Boring heads for the mill

[TomG]

(06-21-2012, 01:43 PM)DaveH Wrote:

(06-21-2012, 12:35 PM)TomG Wrote: Carbide tooling is almost never appropriate for the hobby machinist.
Tom

Tom,

I see, you wanna fight

Pulling your leg Tom, but it is a bit of a wide sweeping statement


DaveH

Hey Dave, I'm always up for a good brawl.

Carbide tooling is appropriate for high volume applications (read production) or for difficult to machine materials like stainless or pre-hardened tool steels, but very few home or hobby machinists have machinery that is rigid enough or powerful enough to benefit from it. Carbide tooling is also quite expensive to use compared to high speed, inflexible (ever try to grind a carbide insert to fit a special application?) and the cutting edge, in the case of inserts is not nearly as sharp as high speed steel so it produces a poorer surface finish.

I'm always amazed at how many new machinists assume that carbide is the way to go instead of high speed steel. Maybe it's the fear of having to learn how to grind their own tools, although there are high speed steel inserts available, or maybe they just get sucked in by the advertising.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against using carbide for the right application and I often use it myself if appropriate. It's just that hobby machining is generally not the place for it.

Rob:

I used to have a Wholhaupter boring and facing head and they are simply amazing. Maybe one day I'll own one again.

Tom