Recommended Sources for Round Carbide Cutters

[Tim Boger]

Hey Guys / Gals

I've made a few Turning Tools using Carbide Cutters and enjoyed the process, I had acquired some cutters from a familiar YouTube contributor and have no complaints .... however, I do think I can reduce my costs some.

I've seen and read about round cutters on Ebay and would appreciate any links or suggested sources.

I've sent message to a couple of the Chinese offerings on Ebay and haven't been able to get a confirmation on diameter or recommended application.

Thanks,
Tim

[daryl moses]

I purchased some from azcarbide. They have some good prices.

[Tim Boger]

Thanks Daryl, appreciate your feedback.


I purchased some from azcarbide. They have some good prices.

[Greg Just]

A lot of people recommend Captain Eddie: http://www.eddiecastelin.com/

I have not purchased from him but will give him a try next time. I didn't think azcarbide had very good customer service. I was supposed to get a wrench with my order and never got it. No one ever responded to my emails.

[Robert Willing]

I purchased some from azcarbide. They have some good prices.

I agree and they are always up dating their selections. They also provide a cross reference guide to most other manufactures. These are my go to choice.

[Tim Boger]

Thanks Robert, the cross reference guide is interesting ... I'll check it out.


I agree and they are always up dating their selections. They also provide a cross reference guide to most other manufactures. These are my go to choice.

[Joe Kieve]

As Greg recommended...Captain Eddie. I've used his cutters with no problems. He usually answers the phone when you call. Management, (his wife) requires it.

[Tim Boger]

As Greg recommended...Captain Eddie. I've used his cutters with no problems. He usually answers the phone when you call. Management, (his wife) requires it.

Thank you Joe, Capt Eddie has quite the following .... well deserved no doubt.

[allen thunem]

give these guys a try
http://www.globaltooling.net

[Tim Boger]

Thanks Allen


give these guys a try
http://www.globaltooling.net

[Michael Schneider]

Not sure where you live. Any cnc tooling house would sell them, but you generally need to buy at least 10 per size.

http://www.carbidedepot.com/ is one of the many online places

The other places above are very good, and tailor to people that only wish to buy one or two of each size.

[William C Rogers]

I bought some from Captain Eddie. They were fine. He will split packages i.e. I bought one square, one small round and one large round just to have a variety. I'm not a big fan of carbide cutters, the small round does come in handy, but I prefer my Thompson scrapers.

[Dane Riley]

Any of these sell micrograin cutters with not a top flat surface? They sometimes call it a chipbreaker. I want one that will cut, not scrape.

[John Donhowe]

Any of these sell micrograin cutters with not a top flat surface? They sometimes call it a chipbreaker. I want one that will cut, not scrape. I've come across these, but haven't bought them myself yet: http://www.carbidedepot.com/Wood-Turning.aspx While the diagram makes it look as if the top surface is flat, according to carbide insert codes http://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-insert-d.htm it appears that the "T" in the RCGT code indicates that it's a chipbreaker. Disclaimer: I have no experience or connection with the company but it looks like a reasonably priced alternative, although it does look as though there's a minimum order of 5 inserts.

[Jim Daughtridge]

Have you tried sharpening the ones that you have?

[Tom Giacomo]

I have ordered several times from Capt. Eddie, he sells his cutters in packages of three at a very good price.

[Doug Rasmussen]

Any of these sell micrograin cutters with not a top flat surface? They sometimes call it a chipbreaker. I want one that will cut, not scrape.

What you want is generally known as a "high positive" insert. If you're in a large metropolitan area look for industrial tooling suppliers. They'll have an assortment of sizes/shapes. Don't get hung up on it being micrograin. Carbide inserts have gone up substantially in recent years so I've found most suppliers are willing to sell singles now. For wood you'll want an uncoated grade (for coating adhesion micro dulling the cutting edges is sometimes required). The ideal one will literally be razor sharp.

Since I became aware of insert turning tools I've wondered why they most all use flat top inserts (scrapers). The answer is the high positive inserts are too aggressive with a tendency to dig into the work.

[Brice Rogers]

Have you tried sharpening the ones that you have?

The flat round scrapers are pretty easy to sharpen. I'm not sure if they are as sharp as new, but they are useable and better than before.

I bought a bunch of square 0.4 inch planer cutters and they are so cheap that I haven't attempted to sharpen them.

I use a carbide grinder (HF) and usually grind the round scrapers still attached to the tool. I am only touching up the flat top. I have also used a diamond file and sharpened the top by hand. In fact, I think that if a person removed the round scraper insert from the tool and rubbed it flat against the diamond file with their fingers that it would work okay.

I have done some touch up sharpening on the positive rake tips with a diamond file and very careful deliberate strokes. It helped. I also made a shaft that was tapped at the end to affix the positive rake insert and attempted to file it on the lathe, holding the file stationary. It appeared to remove the diamond from that part of the file. Not sure why.

[Dok Yager]

I too have purchased from Capt. Eddie and AZ Carbide. I will continue to purchase from AZ Carbide as he updates his cutters and has a good quality product and reasonable freight.

[Greg Just]

A lot of people recommend Captain Eddie: http://www.eddiecastelin.com/

I have not purchased from him but will give him a try next time. I didn't think azcarbide had very good customer service. I was supposed to get a wrench with my order and never got it. No one ever responded to my emails.

Update - In the mail the other day I finally received the wrench and 2 new cutters. It took awhile, but they made good.

[Jay Mullins]

I have bought cutters from Captain Eddie, and was pleasedwith the cutters and price. CaptainEddie has good customer service.
I have bought cutters from Carbide Depot, the cutters weregood and price was good as well. Theshipping is a little high though, $9.95 for ten cutters.
I have also bought cutters from Walmart……..Yes Walmart……………..Search for Walmart.com, then type in carbide cutters, you may have to scrolldown a few pages to find them. I boughtten cutters at two bucks each and shipping was under $4.oo. The cutters are good. Walmart sells lots of products that aredrop-shipped from suppliers or mfg’ers. So far Walmart has the best prices I’ve seen, though not a lot of sizesto choose from.
Jay