"Cheap" inserts that *work*

[David2011]

I wandered and rambled a lot in my last post. To distill it, I'm mostly using ISCAR DCMT070204 inserts with their IC907 coating and holding them in Chinese tool holders. Even off of Marketplace they cost more initially than most Amazon/eBay Chinese imports but cost far less as expressed by hours or surface feet of use.

The Amazon VerLich inserts that are fairly decent require feeding faster than the ISCARs but they're readily available and not real expensive.

Amazon.com

EDIT: I'm too hard-headed and frugal for my own good at times. When I find that the cheap stuff isn't all that suitable for the task I find it much easier to spend more for better. It's usually a lesson I have to learn for myself but I'm learning.

 

[David2011]

. . . It's so hard to tell one rainbow-colored insert from another when you can neither trust nor verify the quality from lot to lot. With the ISO 9001 major brands, you know what you are getting without surprises.

I made a comment to a retired professional machinist at a maker's group one evening. I said something about "cheap Chinese gold colored inserts" and he was quick to point out that they were coated with Titanium Nitride. I said nothing out loud but thought to myself, "Maybe, but considering the source and performance, that remains to be confirmed. They're definitely gold colored."

 

[pontiac428]

I made a comment to a retired professional machinist at a maker's group one evening. I said something about "cheap Chinese gold colored inserts" and he was quick to point out that they were coated with Titanium Nitride. I said nothing out loud but thought to myself, "Maybe, but considering the source and performance, that remains to be confirmed. They're definitely gold colored."

That's just it. There's a certain point where it all starts to get a bit weird...

 

[Weldingrod1]

Sounds like a DNV audit answer!

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[Jimsehr]

There is no law that says you can not regrind inserts. I have been doing it for over 60 years. I have no preference on carbide or hss tools. In
a production shop you want speed and use tools made for speed. And changing an insert is the way to go. On CNC machines changing an insert is quickest way to go. Time is money. You have to pay off that machine.
In a home shop who cares if it takes 1 minute or 10 to change a tool?
When I was doing thousands of the same part every month it matters how fast you can load a part in the machine. Time is money.
Jim Sehr

 

[Jimsehr]

About 50 or 60 years ago we were using so many Kennametal TPG inserts that we saved them up and a private grinding company was resharpening them for us.
The inserts cost were much higher then so regrinding made sense.
We were doing long run production runs on Stellite bar stock. That is tough material to machine. So we used the inserts twice.

 

[Ischgl99]

In a home shop who cares if it takes 1 minute or 10 to change a tool?

I do. I don’t have unlimited time in my workshop, so I am not going to spend 10 minutes changing a tool when there is a much faster method. Grinding HSS is my least favorite thing to do, so I use inserts for everything I can.

 

[MrCrankyface]

Getting into machining all I heard was to grind HSS and that inserts will never work on hobby level machines, especially knockoff inserts.
For the last 7 years or so I've only had 2 boxes of inserts be duds, some kind of 1604 inserts for a facemill that wouldn't cut steel, bought off wish.
Any inserts I've bought via amazon prime, aliexpress, banggood etc has worked great for me and as I've gotten better at dialing in my feeds and speeds I can get quite a lot of life out of them, even on small rickety machines.
Occasionally I also grind HSS tools but I save that for when I need a custom "one off" where HSS really outshines inserts.
I concur with time being to valuable to be resharpening tools, it's much more rewarding just changing the insert and keep going.

 

[Jimsehr]

I do. I don’t have unlimited time in my workshop, so I am not going to spend 10 minutes changing a tool when there is a much faster method. Grinding HSS is my least favorite thing to do, so I use inserts for everything I can.

I hand ground all the tools to make this part. If I didn’t learn how to hand grind hss and carbide . I would have had a hard time trying to find an insert to do this part.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I like these Ingersoll inserts and I also use the Iscar Inserts I find neither cheep when I pony up the buy in fee but I rarely have issues with Either.