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Finally compared cutters: HSS vs carbide on stainless
Been running a job with 304 stainless for the last two weeks and I was burning through HSS end mills like crazy. Swapped to a 3 flute carbide from Lakeside Carbide and that one tool cut over 80 parts before I had to touch it up. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed that big of a difference?
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roberts951mo ago
...and the funny thing is I had the exact same head slapping moment a few years ago on a 304 job. I was running a 1/4" HSS end mill and I remember thinking "this is just how stainless is, you eat through tools." Then I tried a cheap generic 2 flute carbide from Ebay and it outlasted tool number four HSS ones combined. That first carbide tool paid for itself in just downtime saved from not changing tools every 15 minutes. Now I stock mostly carbide for any stainless or tough stuff and only keep a few HSS around for aluminum or quick one off jobs.
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taylor.hayden1mo ago
Wait, you're telling me a tool that costs five times as much actually works better? Who would've guessed that, right? I had the same eye opening moment when I switched my shop over to carbide for 316 stainless. That first carbide end mill lasted through a whole production run while the HSS ones were dying after like 10 parts. Now I just keep a sharpie handy to mark the good ones so the new guys don't grab the wrong ones out of the drawer.
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