Carbide Inserts in the Home Workshop

[Mayhem]

I use both HSS and insert tooling.

[Sunset Machine]

Only one carbide face mill here, the rest all HSS. Forms tools sometimes carbon steel, a current one is A2. I experimented with carbide and 4140HT once, it just stopped the lathe cold and haven't tried it since. Light cuts only, what's the point. Sounds like I might be missing out on something though, have to take another look.

[rleete]

I use HSS almost exclusively. Since most of the parts I make are eventually polished, the surface finish I get is important as it saves me time and effort. I rarely cut anything other than aluminum or brass. Even mild steel is probably used less than 5%.

I also have no way to sharpen carbide at home, so that's a major consideration for me.

[EdK]

(06-21-2012, 05:23 PM)Highpower Wrote:

(06-21-2012, 02:50 PM)DaveH Wrote: What do you use?
HSS, Brazed Carbide, Carbide Insert.

DaveH

My answer is yes.

I'm not very scientific about it I'm afraid. I grab a tool and start using it. If it works - great. If things don't go well, I'll keep switching tools until I find one that does work. It always seems that what works this week doesn't work the following week and I have to switch flavors.

I like using carbide inserts when I can (because I'm lazy), but there are times when HSS puts on a much better finish depending on the material. Now days I use the brazed carbide for the nasty rough stuff because I don't want to damage those pertty pricy inserts.

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Ed

[Hopefuldave]

All of the above - HSS for the soft stuff / best possible finish / special form tools, inserts for harder materials when I can allow the less-shiny finishes, brazed carbide for nasties like hardened QCTPs (e.g. boring the base to fit a topslide spigot - something I find I have to do a few times a week at work...) - the hard skin seems to be a couple of mm deep, HSS won't touch it, inserts seem to just slide around under the clamp and "get out of the way"!

I almost always *sharpen* brazed tips, preferring to get the cheap ones and grind my own geometry, as cheap or expensive they still chip on hardened tool steel... A fine-ish green grit wheel and a diamond lap are good investments! Often the steel shaft needs grinding too - e.g. a lot of the cheaper brazed-tip boring bars are a bit clumsy as supplied, but grinding away some of the steel at the business end of a (f'rinstance) 10 or 12mm boring bar to get some heel clearance will let me get it into a 15mm hole *and cutting* and leaves the bulk of the bar at full size and rigidity, unless I need to go deep.

I've found the carbide parting inserts (in the fancy blade tools) are a wonder, but damn they're *fragile*! No interrupted cuts, any side load at all and the insert's gone and the blade bends, nasty noises! I go with HSS if I have a tricky job to part off.

Dave H. (the other one)

[Bill Gruby]

nobody has mentioned HSS Indexable Inserts fron Arthur Warner. I use these most of the time now. Go to the site and at the left find Tool Kits.

http://www.arwarnerco.com/?gclid=CIaas42...OgodPGhMfQ

"Billy G"

[PixMan]

(06-22-2012, 01:03 PM)Hopefuldave Wrote: I've found the carbide parting inserts (in the fancy blade tools) are a wonder, but damn they're *fragile*! No interrupted cuts, any side load at all and the insert's gone and the blade bends, nasty noises! I go with HSS if I have a tricky job to part off.

Dave H. (the other one)

I'll have to make a video of my carbide insert cutoff tool(s) doing an interrupted cut. It'll just amaze you.

Not all carbide insert parting tools are created equal.