That could workLOL well another cheaper option is buy one of the cheap digital callipers and fix it to the saddle and cross slide.
LOL must resist all temptations at the moment, i'm in the good books as i told the wife i would build her a walk in closet .
what your not telling us youve been given your orders or no more toys for you to buy for the garage and workshop,
havent you noticed your vice also has some play in it before it engages when turning either way ?
There will be a lot more toys as they will be needed for building the closet
You were in back-gear I assume?
Plenty of coolant and a steady feed. You can hear what's going on. With a sharp tool and the correct feed rate there's a nice crisp/shhh sound as the swarf comes off.
It looks as though it's been ground to groove something at one end and, maybe, as a threading tool at the other. In practice, you should keep the tool at the manufactured width for strength. It's usual to run in backgear on smaller lathes. The feed has to be steady and kept well lubricated. It's a case of practice, and practice some more. There are some good videos out there. Pretty sure Doubleboost has covered it and certain Tubalcain has. I've recently bought a couple of insert parting tools. I have to say they're fantastic.
What brushes do you guys use to apply lubricant? Flux Brush?
Generally the top is flat i.e. no rake. There should be some relief at the front, maybe 5 degrees, but it is not uncommon to see a curved relief since that is what you'll achieve easily when using the off-hand grinder. If you want to get clever, angle the tool slightly to the left as you grind so that the right hand side of the cutting edge protrudes more. When you part off this means that the pip, which is invariably left when parting, remains on the stock and not on the piece you've parted off. However, 9 times out of 10 you'll be facing the workpiece anyway. The tool needs to set exactly perpendicular to the line of the cut with the top edge exactly on the vertical centreline. Best achieved by setting it against a centre in the tailstock. Make sure you lock the carriage off too. Also make sure the gib is tight enough. This will help to reduce chatter.