What kind of steel

[Josh Bowman]

I've gotten good enough with my Harbor Feight metal lathe and mill to want to start making some turning tools. I'm aiming on making some insert type tools like the EZ line. What kind of steel would be best for the shafts?

[Chris Burgess]

I would expect Cold Rolled would sufice for the shafts.

[Jack Mincey]

Cold rolled works well, but if you use drill rod and harden it after machining and tapping the threads in the rod you will have a great tool that will last for ever. The hardened steel has less flex than unhardened.
Jack

[curtis rosche]

i used cold rolled for the shatf. and a 15-25% cobolt cutting blank for the tip. it stays super sharp for very long

[Eric Holmquist]

There are many cold rolled steels, the common stuff like 1018 or 12L14 can't be hardened and will be very prone to denting.

I would recommend 4140 Cold Rolled Annealed, 1/2" square stock should run you around $3.40 a foot.

4140 can be used for as wide variety of applications where greater toughness and wear resistance is needed over lower carbon grades. Typical applications include strippers, holder blocks, mold bases, ejectors, back up and support tooling, fixtures, jigs, molds, cams, drill collars, bolts, stubs, couplings, reamer bodies, axles, shafting, piston rods, rams, hydraulic machinery shafts, gears, sprockets, gear racks, valves, chain links, spindles, tool bodies, tool holders, tie rods, boring bars, guides, tracks, ways, slides, wear strips or parts, forming dies, brake dies, trim dies, bolsters, machinery parts and components, etc. This material roll threads, knurls, and may be plated.

After machining, heat treat it then bake in the oven. You will have a very strong tool shaft which will be hard enough to avoid being dented, yet not too brittle.

[Jerry A Arnold]

1018 cold rool can be hardened, I make a product from 1018 crs and have it case hardened to .060 to .080 deep with a hardness of RC56 to 58 is hard and with the soft center makes a good boring bar. It can be done at home with the proper equipment but I use a special heat treat facility. I would not recommend doing at home.

[Jim Underwood]

Not doing it at home? Perhaps not... Unless one fabricates a Gingery heat treatment oven...