quite as brittle, and you can go alittle harder without worrying about breaking off carbide inserts. I have also seen massive material removal with shapers using HHS. Of course carbide is the obvious choice, but I wanted to make sure that this isn't one of the circumstances where HHS would be better. Lathe is a Clausing 21 with I believe 12.5 HP.
plastikdreams
Diamond
- Joined
- May 31, 2011
- Location
- upstate nj
I believe abomused lnmx inserts/ holders for big removal rates...something like .25 per side or .500 removal per pass...need rigidity and power for that though.
Last edited:
Ok,humor us.Figure out the speeds and feeds...post them here and tell us what YOU think would be better based off of your numbers.
ChipSplitter
Titanium
- Joined
- May 23, 2019
- Location
- Maybe
WHY is this even a question? 
thermite
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
thermite
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
No foul.
If only because it ISN'T "large" material.
Just large ignorance.
Good news is that ignorance is more rapidly correctible than stupidity.
Stupidity is that it ain't such a HARD job you should not have already been running passes at it, obeserving chip and tool life with yer own hands and eyes.
Determining for your OWN self what your lathe, not some OTHER Pilgrim's lathe (or MILL, VTL, VBM, or "machining center") can.. or can NOT haul.
Not as if you could click a mouse button and "download" a powerful Wear-yer-ass & Swaybacked mean and merciless turret-rammer-hammer as could wipe that material off in the eyeblink of a few fast and effortless goes ....and the next ten thousand just like it.... is it?
PROVIDING, of course, yah could even FIND fifty horsepower worth of high-grade 3-Phase power with enough more "on call" right back of its ass to even START the main drive motor of such predatory raiders making their equivalent of box-lunch sam handswitches of the helpless tribes of ignorant steel.
No gots? Not on your menu, then, is it?
"Run what yah GOT!"
Only thing I'd "maybe" do diff'rent is that unless there is a "feature" LARGER than 8"?
ORDER a more appropriate-size hunk of starting material... so I don't NEED to s**t as much blood (AKA money), time, tool-tip wear paid-for, and 'lectricity to turn so dam' much of it into chip at all.
"Subtractive" machining is one of those paradoxes as is at its best when it is at its least.
Oh you're not wasting anyone's time, we're enjoying this.
By the way, what numbers did you come up with?
michiganbuck
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
- Location
- Mt Clemens, Michigan 48035
Carbloy had a humungus engine lathe for testing carbide grades at the shop on 8 Mile Road. . I dont remember the make or the size. Seems like I remember a chip that was about or thicker than 3/16...I kept a chip in my tool box for years just to show it off..it may still be there. One could convert that machine to CNC and really kick but turning . Now that Carbloy is out of business likely you might still find it for sale someplace in Detroit..
Im pretty sure It was painted black it that helps finding it..
Im pretty sure It was painted black it that helps finding it..
thermite
Diamond
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2011
It's only a waste of TIME.. when... you have either...cold-cocked us for amusement 'coz yer mount of choice is a 30"-plus and "slightly" over-powered Axelson or LeBlond heavy-duty T-Rex relic as escaped from a retired government arsenal where it once made barrels for US Navy pee-bringer shore bombardment rapid-fire autoloading cannon ..
or.. A wore-out 1930's Sout-Bent 13" with a single-phase 1/3 HP motor-shaped-object salvaged off a 1953 Whirlpool wringer warshing machine!
Just how high IS "up", ennyway?
Depends on how sturdy yer ladder, many a day more than the grade of soles on yer boots, yah?
michiganbuck
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
- Location
- Mt Clemens, Michigan 48035
The ladder lathe, the bent one may not be as gooder than the 15 Hp one..
