# Lathe tooling



## Janger (Dec 14, 2017)

after seeing Alex make the coffee tampers at modern tool I became more interested in sharp angle triangular inserts.

What does the forum think of this?:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SDJ...-Tools-External-Turning-Tool/32760282956.html

Made of HSS and 20mmx20mm
Need inserts of course...
I could order more if people were interested.


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## Tom O (Dec 14, 2017)

Thats the ticket Laddie!


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## Bofobo (Dec 14, 2017)

They do as they are supposed to, and give more versatility but the real question is how many different types of inserts are you looking to find a home for? And how many different sets of holders for each type is going to be enough lol.


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## Alexander (Dec 14, 2017)

That insert is called a DCMT and it is one of the most versatile inserts in existence. It has a 55 Deg angle. I have a sandvik .5" dcmt holder that takes an insert with a .25" inscribed circle. I recently tried ordering some Chinese VBMT tool holders with a .250 inscribed circle but the dam inserts don't fit well at all. I'm probably not going to use them I'll just order something else. The VBMT has a 35 Deg insert and is Best for finishing profiles with an undercut.


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## PeterT (Dec 15, 2017)

I use that style myself & I like it. It started innocently. I found some uncoated ones with sharper nose radius off Ebay or Ali specifically for aluminum. They cut like a dream & make a nice chip. My mainstay was CCMT 060204 which work perfectly fine, but at the time I could only find brand name inserts at like 8-12$ a pop or so from the tool catalogs. So now I just use my CCMT inventory on steel & DCMT on aluminum which is kind of silly but the way it worked out. Nowadays I think you can find either/or in any coating/radius/chipbreaker from offshore discount places so could probably pick one or the other as a standard.

DCMT is narrower & allows you to get into nooks & crannies of shoulder corners a bit easier which has come up for me occasionally. It has a bit more stick out so is maybe a bit weaker, but I don't think either of these are meant for heavy hogging. CCMT also matches a very complete set of boring bars so has more utility from that standpoint. Both styles only use 2 of their 4 corners although I have seen the odd commercial holder (or self made) that uses the odd corners which I believer are shaped the same. Some people say 3 cornered inserts are better from that standpoint, but again, how much for that type of insert & corresponding holder if they are not as common? My shanks are all 5/8" or close metric equivalent so I cant speak for big boy ones.

Things have evolved quite a bit the past 5 years. When you can buy a toolholder from China with free shipping for the price of a single insert from NAm supplier, it swings the decision. Some people say offshore tool holders are crap which some may well be. I've cut some of mine up or otherwise modified them & I think they must be reasonably tough stuff like 4140. So if I'm not pushing them hard or in production, I think they are decent value. Some of the screws can be a bit cheesy, others are fine, it really varies. OTOH some of the 'big name' tool holders have slightly different (proprietary?) insert screws or clamps which makes them PITA to replace.


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## Dabbler (Dec 15, 2017)

I bought two tool holders for DCMT inserts from a guy in High River.  I paid way too much for them, but they cut really well.  As above, it is easy to byt quality inserts for affordable prices in DCMT  (And CCMT, but I don't use that much).


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## buckbrush (Jan 22, 2018)

I find Bangood much cheaper than Aliexpress.


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## Dabbler (Jan 22, 2018)

I just started using Bangood this fall.  Very happy with the carbide I've gotten.  This is from a die hard Kinnemetal guy.  Been using KM for 30+ years, but at $2 per innsert, I can afford to give Banggood a try, and it has paid off, so far.


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## PeterT (Jan 23, 2018)

I always assumed Bangood was more or less the same source suppliers as Ali, but in all honesty have not tried them yet. I remember on one particular tool holder it even looked like the same inscription & price was comparable. Do you guys find shipping times or transaction reliability any better on Bangood vs. Ali, or any other advantage?  I always check Ebay too just for the heck of it. Recent example on some inserts was about the same price but ebay was free shipping 15 days vs. Ali was free shipping but 30-45 days. Seems to vary like crazy depending on what you are after.


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## buckbrush (Jan 23, 2018)

sometimes Ebay is cheaper than Bangood, you have to check Bangood is sending free items to some fellows with YouTube channels. Most of the reviews are very favorable.


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## Dabbler (Jan 23, 2018)

I have done 5  completed orders on Banggood.com.  All of them were as advertised.  I had an inexplicable order cancellation - they refunded my money.  I just reordered it.  I know it is all Chinese origin, but the upside is that the carbide I ordered was all better than I would have believed.  I'm waiting on a shell mill to test out the milling cutter, a much more demanding thing.  I'll give a review when I have enough experience with the stuff.


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## PeterT (Jan 23, 2018)

I hope it works out for you. Its always a bit of a surprise what actually arrives. On the HM forum a guy is having a heck of a time with an Ebay multi-insert facing tool. Looks just like my GS & all the other knockoffs out there. But seems like his has one more of the insert pockets not milled consistently so heights are inconsistent & crap finish. .

On another note, my Shars boring head showed up today. Its intended for my lathe TS offset taper turning experiment & I needed the matching MT3 arbors. I didn't have high hopes for 65USD, but damned if its actually a decent looking unit for the price. Now I wished I threw in an R8 arbor for my mill.
http://www.shars.com/products/toolh...eads-accessories/2-high-precision-boring-head


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## Dabbler (Jan 24, 2018)

I've bought quite a bit from Shars, and I have been happy. Some guys on HM dis Shars, but they've bee good for me.


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