Tips For Knurling Stainless Steel

Since you are forming instead of cutting the material, you should not be seeing any material come off. If you are, something you're doing isn't right. I find that most people feed too slow, and that allows the rolls to chew on the stock. Once they have formed the diamond pattern, there is no use continuing to let them roll against the material.
I also have one of those Eagle Rock scissor tools. I never run it right on the center. It will have a tendency to pull into and over center. You can find the center to set the rolls though, and when you tighten the adjustment nut down, don't run it all the way back to center. Stop just short. I dial in while rocking the chuck forward and back until I have a good "bite" on the work, then make a couple of revolutions by hand to see how it's going to track. Usually turns out ok. Once I am happy with the depth I set, I engage the feed and start the spindle at about the same time. You can't let it dwell. It's always best to get the knurl done on the first pass. Naturally, the further out from center, the more pressure you end up putting on the work, same as a bump type, but if you stay pretty close but not on or over center, you will be fine.

On SS, remember, most of it work hardens rather quickly, so don't mess around. Get your settings right on a scrap piece and then go for the part straight away. Knurling is not to be taken with light, timid passes. That's the big advantage of the scissor tool. You aren't relying on a stiff part or a heavy, massive machine to apply a lot of pressure. Jump on it and get it done.
 
bfd said:
feed slow speed slow lots of cutting fluid. many passes until you get what you want or like. practice on scrap. blow the fine chips off the part as you procede bill
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If you are generating chips with a FORM KNURLING tool this is not ideal, no chips should be produced, you are forming the part surface not cutting it

A cut knurl is a different matter however.
 
I have produced many fine knurls and have always found slight flaking occurring on all materials not just stainless. these are the chips I refer to sort of like fine metal bits in a used oil filter. bill
 
I have never needed to do any math when knurling. I just knurl it and it comes out great. I use an Aloris scissor type. I DO NOT come straight down on the work. That could make problems with how the diamond pattern comes out. Instead I come in from the end with the knurling tool pre-set for depth and do one pass with a lubricant…Dave
 
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Here is an easy method if you are having trouble with knurls. I machine grooves spaced 60 thou apart with a
60 degree thread cutting tool. Then I use the single knurl on the right side of the photo and run over the
rings relative agresively. The result is the "knurl" on the left. Technically one could call it a "pseudoknurl"
but it looks nice and relatively easy to do. They are really grippy too.

Another thought on regular knurling... If I have a knurl that sort of "herringbones", I machine off a couple thousandths
and retry and the second run usually knurls quite nicely. Usually I am not machining to a specific diameter but
rather making a hand hold with a decent looking knurl. This works because the knurls have to match up to the
circumfrance.
 
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bfd said:
I have produced many fine knurls and have always found slight flaking occurring on all materials not just stainless. these are the chips I refer to sort of like fine metal bits in a used oil filter. bill
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In the past I have produced chips as you describe with a form knurl when hitting the part far to hard, have since made a habit of "just enough" knurl. A few weeks ago I put an agressive 12 pitch knurl on an aluminum tool, it chipped and buggered a bit. This was not a problem as the customer merely wanted a stem that the employees could easily hold in use, it did not come back as Non Compliant.
 
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