Steel recommendations

[ecdez]

I need to make a part in steel. After being machined to shape it has to be tapped on one end and then surface ground on two planes and have a reasonably attractive finish. The tapped hole needs to hold up to some medium level abuse; probably 3/8x16 threads. Typically I use 1018 for all my stuff. I was just going to run with it for this part too but I've never ground 1018 and don't know how it would fare compared to other grades. Should it be fine or is there another easily accessible grade that would be better?

Another consideration is forgiveness. I have a terrible time with steel (compared to aluminum) and a nasty habit of breaking end mills. I don't think I want to use anything too hard. I normally use a carbide rougher and a finisher.

Any suggestions?

 

[Groundhog]

I don't know about grinding 1018 (or any other for that matter) but I have a suggestion for your end mill woes. If your mill is not super sturdy (like a 1 ton K&T) and/or fast like a modern machining center try cobalt end mills instead of carbide. Carbide is brittle and will snap at the slightest impact or inconstient feed resulting from the mills flex (even the 1 ton mill has some flex). And, if you are already breaking end mills you are probably not using the added feed rate carbide affords anyway. Cobalt on the other hand will absorb more of these impacts yet is hard enough to stay sharp (unless you are milling at carbide feed rates). Anyway, the change to cobalt almost stopped my end mill breakage.

 

[chips&more]

1018 will surface grind just fine (like butter). Maybe make the part out of 1144 instead? Would hold up much better. And the stuff machines great. If you still what to use 1018. Just keep the threads clean when in use. If they start to fail you could HeliCoil the threads…Dave.

 

[ecdez]

I don't know about grinding 1018 (or any other for that matter) but I have a suggestion for your end mill woes. If your mill is not super sturdy (like a 1 ton K&T) and/or fast like a modern machining center try cobalt end mills instead of carbide. Carbide is brittle and will snap at the slightest impact or inconstient feed resulting from the mills flex (even the 1 ton mill has some flex). And, if you are already breaking end mills you are probably not using the added feed rate carbide affords anyway. Cobalt on the other hand will absorb more of these impacts yet is hard enough to stay sharp (unless you are milling at carbide feed rates). Anyway, the change to cobalt almost stopped my end mill breakage.

I'm using a Tormach. I think I have a Cobalt mill somewhere that showed up here on it's own. I might give that a try and see what happens.

1018 will surface grind just fine (like butter). Maybe make the part out of 1144 instead? Would hold up much better. And the stuff machines great. If you still what to use 1018. Just keep the threads clean when in use. If they start to fail you could HeliCoil the threads…Dave.

I don't think I have access to 1144 locally and I'd like to just pick it up because if this works I can see making more down the road. After checking, my local supplier has 1018, 12L14 and 4140.

 

[benmychree]

There would be very little difference in grinding any common grade of steel, hard or soft, carbon or alloy; stainless can be problematic.