If you happen to live in the vicinity of a company which makes circuit boards, and If there is a metal salvage company near by and If you have a high speed grinder like a Dremal which has a 1/8 inch collet you might be interested in the following:
The Circuit Board manufactures often use little super tough High Speed cutters that look like the "burrs" that typically cost about $5 each at the Hardware Store.
At a local metal salvage company I found a 25 gallon barrel FULL of these. I'm not sure why, but they had all been cut off leaving about 3/8 length of unused cutting flutes so I asked "how much for some of these". The owner said $5 a pound. That's $5.00 for about 160 of them! Needless to say I bought a pound.
These cutters all have a 1/8 diameter shank and come in several sizes. The ones I bought were 3/32, 1/16, and several smaller metric ones.
They all have a plastic collar on them with the size marked on each collar. Each size has different colored collars which by the way can be pulled off leaving just the tool.
They are all Super Sharp and although the end cutting area has been removed, for side cutting they can't be beat.
When they ground off this end cutting area it was not done with any precision so you will have to regrind it to make it square if your using these for side milling and as I said, their SuperTough High Speed steel. It was kind of a draw between the cutters and my grinding wheel as to who would win because they will leave a groove in the wheel.
Good buy for some good tools. Ask around at the Salvage yards.
The Circuit Board manufactures often use little super tough High Speed cutters that look like the "burrs" that typically cost about $5 each at the Hardware Store.
At a local metal salvage company I found a 25 gallon barrel FULL of these. I'm not sure why, but they had all been cut off leaving about 3/8 length of unused cutting flutes so I asked "how much for some of these". The owner said $5 a pound. That's $5.00 for about 160 of them! Needless to say I bought a pound.
These cutters all have a 1/8 diameter shank and come in several sizes. The ones I bought were 3/32, 1/16, and several smaller metric ones.
They all have a plastic collar on them with the size marked on each collar. Each size has different colored collars which by the way can be pulled off leaving just the tool.
They are all Super Sharp and although the end cutting area has been removed, for side cutting they can't be beat.
When they ground off this end cutting area it was not done with any precision so you will have to regrind it to make it square if your using these for side milling and as I said, their SuperTough High Speed steel. It was kind of a draw between the cutters and my grinding wheel as to who would win because they will leave a groove in the wheel.
Good buy for some good tools. Ask around at the Salvage yards.
