Author Topic: Carbide Inserts We've Tried  (Read 2625 times)

Offline vtsteam

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Carbide Inserts We've Tried
« on: April 14, 2022, 08:52:10 AM »
I thought it would be interesting for people to post short carbide insert reviews in a continuing thread. I've tried a number of them recently -- mostly low cost imported types, or remaindered domestic flea market purchases, and they have been a mix of results, their performance ranges all over the place, as might be expected. I'd like to share what I've found, and I hope others will join in too, here, with their favorite, go to, or most hated inserts.

To get things started how about if we use a rating scale like this:

5 = junk
4 = meh
3 = usable
2 = good
1 = fantastic

Please list materials tried on, for example:

Tool Steel
Mild Steel
Cast Iron (clean)
Cast Iron (rough sandcast)
Aluminum
Brass/Bronze
Zinc//Zamac

And it would be helpful to rate:

Material removal
Material finish
Longevity

Finally of great interest will be:
Cost per insert
and a link, if possible to where you bought yours

Pics would be great!





« Last Edit: April 14, 2022, 10:06:00 AM by vtsteam »
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Carbide Inserts We've Tried
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2022, 09:23:03 AM »
Well, to break the ice, these are DCMT070208 BP010 inserts. I've been using them on rough iron castings with sand surface inclusions, scale, and heavily interrupted cuts -- probably the most difficult of turning tasks in my own shop. And they do very well with that.

They are very inexpensive, so I don't mind turning them around (two cutting points per insert) or replacing them as needed. They do hold up to a beating and sand abrasion, but eventually the cut will deteriorate from wear or a chipped edge. The wide radius tip (the 08 in the designation) is stronger than an 04 radius on an insert, and more resistant to chipping.

I've gone through 6 inserts in a month of fairly frequent casting Iron parts and cleaning up the raw castings on the lathe.

I rate them as Good
I've used them on Cast Iron (rough sandcast)
Material removal rate as Good
Material finish as Good
Longevity as Good (considering the material difficulty)
Cost per insert is $0.52 (with shipping from China) 20 @ $10.50
Link:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/154774155952
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline vtsteam

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Re: Carbide Inserts We've Tried
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2022, 10:00:33 AM »
A recent discovery TCGT090204-AK H01. I bought these for aluminum turning, and they will put a high shine on 6061. They do not tip weld with aluminum -- they have a lot of back rake and are highly polished. I also tried them in a fly cutter on the lathe and the did a really nice job boring out an aluminum sand casting.

Surprising to me, they also did an amazing job when used with a boring bar in cleaning up the inside of a stainless steel displacer cylinder. They left a mirror finish on the stainless bore, with no cutting fluid at all. I wasn't planning to use them for the purpose, but only a very short lathe tool fit the boring bar, and it happened to have one of these inserts mounted from an earlier job. I was testing out the boring setup for alignment and took a short trial cut. The finish and cutting action were superb, so I just kept on going.  :dremel: I don't know how long these last, because I'm still on my first cutting point (there are three per insert).

I rate them as Fantastic
I've used them on Aluminum (6061 and cast), Stainless steel
Material removal rate as Good
Material finish as Fantastic
Longevity as Good (or better -- so far only one used)
Cost per insert is $0.63 (China shipping extra) 10 @ $6.30
Link:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/265633541173
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg