One handy tip I was taught at Tech. college about 50 years ago was to set the tool height using a small diameter ground rod held in the chuck and then trap a 6 inch steel rule between the tool and the rod. If the tool isn't spot on for height the rule won't be vertical (viewed from the tailstock end) and from the way it's leaning it's easy to see whether it's high or low.

Hi Tom, Very nice video. I'm sure there are a bunch of folks that will breathe easier and be more confident parting in the lathe. All the best, Tom

Awesome video Tom. Thank you for making it. I spent a good 2 hours today fighting with 2 different HSS parting tools, because as it turns out, I had them slightly below centre. I thought that's where they needed to be located, until I saw your video! =) Confidence has been rebuilt. Thank you Tom!

Hey Tom, Thank You Sir!! This video is going on 6 years old and its just as relevant today as it was the day you made it. NO distracting music! Thank you for you that! You spoke in a clear voice that even my deaf ears could understand perfectly. You didn't use a lot of Big Fancy $10 words, you spelled everything out in plain simple english that even a nimrod such as myself could easily follow. Looking for more of your video's as soon as I post my reply. Again, Thank You Sir!!! JohnArcher

Looked at lots of these instructions over the years and this is the best and complete parting video I've seen

Excellent tutorial! I acquired my first lathe, a dirty old sheldon 11, and ordered a hss parting tool. I realized this is a controversial topic but now I'm sure doing it the right way should succeed!

I have the same exact Hardinge lathe. It has seriously prejudiced me against other engine lathes... so awesome to see another guy using that awesome machine.

I damaged 4 parting tool tips yesterday afternoon..... I wish I had come across this vid earlier! I see all my mistakes now. Great vid. Thanks.

Thank you for your info! I have been trying parting for 10 years and it never worked well. I did exactly what you showed, twice and the cut parts came out PERFECT!! Thank you so much! This video will now help me so much in all the years to come! Thank you!!

I saw this video several years ago, had problems parting, came back to watch this video -> found the solution to my problem

My one-to-go video when it comes to parting. Clarifies and pretty much sorts out the frustration in the most comforting way possible.

You are awesome ! Went to School along time ago for auto mechanics and still do that . Always wanted to do machine work too . Finally got A mill , Lathe and other metal tools so these vids are great !

Tom, this was a great video. I've been planning my shop and machines for a very long time, read and watched a bunch. Tonight with my wife watching, I did the first lathe work of my life (and enjoyed it so immensely it must not be legal!). My huge project was to take some 7/8" aluminum round stock, cut off a chunk, true it out, face it, cut through the dull finish, knurl it, chamfer the edge and then part it out. Everything went like clockwork until parting it out - then I realized I have not been paying enough attention to these details! In the end, I parted it with a vice and a hacksaw, and my wife fell asleep before I could drill and press an existing cap-head screw to turn it into an easy access knob to the gear housing. So 80% there. But along the way, I noticed a pile of things I need to address in my process and tool prep. You have a new subscriber! Grazie!!

Thank you so much for this video! parting has been the bain of my life and was easily fixed thanks to this quick lesson I was one of those individuals grinding that hook on the end After changing the tip profile it worked perfect! Thanks Again!!!

Hi Tom, thanks for this - did my apprenticeship a few years ago now and haven't done any turning since, these videos are a great help :)

I watched several videos on parting. Some are just awful. This is good video, good audio, clear instructions. Thanks for making a good one!

Good on you mate. Just solved my problems. I have a round bed Drummond lathe and I think the ridgidity and the speed are my main issues. Thanks

Best video on how to setup and use a parting blade, that I have found. Thanks 😀👍

Thanks ! I recently broke my boss’s cutoff tool....I missed a step,or two in my procedure..lol...but, it’s been 30 years since I needed to use one ! Great video...much appreciated !

Ive never had much success parting, this video is great, clear and precise, I will try again now ive watched this, many thanks .

When I was an apprentice scientific instrument maker, I was taught to never stand in front of a grinding wheel when it was running up to speed, because as it was running up it would pass through resonance frequencies related to any slight imbalance there might be in the wheel, and that is when the wheel could shatter. A grinding wheel shattering in your face could be horribly injurious and possibly fatal. I have enormous respect for your skills, so it was something of a surprise to me that you stood in front of the wheel when starting it.

Thank you, Tom. After watching your video, I was able to see what i was doing wrong with my set up. I used your tips and got the parting tool to work correctly. Much appreciated!!

My funniest experience parting was in the Navy. On my ship there were life jacket cabinets all down the side of the decks with brass knurled knobs that held them closed. The guys would take those knobs and throw them at sea gulls so I was continuously making new ones ( several buckets full per week.)

Thanks for the great video. I'm new to basic machining and your videos have helped me at my job making simple tooling in our small machine shop with old conventional machines. Keep up the great work. Thanks again.

Thanks Tom, I've just bought a lathe & that was awesome

Very nicely presented! When I had a Boxford, I milled a flat area at the back of the cross-slide and made a rear toolpost. Combined with flood coolant I could part off with confidence. When I got my Harrison L5, I was for a while parting off under power with an HSS blade holder in a Dickson QC. Then I went through a whole load of shattered blades and ruined parts and almost gave up parting off. Now I have a Dorrian BXA toolpost and use an inserted blade holder mounted upside down so the swarf falls out of the cut. It also allows you to easily see the finish in cut, so you can spot any problems, a chipped edge, or buildup etc. and do something about it before a disaster. I keep my topslide gibs very tight for rigidity which helps a lot. I can always slack them off if I have to get a smooth finish on a short taper.

Thanks for creating such a resource for those of us that are getting interested in machining. Such a value and time saver, not to mention mistake prevention. Just learned the definition of viewer appreciation.

Nice, simple to understand video on parting. One of the things I've learned as a beginner/hobby was also understanding that similar to limiting the overhang of the tool is the overhang of the work piece being parted off, especially on smaller pieces.

thanks Tom, i had no luck before i watched your video, but now have managed to part off without breakage! very pleased

Watching this after breaking my parting tool today and realizing I blanked on having a sharp tool. Add that to my mistake of not using a cutting fluid and viola! Broken tool. Thanks for the much needed knowledge!

Thanks Tom! Half the time, I’ve been staring with the parting tool and finishing with a hack saw because my tool always grabbed and broke etc. I’ll try it again your way!

Awesome! I just recently had to part a piece, now with this video I know how to improve on quite a few aspects of my work!!! Thank you!!!

hi all,,,, newbi here,, just thinking of getting a small clarks mini lathe, tom has been a fantastic help ,thanks again

Thanks Tom...for all your videos!

Excellent demonstration on parting

Pretty much reminded me of what I should have done in the first place as I have my compound rest hanging out about 3”. Pulled it back in over the cross slide and BOOM cut 4 pieces without issue as compared to the first one that popped the tool out of the holder.

Hi Tom, Thank you for another helpful video. The new tool post made a big difference over the lantern type. George

This is a great video. Thanks for the information. Something you should show is how to center the cutter using the “ pinched 6 scale” method for when you don’t have the luxury of getting up close to the end of your work.😊

4:20 "If you're using a lantern-type toolpost... good luck. They're not known for their rigidity, and your chances of successfully parting are GREATLY REDUCED using a lantern-type or rocker-type toolpost." Truer words were never spoken! Last weekend I needed to make a gib screw for my '42 SB 10R, and used a 1-1/4x4" bolt for stock. I decided to part the head off... there's an hour I'll never get back. I should have used a hacksaw, I'd have been done sooner! 😂 Next payday: a parting tool holder for my turret toolpost...

Oh man, is that Hardinge lathe a beauty; we have an old one here, used and abused for years, and it's still like a top!

Great video. Thanks for posting.

Great video, I'm really enjoying the beginners guides, learning lots. One thing I do in addition is lock the carriage once i'm ready to part off. Really helps on my lathe with rigidity.

Brilliant videos. Yours are without a doubt the best on KZfaq

Thank you very much for this, just tried your method and it worked flawlessly.

Thanks for the great guide on how to do the cutting.

nice and clean ! good video !

Thanks Tom! I purchased a 10-22 Precicision Matthews lathe a little while ago and have been trying to figure out this parting operation. Your tips were very useful. I need less speed, more oil and to make sure the cutter is straight. Scared the crap out of myself a couple times when the cutter bound up. Yikes!

Thank you man! Im making a coligraphy pen in my manufacturing class and it will have multiple parts. And I needed to learn how to part. Thank you! Just making sure, so when I part aluminum I run RPM at about half the RPM I would turn normally at?

Thanks for the great video!

Good advice, I would just add one more thought. On my older South Bend 9 I find it helps alot if I snug up the gibs to ensure a tight setup with NO play. Usually just tighten up one screw on the cross slide and lock the carriage. Parting has always been a white knuckle adventure in my shop !!

Thank you for a very informative video, this will be of great help.

Thanks for the help. Very informative!

Great thanks - I'm new at metal turning - this taught me plenty

I will have to consider doing this type of cutting from now on. Thank you. Peace :)

Thanks for the clear instructions.

Great vid! I wish I would have had one like this a couple of years ago.....before I did all my "practice" with an expensive insert style holder. LOL ......the one that I've had to replace. I think I'll be giving the HSS cutters another chance! :) Mike

savage man!! great content , learnt a lot, thanks for sharing

Thanks Tom, nice video. On my china lathe i learned that when i move the compund to almost parallel to the cross slide and move the compound far back I get much better regidity.

Thanks for posting this

Another good video on a sometimes tricky subject. I had a small cheap parting tool made for a mini-lathe that had a thin T-blade as you show, but it did not hold the blade very well. It worked OK on Delrin but when I tried it on steel it seemed to grab and jump as I tried to keep a steady feed. What was actually happening was the blade was being pushed back into the holder, and as I neared the center the holder hit the work and snapped. I also have a cheap carbide tipped tool from HF that I touched up with a diamond file and it worked OK on mild steel, but it did not seem to want to work on a galvanized steel pipe fitting (probably more like cast iron). But it's also tricky to part pipe, as the bore may not be exactly concentric and the tool will catch where it cuts through. I used a hacksaw and then faced it on the lathe. Thanks for the tips. BTW, I think it is better to err on having the tool below center, as the rotation will push the tool tip down and away from the work. If it's above, the downward motion will push the tip into the work and grab or chatter. YMMV..

Hello Tom, Check, check, check, and check. Do all those things on my 12x36 Grizzly G4000G. I have used 'T' blades, beveled blades, carbide inserts of all kinds on my QCTP. Dead center and within a molecule of square. Been playing with it for more than ten years of home shopping and eight out of ten times it seems to go well almost always when I am parting a tube or hole in the center workpiece. When it comes to parting of solid stock the tool(s) seems to do very well until they get to the small diameter and then the tool pressure increases dramatically and comes to a stall. If I power feed same thing. I have shattered carbide, destroyed blade holders in parting tools, broken grooving bits and holders, pushed HSS blades back even with the wedge holder clamped very very securely. I use lots (steady drip) of cutting fluid to no avail. The last time this happened I was parting a two and a half inch solid aluminum rod!!! Broke the insert and tool holder as well as rotated the QCTP (yes it was cranked down). The only thing I haven't tried with my track record I am reluctant to boost rpm above the six hundred mark as things happen pretty quickly at those rpms. I have tried everything from 600 rpm on down though. Any thoughts on why the tool pressure elevates so much as it approaches center? I am totally stumped. I get success enough to keep trying but these crashes are making me gun shy for sure. I have sharpened and honed both the HSS and the carbide (honed). Present practice has me grooving the piece and finishing on the bandsaw. I have watched countless videos and tutorials without seeing a solution. Needless to say this is a very good subject and thanks for the video. Take care. Doug

thank you for that video, very informative

Very helpful. Thank you for your sharing.

Hi Tom, this was well presented. Alot of my machinist buddies are afraid of parting tools. But as you said - if you're set up right, there shouldn't be a problem. I just recently purchased an Iscar blade and block type parting tool that uses carbide inserts. I have parted off 4" diameter 6061 aluminum using a 5/32" wide blade many times with no problems. Of course if there's enough material I would normally tell my students to use the cutoff saw. But they sometimes get themselves boxed into a corner and I part the bigger stuff off for them so they don't break my expensive tool. Thanks.

This was very helpful. THANKS!

Good work dear sir

I have used the squaring up against the chuck method and never thought to use the indicator to square it up,makes perfect sense.

and i forgot to say one thing , i live in BRAZIL where a parting tool of poor quality costs about U$ 18 and the minimum wage down here is U$ 280 a month.so we´re talking about a very costly nightmare.....thanks again TOM..

Another note about chip breakers and a reason why I don’t like them: I find they increase the tendency for the tool to get sucked in, and in deep grooves they can, in my experience, cause chip evacuation problems. The chips end up curling up on top of the tool like green onions, then binding up instead of getting out of the way like the would on a flat topped tool

Thanks for the vids Tom. Your tool sharpening video was super helpful. I have a lantern style tool post at the moment and have yet to successfully part steel. I have however successfully jammed my lathe lol.

Great video Tom

Thanks you saved my time

nice video Tom,you explained it very well thank you................

thanx for this video buddy. it was very informational.

I had to part 6 pieces of 316 today, it took me forever, and even with constant lubrication, the tool wanted to seize up… but I need to find a tip that get right in the groove… even dripping oil onto the groove doesn’t allow the oil to get right inside to lubricate… I now have 6 pieces of 8mm 316 that I have to clean up…

Excellent,great video thanks

Great video Tom 😁

Excellent video

Awesome. Thanks for another great video. And yes it actually was a big mystery until now as it's one thing that I have and I haven't bothered using it because I didn't know anything about it. Looks pretty easy now.

Thanks again for a great video Tom. When I need a nice clean cut I grind my parting tool with a slight angle instead of being square. This allows me to make a clean cut on the parted off piece. Any reason to not do this?

This is super helpful thank you!

Thanks big tom ,greatly appreciated

Great video, thank you!

A huge thank you!!!

Man, that is one sweeeet lathe you have.

Parting, my nemesis! Had a tightly set large piece of AL jam up on me last night, and im at the grey hair level, passed heart burn long ago lol.

I use a mini lathe and this what has given me the most problems. One of the things I found was that i needed to re- adjust the cross slide as there was some up\down movement. that led to re-setting all the gibs as well. Only just done this not had a chance to see if this improves my cutting off. One thing you didn't mention was to lock the carriage to the bed.

Thanks, never thought to use a dial indicator for perpendicularity for a cut off tool.

Tom - nice video and it is great for someone who is well equipped like yourself. I suspect for the guy who has your setup doesn't need too much assistance for this basic function. I have (like a lot of guys who are having trouble) have the lantern style. We need help with the best technique for this style. Granted we should probably bite the bullet and buy a new holder but the lantern style has been used for a century. There has to be an optimum way. Your video is sort of like teaching someone to cut a board with a Powermatic table saw when all he has is a hand saw. Norm Abrams loves to show off his tools but never shows the average guy how to do it with a hand tool. Please consider another video for the 100 year old lathe guys. Thanks for considering..

I think there are many people missing your video's. I know I am one of those :) Anyways GOOD LUCK WHERE EVER YOU ARE, and HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN ON KZfaq....

Thank you, that was very helpful 👍

nice and clean , good job

Tom, I have not had much of a problem with parting Aluminum but when it comes to steel I run into problems. What speed should parting steel be done at? Is there any other consideration that needs to be taken into account for steel of any kind including Stainless??? Thanks

Those with light duty lathes like the Craftsman 12" might be helped by these: Worth a try. 1.Use the tail center. A dead one works better for me than a live one. More rigid. Yes, you cannot cut off but you can get close. 2. Run the lathe in back gear, but not at a ridiculously low speed. Evidently removing the sloppy connection between the big spindle pulley and the adjacent gear helps. I note the spindle is also driven at its opposite end. Why this helps me is unknown to me. Note: Thick sticky oil also keeps the chips together, not a good thing. To each his own. Jim in Clarkston Mich. An' old timer.'

Good Stuff!, I love your Hardinge, my dream machine...

tom you have a very good lathe with a wonderfull 6 jaw chuck ,good video tom

Would have taken me 45 minutes to an hour to cut that. Gonna try again using your tips.

Kept seeing Tiny Baby Spiders running around on your Camera Lens LOL around 7:00...

Excellent commentary.

excellent video