Tooling for HF 8 x 12 Lathe - Help!

[firestorm1284]

Hey guys, I'm new to milling and I just got the HF 8 x 12 lathe. Now I'm trying to decide which tooling to buy for it. I have absolutely no clue where to start. I plan on using it to machine mostly aluminum, but some steel as well. What kind of tooling should I get? From where? Made by whom?

I'm looking to get quality parts, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, any suggestions would be GREAT! Thanks in advance!

[xl97]

I would suggest you check out www.littlemachineshop.com

as well as www.lathemaster.com

I am new as well.. and getting a QCTP (Quick Change Tool Post)...would help you get along faster..

other things you might want to look into.. (depending on what you plan on doing)

steady rest
follow rest
drill chuck
set of drill bits
center bits
boring bar set
tool blanks for grinding your own from/heads (do you have a 6" grinder?)
maybe a set of indexable tool shanks

[ibuildstuff4u]

I would start off with some cheap indexable tool holders. 1/4" to 3/8" in size. You can get a set from Harbor Freight for $25.00 or there are a ton of sellers on E-Bay with them as well. Little Machine Shop has them too, but I would shop around for the best price.

I finally bought a "good" set of left and right tool holders from Grizzy for my 9X20 lathe and really like them. It cost me $150.00 for the two tool holders and a 10 pack of bits, but I'm really enjoying working with them. You don't need coolant with good carbide bits which helps keep down the mess in the shop.

Here are the ones from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=39933

Good luck! Dale P.

[C.BRAXMAIER]

Originally Posted by firestorm1284 Hey guys, I'm new to milling and I just got the HF 8 x 12 lathe. Now I'm trying to decide which tooling to buy for it. I have absolutely no clue where to start. I plan on using it to machine mostly aluminum, but some steel as well. What kind of tooling should I get? From where? Made by whom? I'm looking to get quality parts, but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, any suggestions would be GREAT! Thanks in advance!

I would look into the diamond tool holder buy bay-com verry nice. www.bay-com.com

[dyne]

I got my 8x12 a couple weeks ago, and decided to just grind my own bits. I bought a $25 grinder from grizzly, a bunch of 5/16 blanks, and went to town. It really isn't very hard to grind your own (as far as I can tell at least). I'm sure mine aren't perfect, but I managed to cut titanium rod fairly easily.

[firestorm1284]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm starting to get an idea of what I am going to do. I'm also thinking about getting a QCTP and also maybe a larger 4 jaw chuck. I saw that little machine shop offers a QCTP for 99.99 and also a 4 jaw chuck for 89.99, although I think I need an adapter for it.

Does anybody have any other suggestions as to what would be a good option for those two things? Or if the two at Little Machine Shop are any good?

[xl97]

I dont know much... but I do know that LMS will answer emails fairly quick.... and will answer any question you have truthfully.. even if it means you need to return an purchase back to them.

[ibuildstuff4u]

Sounds like your off to a good start.

I really like shopping with Little Machine Shop, but before you do you may want to check out E-Bay and see if you can find better prices on some of the items you want. I bought a 3 inch three and four jaw chuck for my rotary table from a seller on E-bay and got them for half the price that LMS wants. I think it was $55.00 for the two shipped! I also bought a 6 inch four jaw chuck for my 9X20 lathe from Grizzly for $59.00 when LMS wanted $100 for the same one. They are the same brand that LMS sells and new, just being sold for less cost. LMS has some items that you can't get any where else such as the adapter plates, but for some stuff it really pays to shop around.

The 3 inch four jaw chuck will fit on your lathe with out any adapter plate, but anything bigger will require one to be made or purchased from LMS. As for a quick change tool post, you will love it and never want to use the stock one again! The $100.00 price from LMS sounds good.

Happy shopping!

Dale P.

[firestorm1284]

I'm looking on ebay, because it sounds like people are getting good deals for stuff on there, but how do I know whether the chuck and qctp are compatible with the 8 x 12 lathe?

[ibuildstuff4u]

I believe your 8x12 lathe is just like the 9X20 lathes and the chuck mounts with a threaded back plate. If so you can buy the chuck from any where and then buy the back plate from LMS. When you buy a new chuck and back plate you have to make a final cut on the back plate to make it match the chuck. It so all you have to do is buy a chuck with a PLAIN BACK and your good to go.

Here is one I found on E-Bay with a buy it now for $39.00 and $10.00 to ship.
4-JAW-INDEPENDENT-PLAIN-BACK-LATHE-CHUCK-HARDENED_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1205Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem51892dfdbbQQitemZ350193843643QQptZBIQ5fToolQ5fWorkQ5fHoldingQQsalenotsupported[/URL]

The same seller also offers a 5" chuck for $55.00. I wouldn't go any bigger for your lathe than the 5".


LMS wants $80.00 plus shipping for their 4" four jaw chuck.

This is the back plate you will probably need. You will have to check your thread first and make sure it's metric because some have an english thread.
http://www.littlemachineshop.com/pro...ry=-1110836144

As for the quick change tool post you can look for size AXA or 100, I believe they are the same size. You may have to cut down your tool post a little or the tool holders to make all of your tooling able to fit your lathe. There are several posts about this so do a search and check it out.

Dale P.

[USMCPOP]

Some say the Glanze indexable holders are good quality. Grizzly sells a couple of different sized sets. Little Machine Shop sells the Arthur H. Warner sets, among others. Or you can get them direct at http://www.arwarnerco.com/ along with high speed steel inserts.

For a small lathe, the general recommendation is to go with a positive rake insert. CCMT is widely recommended for small lathes. I believe the Grizzly H5680 Glanze set is CCMT.

Other holders I've seen recommended are the Toolmex (TMX), Micro 100 and Hertel.

EDIT: You can order accessories for your HF 8 x 12 directly from HF. This includes 4-jaw chuck, steady and follow rests and a faceplate. You have to call service and it takes awhile, but price was good last time I checked.

[firestorm1284]

Thanks again everyone for their great information. I'm still just a little confused about exactly what I should get. The quick change tool post that LMS has is made by A2Z cnc, but there are several posts on this site that the quality is quite poor. I'm trying to find one that is of decent quality for a reasonable price. I do have a few questions about QCTP's, please forgive me, I have literally NO experience on a metal lathe, but that's why I'm on here, to learn!

First, will ANY AXA 100 QCTP fit my lathe? What is the difference between the "wedge' type and the what... regular type?

Also, regarding the chuck, do people generally recommend self-centering jaws or independent? Would the reason for the independen jaws be so that you can hold something rectangular or odd shaped?