- Joined
- Jul 26, 2011
- Messages
- 4,142
Many of you guys are too carbide happy! Most of the machines we use in the home hobby shop can't even use carbide cutters to their full potential. And,unless you have diamond grinding wheels on your tool and cutter grinder, you can't sharpen them.
Fortunately for me,I have so many surplus USA HSS cutters,I don't really need any more till I croak. There was a used machinery dealer in Richmond for many years,whose low prices enabled me to build up my shop vastly more than I could,if I had to pay retail prices. He has just retired. A sad loss.
The trouble with Chinese cutters is lack of quality control. Some of their cutters will be fully sharp. Some will NOT be fully sharp. I've HAD to use import cutters in the museum I worked in for 40 years as toolmaker. Budget constraints,you know. I have bought several of those 20 piece sets over the years,and have found big variations in how sharp they are.
Many of those sets of HSS cutters are coated. But,you can see through the coatings,so thin are they applied!! Might as well not be there!
At least,I have been able to sharpen them with my K.O Lee "Knock Out" tool and cutter grinder and my VERY old,but still quite functional Weldon cutter grinding attachment. Not one of the nice air bearing outfits,but it gets the job done.
But then,the original diameters of the cutters is altered,of course.
It seems to me that Chinese HSS is harder than USA HSS. The guys at Wholesale Tool told me that some customers prefer the Chinese HSS,as they will cut material that the softer USA HSS will not. I believe that,as I have found the Chinese HSS harder,but also MORE BRITTLE. Not as brittle as carbide,though. If they are fully sharp,they seem to perform pretty well.
So,my advice is not to buy Chinese HSS unless you can actually FEEL their cutting edges and see that they are sharp. That probably means a trip to Harbor Freight. I think that Harbor Freight picks the cheapest of the cheap Chinese stuff to sell,though.
My purchases at Harbor Freight are usually limited to acid brushes,twine,and sometimes their cheap ceramic kitchen knives. The knives are very sharp,except abut 1 1/2" from the tips of their knives,their grinding is not sharp,and you can actually see flat spots on the cutting edge of the blade. I can grind those flat spots away myself,though most can't. I had one of their knives' handles ,made of some kind of hard plastic/rubber(?) split open,and the blade fell out. But,that was on an older knife,and for $9.00 I can make a wooden handle,or just chuck it! Chinese plastic is always questionable. And,some times it actually STINKS. I have a drawer full of screw drivers,which emits an unpleasant odor when opened as it contains a few plastic handle screw drivers. Recently I have just gone back to steel knives. Those ceramic blades are VERY brittle,and you don't dare twist with them,no matter what they cost.
BTW: FORGET about buying Chinese files!! They NEVER are any good. The Mexican Nicholsons seem to have gotten their files fully hardened by now. GREAT news for those of us who use files a lot.
Fortunately for me,I have so many surplus USA HSS cutters,I don't really need any more till I croak. There was a used machinery dealer in Richmond for many years,whose low prices enabled me to build up my shop vastly more than I could,if I had to pay retail prices. He has just retired. A sad loss.
The trouble with Chinese cutters is lack of quality control. Some of their cutters will be fully sharp. Some will NOT be fully sharp. I've HAD to use import cutters in the museum I worked in for 40 years as toolmaker. Budget constraints,you know. I have bought several of those 20 piece sets over the years,and have found big variations in how sharp they are.
Many of those sets of HSS cutters are coated. But,you can see through the coatings,so thin are they applied!! Might as well not be there!
At least,I have been able to sharpen them with my K.O Lee "Knock Out" tool and cutter grinder and my VERY old,but still quite functional Weldon cutter grinding attachment. Not one of the nice air bearing outfits,but it gets the job done.
But then,the original diameters of the cutters is altered,of course.
It seems to me that Chinese HSS is harder than USA HSS. The guys at Wholesale Tool told me that some customers prefer the Chinese HSS,as they will cut material that the softer USA HSS will not. I believe that,as I have found the Chinese HSS harder,but also MORE BRITTLE. Not as brittle as carbide,though. If they are fully sharp,they seem to perform pretty well.
So,my advice is not to buy Chinese HSS unless you can actually FEEL their cutting edges and see that they are sharp. That probably means a trip to Harbor Freight. I think that Harbor Freight picks the cheapest of the cheap Chinese stuff to sell,though.
My purchases at Harbor Freight are usually limited to acid brushes,twine,and sometimes their cheap ceramic kitchen knives. The knives are very sharp,except abut 1 1/2" from the tips of their knives,their grinding is not sharp,and you can actually see flat spots on the cutting edge of the blade. I can grind those flat spots away myself,though most can't. I had one of their knives' handles ,made of some kind of hard plastic/rubber(?) split open,and the blade fell out. But,that was on an older knife,and for $9.00 I can make a wooden handle,or just chuck it! Chinese plastic is always questionable. And,some times it actually STINKS. I have a drawer full of screw drivers,which emits an unpleasant odor when opened as it contains a few plastic handle screw drivers. Recently I have just gone back to steel knives. Those ceramic blades are VERY brittle,and you don't dare twist with them,no matter what they cost.
BTW: FORGET about buying Chinese files!! They NEVER are any good. The Mexican Nicholsons seem to have gotten their files fully hardened by now. GREAT news for those of us who use files a lot.
I don't think I can afford this hobby! LOL!
