Right, so you’ve bought your first mini-lathe and now you need some basic tools to get started. You were probably daunted by the bewildering array of tools on offer. Fear not – you can make a very good start with just a few basic tools then add further items as and when the need arises.
5% Discount exclusive to visitors to Start Model Engineering from Chronos Engineering Supplies
You can find all the items you require on the comprehensive Chronos website which is like an Aladdins cave for the model engineer and with a 5% discount for all Start Model Engineering visitors then this is the place to shop so let’s get started and remember all prices include VAT and free delivery in mainland UK. Oh and by the way, if you need any help or advice over your tooling requirements you will find the guys at Chronos only too willing to help. Call them on 01582 471900.
You can copy and paste the product reference numbers onto the Quick Search box on the Chronos site for further information and ease of ordering.
If you enter SME1000 when prompted during checkout you will receive 5% off (don’t pay with Paypal express as this skips the voucher code option. Standard Paypal or debit/credit cards are fine)
Set of 7 Glanze Indexable Lathe Tools with 10mm square shank and taking standard CCMT inserts
Lathe Turning and Facing Tools
Like me you probably received a set of carbide tipped tools with your lathe. My recommendation is that you put these to one side for possible later use. I messed around for weeks trying to grind mine up to a workable condition.
So top of my shopping list would be a set of Glanze cutting tools with indexable carbide cutting tips. They are supplied ready to go with sharp replaceable cutting tips. They may appear rather costly but to my mind they are worth every penny.
If you are on a tightish budget you could make a start with just three tools. I have found that I use the SCLCR (approach from the right tool) and the SCLCL (approach from the left) for 80% of my turning and facing operations. I would also add the SO SCLCR boring tool, ideal for machining those cylinder bores. Cutting tool shanks are available in a range of sizes and I find that a 10mm shank is suitable for most mini-lathe tool holders.
You may be tempted to buy less expensive ‘unbranded’ indexable tools but beware the CCMT insert hold down screw can be the achilles heel resulting in insecure cutting tip and poor quality finish on your machining.
I find that most of my turning and facing requirements are catered for with the SCLCR, SCLCL tools and the SO0 SCLCR boring bar though there are times when you will be pleased to have the full set at hand.
Set of 7 Glanze Indexable Lathe Tools 10mm square XC52 (Ref: 777103) £97.03
or for my choice of the three essential tools
Glanze SCLCR Right Hand Turning & Facing Tool 10mm square shank (Ref: SCL110) £15.83
Glanze SCLCL Left Hand Turning & Facing Tool 10mm square shank (Ref: SCL210) £15.83
Glanze SO0 SCLCR Boring Tool 10mm square shank (Ref: SCB10) £17.36
Parting Off Tool
Glanze clamp type indexable parting tool with 10mm shank (angled to give you a better view)
The next ‘must have’ item on my shopping list would be a decent parting off tool. Parting off, ie. separating your work piece from the bar stock held in your lathe chuck, can be a frustrating operation for newcomers to lathe work.
Mini-lathes are relatively low powered and with their smaller, hence lighter chucks than their bigger bretheren, do not make the job any easier. Therefore a decent parting off tool is particularly important. Again Glanze have come up with an indexable tool for the job.
The Glanze item featured is supplied with four replaceable ‘ready to go’ cutting tips, two blades and a 10mm shank tool holder.
Glanze Clamp Type Indexable Parting Tool 10mm (Ref: 776030) £28.79
Quick Change Tool Post (QCTP)
A quick change tool post (QCTP) is a quick and easy way to change tools avoiding the hassle of using spacers and shims to present the tip cutter at the correct height
Next item on my list is a quick change tool post (QCTP). Though not strictly essential it does remove the need to re-set the cutter height each time you change tools. Without a QCTP you need to fiddle around packing the tool with shims in the tool holder to bring the cutting tip to the correct height. This can become a tedious chore and a QCTP is definitely a ‘must have’ in my opinion. With a QCTP you set each tool to its required height in its own individual holder.
Whilst there are several types to choose from I suggest you take a look at Quick Change Toolpost (Ref: C305) This is ideal for the mini-lathe and is supplied complete with3 tool holders.
Chronos Quick Change Toolpost (Ref: C305) £40.80
Drill Sets, Centre Drills and Tailpost Drill Chuck
Drilling holes. Clearly this is a frequent machining requirement on your lathe. For this you will require a drill chuck to go in the tail post, ideally with a capacity from 0 to 13mm, mounted on (usually) an MT2 tapered arbour – check your lathes specification before ordering.
A good set of HSS drill bits and a 0-13mm chuck on 2MT arbour for the tailpost
When ordering ask for an MT2 taper with a tang. You will then be able to carry out an easy modification to prevent the arbour twisting during drilling operations. See my page on Mini-Lathe Mods for further information.
My recommendation for choice of drill set would be Chronos’ HSS Drill Set 50 piece, 1 to 6mm in 0.1 increments covering all the common tapping sizes.
As you probably now know all holes should be pre-drilled with a centre drill to avoid wandering of the drill bit – you’ll find a good selection here. For my money I would suggest you order a minimum of two of each of the smaller sizes BS1 and BS2.
[Addendum: The main purpose of the short rigid centre drill, with its 60 degree angle to match a standard toolpost centre, is for forming centres in the end of work for mounting between centres on a lathe. Some model engineers also use the centre drill for creating a centre before using a twist drill in the lathe (or mill/pillar drill). Users should be aware that a spot drill with a 120 degree angle is a better choice as this is much closer to a normal tip drill angle (118 degrees). I am grateful to Bogs for drawing my attention to this matter - see 'Comments' below.]
Chronos Drill Chuck Type H 1-13mm JT6 taper (Ref: 13H) £23.50
Chronos 2MT – JT6 Tang End Drill Chuck Arbour (Ref:2J6) £4.60
Chronos HSS Drill set 50 piece 1 to 6mm x 0.1 (Ref: XC180) £22.48