trucut armature lathe

im looking for a manual for my frank l wood b15 lathe. my bit seems to be getting dull too quick and was wanting to know if it is correct. it came with it when i got it used.I also had a machine shop sharpen it for me and it worked ok for about 5 minutes. otherwise seems to work ok. if anyone can copy a manual or post one for me i would very much appreciate it.or possibly take a picture of your bit that you use. thanks. alex.

http://www.liberatedmanuals.com/TM-9-4940-462-14-and-P.pdf

This is for a model 10, think it's close to yours.

No, rapid tool dulling is not normal. Cooper is soft, the bit is very hard, or should be. Only time I ever ran into it was after customers had tried to fix things themselves with sandpaper or emery cloth. The abrasives embed in the copper and in the mica grooves and dull the bit quickly. When I wised up to that I would wire brush them first and that helps some otherwise you just have to tough it out. That being said and not seeing and fingering your machine means I am purely guessing at what your problem is. Getting the bit ground at a machine shop does not assure it was done correctly, If the bit has been overheated and the temper lost it is junk, try cutting it on the flat with a file, it should skate across it without cutting into it. Sometimes you can grind back past the soft part or you can try retempering it but I would just replace it, it is just a piece of square HSS tools steel available many places. The shape of the bit is not critical however it needs to be sharp to keep the copper from smearing and it needs relief behind the cutting edge, by that I mean the cutting corner hits the work first, not the heal. Angling the top of the bit down and away from the edge helps achieve a nice finish but isnt necessary to make the thing cut. Google "grinding a tool bit to cut copper" Another possibility is the machine or toll holder is bent, who knows? I junked my Trucut years ago after acquiring my first metal lathe thus no photos other than this picture I borrowed from fleabay. It shows a profile that will work, as I said it isnt critical.

Apologies for the huge pic, forgot to size it