Cheap (Chinese?) Carbide Tips

[Apprentice707]

I'm of the school that old tools are all that I need. There are suppliers to the machining trade and their catalogues are good reading but the prices are intended for production shops where these costs can be passed along to the customer. That's not my case as machining is a hobby that is part of my DNA. I inherited tools from my father and father-in-law that I still use today. My newest machines were all well used in the 1970s before I bought them and I only added a coat of paint. In fact, the only machine that I bought new was a 300 amp stick welder and that was in 1980.

Mostly my source for tooling comes from estate sales where an old time machinist passed away. With the purchase I get a well used Kennedy box. The treasures are inside and they suit my needs. Even when I do purchase tooling it's the less expensive brands and if they break or get dull I sharpen them for reuse. One recent estate purchase included a collection of carbide inserts which I have mounted to steel holders for lathe cutters. They work well enough for my needs.

In another thread there was discussion of teaching grandkids metal working skills and I am doing the same but I have no illusions that they will have the same DNA requirement to make parts. But if they do, they will find my collection of carbide bit tooling when I'm gone which should get the job done.

For those who maligne Chinese products consider that most global manufacturers moved their facilities and expertise there to save labour costs only. I recently repaired an iPhone and was impressed at the skill that it must take to build and assemble a smart phone. The layers of circuit boards can be gently removed and replaced but it takes fine motor skills, tiny tools and magnifying glasses. The fact that these phones cost so little and are disposable amazes me.

So back to the topic of this thread. If you can afford high end tooling and it works well for you, great. But if not, look for estate sales as there are lots of old tools that will get the job done.

Good article DJP, if machining and making things is your hobby, you set your own standards to "Please You" and no one else. Most of us work to a budget, we would be a fool not to. Love this hobby when I get the urge to "Cut Metal" to hell with critics that is what I do.

 

[mohavegun]

I have worked the best part of the last 50 years in one form or another of machine work & metal crafts... I have used good tools and bad tools, sharp ones and dull ones, cheap ones and expensive ones.... As for my machines, the oldest machine in my shop was built in 1923, the newest in 1999. My best lathe was built in 1951 (Not my newest lathe).

I have a goofy respect for Chinese carbides... The problem is this, China today has more iron foundries and steel mills than the total assets of the rest of the world, and no doubt they have more machinists, metal workers, foundry workers and steel workers than the combined total of the rest of the world! With that said, along with China being a major world contender in military, conquest of space, ship building and of course general manufacturing.. Well it has to follow that they are doing a hell of a lot of things very right!

Try not to buy the CHEAPEST Chinese tools, some of their better tools are very inexpensive by comparison to some of our tools such as Kennametal, etc. BUT understand the tools necessary to keep China on top of the pile are probably mostly made in China!

I recently had a positive experience with some "cheap drill bits" from Harbor Freight, I needed 1/8 bits and had just ordered some from a major US supplier. The HF tools went home with me and got put into the fray, first one broke on first hole! bummer.... Second drill drilled over 500 holes! I kept using them till two days later when my American Made "Hole Hogs" came in, drill for drill through the next 2500 holes the "Cheap HF' drills out-drilled the Cobalt Hole Hogs on holes 1 1/4" deep in 6061 aluminum! So you never know about Chinese tools. The package of Chinese drills cost less than one "Hole Hog" and drilled closer to diameter of the drill, the HH drills tended to clog with chips in the deep hole. I treated both brands of drills alike but had noticeably better results with the Chinese drills. I say Harbor Freight hit a home run on this one! This project was a "screw machine run" of parts with 1/8" holes 1.25" deep in 1/4" hex bar, cycle time on the machine allowed about 45 seconds to drill the hole, flood oil coolant , part velocity 1,500 RPM. Hole hogs would bind and stick in the part at failure, sometimes they would twist right out of the tool holder without breaking, the Chinese drills just broke, sometimes only the last 1/4" of the drill, sometimes at the shank but they always broke in the end and did not come out of the holder. I consider the test "fair" because nothing was changed in setup, pilot drill or cam, both drills had identical exposure to part, identical cooling and identical materials.

Rod

China is currently building a lot of components and complete vehicles even for the American auto industry, Chevrolet specifically has put a lot of their manufacturing in Chinese shops... so much for "The Heartbeat of America"! Just my comment.

 

[Luc De Wispelaere]

I know from a sales manager in Belgium that these are real Iscar inserts, made in China
Iscar has a factory in China, and they make the same ISCAR inserts as in Europe