I'm rapidly getting through my stock of small triangular carbide inserts but wondered if there was anything that could be done with the broken/chipped ones - is using the entire flat side for finishing or something practical?
Invest in, or build a diamond lapping machine.
Even though I use tips commercially, they can be made a last a very long time with a touch up or even reprofiling.
I use a 6" diamond cup wheel, with water as a coolant.
Wayne...
When I was an apprenitce I used to get old tips from the machinist, break them up (sharp hammer blow, wrapped in a rag) and braze them onto the end of steel rods to make scribers. We used some very hard steels, and normal scribers went blunt very quickly. But that's probably not what you had in mind.
Regards Kevin
More useful than they are now...
Robin,
These tips should last an age in modelling terms. Are you perhaps using them outside their limitations? ISTR you mentioning intermittant cuts in one of your previous postings, which are often unavoidable but don't do small tips much good.
AWEM
I've been trying to cut some fairly thick stainless. There is a ring I have (laser cut, I believe) of 2mm plate, OD 100mm, ID 50mm. I wanted to increase the ID so put the jaws of my 3 jaw chuck inside the ring and opened it out. I was attempting to cut a groove all the way through
- I think a parting off tool would have been a better bet but the only one I have was quite expensive and came with one tip - I can't remember where I bought it so can't easily replace the tip and didn't wish to sacrifice it.
I remember reading that you should take fairly large cuts on stainless but perhaps I have been using too much pressure. I ordered the wrong coolant (turning into a Frank Spencer job, this!!) but have been using plenty of neat cutting oil, applied with a brush...
The intermittant cut worked OK, but that was on silver steel. When I can, I will pick up some HSS tools but sadly I haven't got space for a grinder so thought indexable tools would be more convenient...
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.