WHAT Are Tangential Lathe Tools?

G'day everyone,

I have made lots of lathe tools over the past few years, however one tool that I have not used is a tangential tool or a diamond lathe tool. These lathe tools are designed to use the end of a HSS blank as the cutting edge. The cutter is held almost vertically, but is tilted back at a slight angle to create the necessary relief. In doing so you only have to grind one face of the HSS lathe tool.

In this video I will be making my own lathe tool holder and grinding jig in order to be able to use the tangential tooling.

I hope you enjoy the video

Tangential lathe tooling
Tangential Tool Holder
Diamond Tool Holder

#machining #DIY #minilathe

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Tool Holder - No Clearance
2:36 - Filing In Clearance By Hand
3:35 - Making A Grinding Jig In The Mill
4:56 - Testing The Grind
5:11 - Machining A Tool Holder In the Mill
6:37 - Testing The New Tool Holder
7:29 - Machining The Final Tool Holder
8:47 - Modifying The Clamping System
9:31 - Conclusion

Mini Lathe - Sieg c3 7x14 Metal Mini Lathe
Milling Machine - Sieg X2.7l

[leslieaustin]

Thanks for this video. I have one of the Australian tangential tools (Diamond tools) which I often use on both my Myford ML7 and my Taig lathe (Peatol here in UK). I use it with square and round HSS and it works very well, the round HSS especially gives a nice finish. The biggest advantage is the ease of sharpening HSS, and lack of wastage on re-sharpening. Also the ease of getting the tool ‘on centre’ without using shims etc. They don’t like interrupted cuts, which tend to hammer the tool bit down in the holder. Les in UK

[vikassm]

Check out 'Eccentric Engineering'.
Both square & round tangential tools work amazingly well with brass, cast iron, aluminium, plastics & composites.
Would have loved to see the finishing comparison on a longer piece of material with tailstock support.
If you twist-mount the HSS blank, it works as a shear tool too. The surface finish is dramatically improved over 99% of inserts that a DIY enthusiast can afford.
The lathe headstock does need to be as rigid as possible though, Worn out bearings will leave a chattery finish with any cutting tool, hss or carbide or CBN.

[peterkelly]

Great video! I bought the Eccentric Engineering diamond tool holder & the inverted parting tool for my Optimun TU2004V lathe. Due to the excessive overhang, I found that the tool would catch easily, so I ditched the QT tool post & went back to the standard tool post & the results are now exceptional.

[albertogregory]

Very nice! I love the the step by step “lets go with an ABSOLUTELY basic approach and slowly increase” way this video was done!

[sparkiekosten]

Nice way to explain the proof of concept and the final product without resorting to a whole lot of math or "to understand this we need to do some math"
I must say my diamond tool holder is my go to toll for cutting. I use it for most of my lathing and it has never let me down.
Keep up the good work!
Edit: Nearly 20K subscribers. Well done!

[billcook]

This principle has been used in form tools. It is easily sharpened as you pointed out, and the form isn't lost in the process. Another style is a partial circle with an adjustable means to keep it from rotating under load. I've considered making threading tools with the profile following the length of the blank. Probably would use a set/grub screw to adjustably counteract the axial load.
Wanna' do and do are two separate things.

[andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

I simply adore my tangential “diamond tool” from Eccentric Engineering in Australia. Well worth the money invested. The finish I get on steel or aluminium is insane. 👌The ease of maintaining a sharp edge is also a Godsend. 👏👏👍😀

[grahameblankley]

Life time as a machinist, I learned something new, thank you, 🇬🇧👍.

[AWDJRforYouTube]

Very great video /info on tangencial tools. This tool geometry made it's way into the standard HSS tool world of lathe tool bits [diamond grind shape] ironical from the use of this grind on HSS tools used in the balance and roller box tooling from screw machines back in the 1930's thru 70's IMHO.

[TheLastTater]

I really enjoy your take on things. Makes me feel like I’m learning with you. Thanks for bringing us along. 👌🏼

[rickpalechuk]

Nice seeing the tool evolve as you worked through to the finished product. I have seen another maker using drill rod for the cutter, makes creating the holder alot easier.
As always, thanks for sharing
Cheers

[bheckel]

Complete genius. Now make one for old drills to make radiuses

[omygodtwo]

I use a diamond tangential tool mostly when using HSS on both my main lathe and my Russian mini lathe.

[jow]

Watching the grinders tool rest flex might make for a good future project upgrade!

[tek]

I'm new here. But I have a comment question.
While cutting some flat stock in my vice in my basement, with my hacksaw I ended up pushing too hard (1/8th x 2" ) I split my index finger nail in half at the base of thr nail threw my finger on the last stroke. It was amazingly bad. That was November ish 2019. For that christmass my wife allowed me to buy a used milwaukee porta band saw. I had one previously but sold it to a friend the year before because he was in need and at the time I was not using it nearly enough to justify it.

I made it wall mount by a 2x4 steel tube that I cut the face and sides to accept the tools forward handle and welded it to a plate at the right angle to hang the saw.

I made a 4 inch wide by 7 inch long cutting table that bolts around the foot of the saw and while semi stable, it is actually really good.

I will make a video of this conversion from a handheld portaband saw to wall mount if you ask for one.

But here is thr question. Have you considered swapping the hacksaw out for a different tool like a portaband? Or handheld bandsaw?

[dieselguy]

Been using my diamond tool holder for over 20 years now. Still have the same 6 pieces of tool bit i bought originally

[jackfirst]

To improve this you could make the dovetail of the qcth built in to the cutter

[johnstonewall]

Great video, highly informative and useful.

[SubramaniamLakshminarayanan]

What advantage does this 'tangential' tool bring? As I see it, effectively the rake, clearance and cutting wedge are about the same as conventional tools, but in a vertical toolbit orientation.

[chrisstephens]

Well done on your experiments, so few bother these days and just settle for insert tooling.
You will find that 12 degrees forward and sideways work well with a 30 degree grind across the top. You will also fine a small radius, a few thou or so, on the cutting corner running the entire length gives a more durable tool.
It beats me why these tools seem to have gone out of favour in Edwardian times, except for in things like roller box tools, but these days for home shops they are a brilliant money saver and go to show that all those angles listed in the usual literature for different materials is a touch of baloney.