insert tooling or brazed carbide

[3strucking]

I know I should learn to grind my own HSS but I think I would rather use inserts or brazed carbide while I learn. There are so many different styles can someone offer a recommendation? I have a SCLCR-8-3 holder and a SSDCN-10-3 holder that was included in my equipment purchase. I have BXA holders. I would like to get a boring bar set also. I will be working with SS, CM, AL.

 

[jocat54]

Your right, need to learn to grind your own. Also all most all the brazed carbide I have seen needs to be sharpen to cut well.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

CCMT inserts are very nice, as are DCMT inserts
these inserts are ready to go- no sharpening like when you get brazed carbide
they work excellent in the materials listed

 

[pineyfolks]

The benefit of brazed carbide is you can sharpen them. Once you insert is dull it's done. Inserts can get costly quick for home use, not saying they don't have their place.

 

[Bob Korves]

Inserts can certainly be sharpened, but few actually do. They are mostly considered throwaways.

 

[pineyfolks]

Once I dull an insert I save them and braze them onto key stock and grind them for roughing tools. You may be able to grind one edge for use in the original holder but after that the insert will not seat correctly in the holder causing them to break easily. At least that's been my experience.

 

[Wreck™Wreck]

Carbide tooling does not get "dull" in the traditional sense, the carbide grains are pulled away from the binder holding them together and the edge breaks down, this often accelerates rapidly. The tool begins to fall apart for want of a better term.

 

[Chipper5783]

All of the above. HSS, brazed carbide, carbide inserts - they all have their place. If you stay in this game, you will end up with plenty of different kinds of tooling. Tool sharpening is a given. Being able to sharpen tooling opens up more and more options as you get better at it. It is a key skill that will improve your machining results. This is another example of the basics are really not that difficult and you will soon find it is easy to maintain simple tool geometries. Of course, there is no end to improving on what type of tooling you may choose to sharpen and how successful you are at the quality of the result.

 

[woodchucker]

Learn to grind hss first, when you need a forming tool, grinding your own is the only way.

Then inserts

 

[Eremius]

Learn to grind hss first, when you need a forming tool, grinding your own is the only way.

Then inserts

I am going to completely disagree with this. There is a bit of a learning curve for grinding tool bits.

While it is a handy skill to have, all of your other learning should not hinge on this one skill. Buy some insert tooling and learn to use your machine. While you are doing that look for places where it would be handy to have custom tool bits and grind as necessary.

Brazed tool bits are a tempting way to go as a beginner because they are cheap and CARBIDE. Dirty little secret (as mentioned above) is they still need to be ground and/or sharpened. There is a reason why they are cheap. I would suggest avoiding them until you develop some machine and sharpening skills, then work them into your arsenal of tools.

Grinding is not the only way.