70° 80TPI Left Hand Spiral Knurl

Lathe tools—also known as tool bits—are the cutting tools used for turning, facing, and other operations on a lathe. The most commonly used are high-speed steel (HSS) tools, which are suitable for machining a wide range of materials including wood, plastic, aluminum, brass, and steel. HSS tools maintain their hardness at temperatures up to 1000°F (588°C), making proper depth of cut, cutting speed, and feed rate essential for optimal performance.

One of the key advantages of HSS tools is how easily they can be resharpened using a standard aluminum oxide grinding wheel. Once sharpened, they retain a keen cutting edge through extended use.

Each Sherline lathe comes with a pre-sharpened 1/4" HSS cutting tool. Pre-ground tool sets—featuring right-hand, left-hand, and boring tools—are also available. However, for long-term savings and flexibility, learning to grind your own tools from blanks is recommended. Custom-shaped tools can be saved for repeat jobs or re-ground for new applications.