After all these years, this is still the best HSS tool grinding video Tom

Hi Tom. Started my trade ( Fitting/turning Diesel Fitter) 35 yrs ago. Changed jobs regretfully near 30 yrs ago. Not on tools but always had a well equipped garage. Bought a 930mm bed lathe a few yrs ago and was frustrated coz I forgot so much. Your videos have been an amazing help and inspiration on so many tips that only a person of your experience has. The way you put it across is also spot on even for an oldie like me. Ground my first 1/2" HSS tool in 30yrs and cut beautifully. Bit of a rant but vey grateful and appreciative of your help. Kevin

This is a 5 star tuition video. Great focus on understanding why the faces are shaped as they are and a clear practical demonstration with top tips on using sparks to follow progress. I did some turning as a lad but never properly understood why the tool is shaped as it is. Now I do. Many thanks, Tom.

I`m over 50 and I just got my first mill and a small lathe, believe me the stuff you show on here is priceless to me. Thank You very very much

Excellent video man. 101 for beginners, no bs and very thorough. I’m learning and you’re the biggest help. Cheers mate.

It took me about 7 minutes in to realize I needed to subscribe. Thanks!

I wish i had a thousand upvotes to give you. Theres not a lot of us that are interested, but those of us that are and found your video came away satisfied. I wish i had a thousand upvotes.. .

That's the wonderful thing about KZfaq . What ever you want to know about its there ! Thank you for posting Tom .

As a home hobby machinist trying to learn and teach myself so I can someday qualify for a manual machinist position I have to say; Tom, your videos are the best. I have watched thousands of hours of content from all of the big name channels out there and while I have learned from each of them, I always come back to yours. The way you break things down in to easy to understand ways and how you film every step of the process and explain what you're doing and why. So many other channels skip over things they feel aren't necessary, and I don't like that. From your how-to videos to your project playlists I love all of it. I've watched this video several times but I just came back to it again in an attempt to finally teach myself to grind HSS. And thanks to this video I made a successful tool! And it works so much better on my Chinese mini lathe than the carbide inserts I've been using. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you, I hope you're doing well and I hope we can see some new content from you in the future, it's been a long time since we had an awesome new project to follow along with.

teaching at its best. this is what i call learning things practically. really appreciate your efforts. thanks ...........keep uploading

I'm a machinery repairmen at A school. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to make this video. MRFR Kuntzi

I've watched several tool grinding videos and this is the best one as the large wood example really shows how angles are laid out. Thanks Tom!

It is thanks to generous people like you that I have learned all I know about turning, what has become my hobby for some years now. So I really appreciate your dedicate and invaluable work and detailed explanations! Now I mostly use carbide insert tools, but you always need to grind a special tool for some difficult job or intrincate part. Now I know that you must dominate both ways of cutting to cover all your needs. It's like using transistors without having heard thrugh a tube amplifier. You might never know what you are missing... So thanks for keeping an art alive.

Thanks, I love getting feedback like this so I know my message is getting through. As I said in the video, the best way to learn is by practicing on mild steel bar. When you can grind one that looks good, switch to HSS and put it to use. Hand grinding does take a lot of practice to develop the required hand/eye coordination so stick with it and practice practice practice. Tom

Excellent, Tom. I especially liked your advice on discarding the back rake.

Great video - worth rewatching every year or so... My late Dad (a machinist of note) had a saying... "Knowin' where yer goin' is wurf 'arf the distance run / knowin' when ta stop is the best rule in the shop". That said, he would have me paint up the bit with marking blue and scribe the angles on it using his machinist's protractor. I cannot but recommend this practice to a beginner. Read the poem above. This was at the tender age (mine) of 11, the year before starting high school, reason being Dad's growling "I knows that shop teacher. You gotta learn it proper and he doesn't know from nuffin' !" (He spoke like that to irritate Mom, an English teacher at the same high school I was going to) 1965 was a long time ago... RIP Mom 'n Dad...

Just got some HSS and made my first turning and facing tools. They work great. Thanks Tom!

After studying all your videos I must say that today I had success on my lathe,my very first day turning. Also I freehand ground all my new 1/2x1/2 hss tool stock in 30 minutes,I actually felt 100% confident doing it all because of you ! Thank you so much,your videos are just awesome and get right to it and that's where I learn the best .

Best video on grinding turning bits I've seen. As a newbie, I actually understood the what and why of grinding the bits. Now I only have to learn how to do it.

Thank you very much for the excellent explanation, and for showing the practical parts.

Great video. I especially like the tip about practising on mild steel square stock. Many thanks from Paul in NZ

Thanks for posting this video. This is always my go to video when I want to grind a new bit. My tool grinding also improved since I started supporting the tool bit in my hand instead of supporting it on the tool rest. I had stuff dug out of my eye as a teen and agree that it wasn't fun. I still get asked what happened whenever and optometrist looks into my eyes. Chris

Thank you for dispelling the darkness! Your presentation is excellent!

Excellent video & diagrams. There was a lot of detail here that I used to know, but have to relearn now that I have my own small lathe. Thanks

just getting into machining as a sideline to my hydraulic mechanic day job, thanks for this excellent demo on tool bit geometry, learned a great deal. cheers for your time and effort making this. a new subscriber here 😊

Very informative video. The wooden model with the various colored surfaces makes perfectly clear what you show in the grinding sequence. Excellent! I would like to see a wooden model for the facing tool, too. Thank you very much for your effort.

Hello, i don't speak English, but i wish to say thank you for this great video, a great hug from Argentina

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I thought about making one for the facing tool, but there was so little difference , I decided not to. Really the only difference is that there is no side cutting edge angle on the facing tool. The 30º cut to clear the center is optional. Tom

Hi Tom. I just watched this one again and it is still very good. I am sure many will enjoy the benefits of your informative, well organized and personable presentations long into the future. I have for sure. I think off and on about that nice knurling tool you made. I know you are busy and it takes a lot of time to make a video. However, I am looking at this video having received 16,471 views and would like to point out how many have shared in your knowledge. Even what you have out now is enough for two teachers and you must not take it that I have unfulfilled expectations. I am very happy with what you have let us learn from you. Hope you are well and happy. Best regards, jim

when i seen the thumbnail of the giant tool, i was like holy hell how big is his lathe lol

HSS is definitely more appropriate for the type of work the hobby machinist does and the type of machinery he uses. Very few hobby machines have the horsepower to take advantage of carbide tooling. Carbide is also much more expensive and less versatile than HSS. I will eventually do a video on HSS vs. carbide once I figure out the best approach. Thanks, Tom

Tom you beaut, that is some skill, same as Clarence over 50 n just got lathe n mill, HSS arrived today , will defo try on some square stock from old door furniture that should be easy enough to grind. Keep up the great work TFS "thanks for sharing" all the best G :)

Thank you MAN. I really wanted to learn about Grinding Tools and your Video is simply the Best out there for me. Thank you. Keep it Up Brother :)

Hi Tom. Good stuff as always. I wonder if a companion video on stoning the tool to completion might be nice? Sharing your tool choices and techniques for that, as well as to why it is benficial might put a perfect finish on the subject.

Thanks Tom, very informative video and not filled with um's, aws, and you knows!! I had a different impression of what a facing tool did and you set me straight. I use M2 and pink grinding wheels 60 grit. Also have a cheap Chinese diamond wheel but never really understood the angle nomenclature till now. thanks again and don't fret the wise asses who are jealous of your video accomplishment.

I am 55 and have raced dirt cars for 33 years. just got a small lathe. Great video and the way you teach how to do the grinding is easy for me to understand. I have a question. What is the grinding wheels made of and where is a good place to buy them? Again thanks! You are still helping people like me 8 years late . God Bless

Excellent Tom, this will be very useful, thank you, John

Very informative video, Tom! Probably the best video on Grinding tools that I have seen. Thanks for mentioning the grit of each grinding wheel. I have been wondering about that.

thanks for your wonderful teachings . l wish you were around when l was in school trying to learn all this stuff god bless .

Your camera work looks great, the best I've seen on KZfaq.

Thanks a lot sir for this so informative video. i got to understand the tool geometry and its grinding procedure. Thanks.

Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it. Tom

Gosh, you make it look so easy, Tom. Mine are coming off the $49 Harbor Freight grinder with more facets than my wife's wedding ring. I'll try the practice steel you mentioned but this grinder vibrates so much it might be time for a real one! Thanks.

Thanks Chuck, glad you enjoyed it. Lot's of queries about where the huge wooden lathe is that goes with it. Tom

You should also use a high feed rate so the chips carry the heat away. That's one reason why carbide is not necessarily a good choice for the light machines used in a home shop. Most don't have the power or rigidity to take advantage of it. Tom

Your voice really reminds me of Timothy Leary. Thanks for all the helpful videos Tom.

Im 21 and I just got my first mill/ lathe thank you for your knowledge

Thanks this is very clearly helpful 👍

Great educational video, thanks for posting!

Great video man!

Thanks Tom, just recently got a Lathe and my HSS is arriving Tuesday. Nicely explained & didnt over-complicate things. I appreciate ya Ps: I like the 4 x 4 tool bit, would like to see the grinder that was done on! :)

Side rake, along with the side cutting edge angle helps guide the chip away from the work and makes the cutting edge more acute which makes the tool cut easier. Tom

You could make a fortune selling these tools. I for one would buy several facing and turning tools. My expertise in tool grinding is lacking. I took your advice and bought some stock metal to practice on, but ...well you know. I'm using a 7x12 mini lathe and it is a challenge. This is all new to me and I just can't get enough. Thanks Tom for you skill, patience and generosity in making these videos. I printed out the right hand facing tool on your site and will give that a try tomorrow. I have a variable speed 8 inch grinder. What speed should I be using. Where can I buy a facing tool all ready ground. I buy most of my stuff from Little machine shop. Ken....the old guy

Great work,very interristing

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks. A steady rest video is on my list of topics, I'll move it up a notch or two. Tom

Very big models..😁😁 Great job👍👍 & 5 star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

another excellent video, very well done.

An excellent video. If I might make one suggestion, I would take a Sharpie pen and mark the top face of the tool before grinding. If you're new to this activity, it is quite easy to confuse which face you're working on - especially if you're grinding tools for working on brass bar where you don't actually need to grind away any of the top surface.

Who are the "idiots" that gave you thumbs down? Your video was great!!!

wow....thank you so much this is so needed for rookies like myself

Good video! Thanks for posting. Take care, be safe!

Clever thumbnail, sir. Well played :)

Very helpfully, thanks.

Nice video Tom

Most excellent.

This video was awesome for a beginner cutting my first 3/8 hss. I followed the demo step by step but I wish it would have another part to show tool in use and the angles in action

Thank you for the video.

Thanks Tom, sorry I didn't see that video but will go watch it today. Wow, that's fast I think my lathes top speed is 1400, will try it see what happens. I got some tool stock on the way so will try grinding some when it gets here.

nice video.. thank you very much greeting from indonesia

Thanks! Always careful and safe. Tom

I love that wood grain tool stool. Got to get me some of that.

Thank's for a fantastic video. And don't get me wrong, but wow... The relief I felt when the "grinder whine" stopped. ;) Best regards.

Yup, 60grit. 80 grit would produce a better finish, but it would also take longer to grind the tool. I like to use a coarse wheel to grind the tool and then stone the edges for a good finish. Tom

Hi Tom Last night I watched a video showing how top grind a lathe tool bit made by a watchmaker, after watching the video I decided to give it a try. Well I put a shaft in the 10 inch clausing lathe, put the ground tool in the aloris style tool holder, I think something people over look is the old rocker style tool holder holds the tool bit at a different angle than the aloris style. I fired up the lathe to see how it cut, I started taking about .050 a side, hum not to bad. I tried it at .070 and it seemed to handle it fine. I went to .100 per side .200 over all and I could not believe that little lathe could remove that much metal in a single pass. The shaft was from an old electric motor I had salvaged, I am not sure what type of metal it was but it started out about 1.500 in dia. If you care to have a look at the video you will find it here kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aLhgn5l6lt_Wop8.html Don't be fooled by the introduction, at first I thought it was a joke, but I was surprised by how well it worked. Cheers John F

hi ton found your videos all can say is thank you they are a great help just one question how do I find your Web site you and everyone has been talking about what do I type in thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge

Chuck, As long as they made of high speed steel and not carbon steel, drills or tool bits will maintain their hardness up to around 1000ºF. Some grades such as M42 even go higher. Tom

The cutting speed for carbide is generally 4-5 times that of HSS, around 400 sfpm for 1045. Using the formula 4 X CS / DIA (see my video on cutting speed and RPM), that works out to about 1600 RPM. The chips should be a deep blue. If they start turning light colored, slow down the spindle or use coolant. Tom

You can use a carbide insert for threading, but it's much more expensive, less versatile and more difficult to use for the hobby machinist on the light machinery they use. If I were running a production part on a commercial lathe, I would use carbide, but for one off parts like 99% of hobby machinists make, HSS is a much better alternative. Tom

Thanks, Tom. I now know that I have to fuss less and practice more.

Hi Tom, Really great videos! Please keep up the great work. I instruct shop at the local college and was wondering about your choice of a 90 degree angle between your side cutting edge and the front cutting angle. At the college we always make the students produce an 80 degree maximum angle at the same location. This gives up a bit of strength but it does allow the tool bit to now turn diameters and also face off the shoulder all in one setup. I like to hear your thoughts… Thanks John

Thank you.

Thanks Jack.

Tom...is there a difference between a HSS tool bit and a HSS drill, this question is in reference when grinding and the change of color due to heat, always thought it was bad for drill bits?

Hi Tom my friend and machining mentor has yelled at me because you can temper HSS easily .....remember he is an engineer LOL....... The temp at the tip where you are grinding is much much more hotter then people think and according to him it will soften if you over heat it.....carry on sir :")

You are welcome.

Boy that looked pretty easy, I guess that is another thing experience does for you.

Tom, I just bought my first lathe. I'm about to grind a couple tools. For good measure, I bought a couple 1/4" bits, a couple 5/16" bits, and a couple 3/8" bits. Can you give a rule of thumb for which size I should use when? Or does it even really matter on a lightweight hobbyist machine? Maybe a 1/4" would be all I can take advantage of on my machine. FYI, my lathe is a Grizzly G0752. Thanks, Jay

Wspaniały film duzo sie nauczyłem dziękuje.marek POLSKA.

Finally got the gumption up to try this. My first tool bit in a long time. Came out nice. Thanks for the blow by blow. Ditto klayzor. When are you coming back online?

cheers tom first tool successful rock on ☺☺

Tom...one of the best instruction I have seen, great info on HSS that it is ok to change color, wood model was tits...Chuck

Hey Tom, thanks for the information, you talk about stoning your tools can you elaborate more on that ? Been trying to look up the stone technique but cant find anything..

Thanks for the vids Tom. Picking up my first grinder..... Should I get a 6" or 8" bench grinder?

I have a 12x36 grizzly, the guy that had it before used inserts a lot but he knew a lot. I'm just thinking I could spend all freaking week trying to make a cutting bit just right lol. Guess we'll see. I have an old home made lathe that came with a crap load of tooling still haven't gone thru it yet. I think the 2 large 8' long channel irons are going to end up as a home made break.

I honestly never thought my precision machining teacher would have Norm Macdonald giving me a lesson🤣

You can't beat experience! Would a sanding belt or disk work for grinding too?

Great video!! Could you add time stamping to your videos to make it easier to reference? e.g. if you're switching from working on a turning tool to a facing tool etc.

Hello, I found out that you can finish off grinding a tool bit by using a die grinder with a 120 grit flap wheel.It gives all the surfaces a nice finish and is good for making a nice nose radius easily. I find that it works better than a finihing stone.Thanks,Terry

Great videos! Could you do a video about grinding the round one! Thanks