speeds for insert drills

[driftbuster50]

Has anyone ever had a tool life issue from using the guidline speeds and feeds? I use walter inserted drills from .500 - 1.00 insert grade wap 20, the recomended sfm is 300-600 with .002-.004 feed (just an example). If i run a .594 drill thats like somewhere around 2500 rpm, i get no life out of the tool. But, if i run about 1100 rpm with all my drills and a .003 feed they seem to work pretty good. Am I doing something wrong with the sfm number? any advice for insert drilling would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!

[PixMan]

Are you matching the grade of the carbide insert to the material being machined and then getting the cutting speed recommendation from the Walter catalog or tech support?

That WAP 20 is an older grade meant for steels. Just what is the failure mode for the insert and what material are you drilling? In my experience with those drills, you should be running a "tough" grade on the inboard (center cutting) insert, such as WXP45. The WAP20 or newer WKP25 grade should be used on the outboard insert.

Which model number drills do you have and what materials are you drilling with them?