Indexable Lathe Turning Tool 21Pcs Kit 1/2'' 12mm Shank 7 Pcs Metal Lathe Tool Holder Set with 14 Pcs Turning Inserts for Turning Grooving Threading Boring Carbide Inserts Carbide Turning Tool

I have an old, clapped-out lathe that gets used at random times, mostly when a project goes off the rails and I need to make, modify or repair something in a HURRY. Because of this, I never know what I'll be making or what material I'll be using. Last time I fired up the lathe, I was modifying a brass hose barb to replace a broken fitting on a plastic car radiator. This was on a Sunday afternoon and I needed that hose barb 5 minutes ago. I bought this kit because I'm not the best at grinding HSS tools for the lathe. I wanted something I could throw on the lathe and get to work, rather than take 3 or 4 attempts to get tool geometry right, hone the edge, etc. This set is inexpensive, uses commonly available inserts, and has several different tool formats. I figured I could buy an entry-level set of tools and then upgrade if/when I needed to. So far, I haven't needed to. I've used these tools on a couple of different projects and so far they've been fine. I've turned brass and mild steel, but also used them to reduce the outer diameter of a tool steel spark plug socket for use in a motorcycle engine. The tool left a pretty good surface finish even though my lathe is worn out and tends to fight me a bit, and it cut the relatively hard steel without a single complaint. If you need an entry level set of carbide lathe tools for next to nothing, you could do a lot worse than this set. The inserts have survived some interrupted cuts and other mild abuse that I for sure thought would have done some damage. So far, I haven't had to switch out a single insert. I'm impressed. This is a perfect kit for a home machinist on a shoestring budget (like me), or for someone who doesn't want to spend top dollar while dipping their toes into the machining world. I'll still keep HSS tools around for specific uses (form tools, cutting plastic or softer metals, etc.) but these will probably do the lion's share of the work in the future.

Very affordable carbide metal lathe tools. As a hobbyist, I'm not a day in day out machinist but I can talk from my past experiences...as a retired shop teacher. My last machining work was high school 40 + years ago and one class in college over 30 years ago. Cutting tools at the time were high speed steel. Carbine cutters were on the horizon... My images show a chess set Rook finished as a keychain. The second image is of the new tool at work in the tool holder and the blue carbide tool that came with my mini lathe. The quality of cut is night and day, when comparing the two cutters. I found the ease of cutting to be much improved and very smooth. I am not impressed with the Tork (star) head screw driver bits that came with the tools. Either they have stripped out or the tiny screw that holds in the carbide cutter. I did have one cutter loosen up during my run today. That was easy to re-tighten the cutting bit. I will purchase a new Tork head screwdriver for future use. I'm happy with my purchase!

I’ve used these on wood acrylic and aluminum. They work pretty well and leave a nice finish. I don’t know about steel because I haven’t tried it yet.

Does the job on my 9x20 mini lathe. Be sure and order extra inserts when you order the kit though Good fit for the 9x20 lathe. Helps improve accuracy because you can replace a broken insert without removing the holder from the tool post. Seems to be durable so far.

Good quality and work very well. And the shipping was. fast

I'm using the tools on a South Bend 9A lathe. They are well made and work as advertised.

Very nice basic turning tool set. The insert pocket on the SDNCN1212H07 tool holder had the hold down screw drilled and tapped a few thousands too far to the rear of the insert pocket. This stressed both the screw and insert when tightened and did not allow it to properly bottom out in it's pocket. I cut the "V" seat deeper in the tool holder with a 1/16" carbide end mill to allow the hole in the insert to properly align with the tapped hole in the tool holder. Other buyers have mentioned this problem and you should be prepared to do an adjustment to attain a proper seating of the insert in the tool. If you do not do this you can snap off the screw or have the unsupported and brittle carbide insert crack under the stress during turning.

The cutting tips are a little smaller than expected but cut VERY clean! My lathe is 10" swing so these are just fine in size. The extra length of the tool is great - much better reach.