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I am using this little internal turning tool I have gotten from some company long ago as it was too worn out for them to use. By the time i gotten it for me as hobbyist, it was stil good for me to do some simple turning. Now after some time I think it starts to wear out. I would like to buy a new one, but I cannot figure out what kind of internal turning tool this is. Perhaps some internal turning tool to make internal screw thread?

Can someone help me to identify what kind of tool this is and where it is used for so perhaps I can find a new one to buy. The thing itself is like 3cm so it is pretty small.

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Bart
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  • You can't sharpen it with a bench grinder? – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:06
  • I been told that inserts cannot be sharpen again, they told me it was the same case with this one, do you think it can? – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:09
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    That is not an insert which means it can be sharpened. The reason you can't sharpen inserts is because they have complex chip breaker geometries, coatings, and are intended for use in CNC which requires a repeatable geometry and nose radius. The geometry on your tool is much more simpler and I assume you are using a manual lathe? It will just take different grinding wheels to sharpen depending on whether it is steel or carbide. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:13
  • I dont know, its light magnetic, does this imply it is steel? Or is there an other way I can check? And yeah its a simple manual lathe. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:17
  • Light magnetic probably means it's carbide due to the small amount 6-10% cobalt binder being used to hold the tungsten carbide particles together, because if it's HSS then it should be strong magnetic...because steel. Yeah, if it's a manual lathe and a simple geometry tool then you can just sharpen it. You're supposed to use a green wheel for carbide but they aren't healthy. You could try a regular aluminum oxide wheel but it will take a long time if it takes at all. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:18
  • Alright, I will try this tomorow, is this actually a special tool or what is it used for? It does not look like a everyday tool to me. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:21
  • The strangest part of the tool is the shank. How does it mount? The cutting tip looks normal to me in that it doesn't seem to do anything special but could just be a different style that does the same job, but I am not an expert. I'll ask an old timer who knows more. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:22
  • I dont know either, I have gotten it from a CNC company long ago, I had to make a holder myself since they did not gave one. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:25
  • Yeah, it does look like it was made for CNC but it doesn't seem to have a crazy CNC geometry. Is the entire thing solid carbide? It doesn't look carbide brazed on steel. In which case I think you should be a bit gentler when sharpening because carbide is brittle. I suppose the difficulty is getting a wheel into that little tip to grind it You could try doing it by hand with diamond stones instead of a bench grinder wheel or something like that – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:26
  • I cannot say one part is more mechnatic then other parts, so if this is the only way to figure out if it is carbide, then I would say its completely made of it. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:28
  • The old timer doesn't recognize it. He says that hole is a coolant hole and suspects it's for some special machine.But if you're using it for internal profiling you could replace it with a regular internal profiling tool if you're so willing. He also says anything can be sharpened. The only thing weird about that tool is the shank. The tip looks quite normal to me. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:34
  • Yeah theoretically I can replace it, it is a nice tool since it is very small, most internal tools are somewhat bigger (I often use it for holes of like 3mm). I am just going to give it a try to sharpen it, now it is useless anyway so it cannot get worse pretty much. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:39
  • Then yeah, look at the edge under a microscope or loupe if you have one make try using a progressively finer diamond stones and then laps or hones if it looks like you're making progress. Maybe don't use a wheel since wheels are large and fast and this tip is small and delicate. The rake is just a straight line right? I see no funny lines or anything on the cutting tip. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:41
  • Not sure what you mean with the rake, but I dont see weird things. What edge do you mean to look at under a loupe (I dont have a microscope) and what am I looking for? – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:44
  • Oh, just to see how the edge is dull. Because if you have magnification then you can tell if you're making progress even if the progress is slow. By straight line rake I mean it's just a flat surface on top of the cutting edge you can swipe with a stone, and not something crazy. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:45
  • Ah yeah I see what you mean, the rake is indeed flat, no curve or anything in it. I would have to see if I have a stone, otherwise I have no realy other oppertunity then use the wheel. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:49
  • An Aluminum oxide stone by hand isn't going to do anything. An AlO wheel might just because it's high speed but even then people say it's a struggle. You wont' get anywhere by hand with a AlO. But up to you. It's not like it would harm it, it just won't do anything to the carbide. Also, I'm sure you already know but sharpening destroys the coating in coated carbide the base carbide grade is not meant for cutting. But your coating is already all worn off and I assume you've been using it like that for some time anyways. – DKNguyen Feb 26 '23 at 19:50
  • Yeah that is true, that is actually why I been told i cannot sharpen it. Usually I use it for somewhat softer materials (aluminium,brass,bronze etc). I suppose yolo try sharping will be fine then, if it breaks or anything, I did not lose much anyway. Using it like this is not really better I suppose. – Bart Feb 26 '23 at 19:56

1 Answers1

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It looks a lot like a PH HORN 105 system boring insert, e.g.

And you can get a holder for it, e.g.

David Bailey
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