carbide inserts sharpening

It is possibly quite daft idea, but did anyone of you attempt to sharpen blunt disposable carbide inserts and use them very much like HSS, possibly even brazed to shanks?

Lets forget some features of inserts useful in production turning as required speeds would be out of range anyway on plain bearing lathe, so one can grind these "chip breaking geometries etc" away regardless and there will be nothing to miss.

Edited By Martin Dowing on 22/09/2017 22:59:04

Never tried it, but I guess it must be possible given patience, skill, and the right equipment. The question is why?! Idle curiousity, or do you have masses of blunt inserts you want to recycle?

Rob.

Curiosity but blunt or chipped off inserts are also there.

Just wonder if something useful could be done of these. Also wonder how would behave an insert sharpened in HSS style comparing to HSS?

.

There is a company (think US based) that supplies HSS inserts in popular sizes for tool holders.

Has anyone used them.?

Nick

I doubt many of us actually wear out inserts, as in slowly "blunt" them. Generally they tend to get damaged on the cutting edge, so "sharpening" them would need to be pretty drastic and most likely ruin the chipbreaker.

If you watch Pierre's Garage on Youtube, you will see that recently he showed how to grind carbide inserts (with the appropriate diamond wheel). But there again, he also reviewed some "very cost effective" inserts that he found to be perfectly serviceable, so in that context, would it be worthwhile messing about trying to "resharpen" them?

Murray

I do so quite often using a silicone carbide wheel (the greenish ones).

so do i ...same green wheel

Hi Martin,

As others have said, you can grind old carbide inserts on a diamond or silicone carbide wheel. I often use a small diamond hone to sharpen old and chipped inserts to get a sharp cutting edge, the inserts may need a grind first.

Thor

In the past I have both touched up carbide inserts changing the tip radius or giving more front clearance, using a diamond wheel,and to make a special tool brazed on to various mild steel shank. You can make boring bars circlip grooving tools and form tools as well as fly cutters for the mill and boring head special cutters.

David

The US company who makes HSS inserts is A. R. Warner. I have used them for 10 or 12 years, they are excellent and resharpenable, by giving them a quick touch up with a diamond plate. Resharpening takes all of 10 to 20 seconds, only the top face needs dressing. They are expensive, but I have never worn one out!! I have the small triangular ones and the small 80 degree trapezoidal ones. Try LMS or Google "A R Warner".

No connection with either company other than as a very satisfied customer.

cheers

Bill

Bill, this is an interesting idea for finish cuts. But they appear to made to inch sizes, are you using them in metric indexable holders, or is an investment in ANSI holders necessary too?

Cheers, Colin

I have a diamond wheel on one end of my bench grinder. This is used for brazed carbide tools as well as carbide inserts. I regularly use a triangular tip in a 40mm face cutter. Being a tight wad I buy TPUN turning tips instead of TPKN milling tips because they are cheaper. These will then stand many regrinds and give good metal removal rate and surface finish. I also regrind other carbide tip profiles, it is not used in a production environment so I get away with it.

Another YouTube video to watch would be Stefan Gotteswinter's on the same subject: **LINK**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVvgcvlbBs

Not tried it myself, I don't have the required kit.

John

I have a set of warner internal / external threading tools and they are excellent .

+ 1 for Stefans channel , if someone can get a new life out of a tool he will - he is one of the best youtube creators going around !

The Inch and metric sizes are identical. All the common inserts are made to inch 'inscribed circle' dimensions and the metric nomenclature is an approximation of that size.

Confess that I had to go and check what 'inscribed circle' meant - no such thing when I was a lad etc. Thanks for that clarification, think I might try ordering a couple from US, keeping it under customs limits, and give them a try from interest.

Cheers, Colin