resharpening

[zcases]

Can anyone recommend a good low cost resharpening service? I have boxes of slightly dull cutters I would like to be able to use again...........

Thanks
Scott

[HuFlungDung]

What kind of tools? How 'used' are they?
What is your typical depth of cut?
Are they merely dull on the end?

Reason I ask, is that smaller tools (under 1/2") are probably not worth resharpening, because it will cost almost as much as a new tool, but will likely not perform as good as a new tool. Think recoating and loss of known OD.

Having said all that, I do touch up the odd tool for rough use. Usually the corners are gone, so those can be reshaped to a chamfered corner, just practice offhand with a diamond wheel (for carbide) or aluminum oxide wheel for HSS. CBN is good for HSS as well, but for offhand use, you do not want to spoil a CBN wheel face by heavy grinding of sharp corners. At least rough grind the tool on a cheap wheel first, then maybe touch it up on a CBN.

I have resurrected a few carbide endmills by cutting off the worn end. This restores the tool to use as a full diameter tool. However, it is quite an extreme amount of work to grind the end flutes back in. The tool is really only suitable for roughing after that, and for certain jobs where the tool does not need to cut on the end, it can work fine.

But, if you are busy, I don't think resharpening endmills yourself really pays well. Its more of a method to 'get by' while the new tooling comes in.

[zcases]

Yeah, I am getting 1/4 - 3/8 carbides in the $5.00 range. But for 1/2" to 1" and also some ball ends I would like to consider resharpening. This is for Mach2 Retrofitted Boss5 machines, so pretty light duty. I am not looking for pity, but I am usually cutting 0.030" deep, feeding 10 - 25 ipm and mostly aluminum. At my day job I have been collecting boxes of hundreds of cutters, so it would be worth it to spend a few bucks to sharpen them. I am hoping to find an inexpensive source for this service.

[Smackre]

Depends on what you call inexpensive. Let me know what you call resonable and ill let you know if it can be done for that.

[Switcher]

If you are going to send your tools out to have someone else sharpen them. Find someone that charges by the diameter of the tool ( NOT the Length ) If they charge by the diameter, it's really just a flat rate (thats a good thing, for repeat business). Also they should Not charge for cut-off broken tools (that takes all of 1 min. to cut-off)

Coating a tool, same thing, go by the tool diameter.

Also the tool should be cleaned up enough, that the diameter is brought back to as the tool was new. Otherwise, whats the point in messing with it in the first place?


.

[lockeyone]

try http://www.vortextool.com/services/millingCutter.cfm
not sure this is what your looking for.

[star1280]

If your in Chicago or Indiana I know of a great place.

[Adobe Machine]

Have a good grinding service in Tucson, will clean and grind 1/2 to 3/4 carbide for $5.00/ ea, you must check diameter and use cutter comp for that , but the sharpned end mills a really good cutting end mills. They also have the capacity to profile end mills for any use. Very economical, would be hard for a shop to buy a CNC tool grinder for their own tools.
I have ground a tool or two in an emergency situation, but the product is never as good as the CNC grinder.

Adobe (old as dirt)

[zcases]

So who is this guy in Tucson?