Carl Fisher
Member
I've made several hundred pens now using the same tools and technique. I rough with a gouge and then do the final 1-2mm with a carbide tool. So needless to say I don't chew through my carbide bits that fast and typically can get a few extra rotations out of them by lapping them face down on an oiled stone to freshen up.
The ones I have would no longer hold an edge any more, and rather than spend $15 on a single replacement cutter plus shipping, I decided to order a pack of 10 for $26 from Global Tooling. They appeared to be exactly the same 14mm x 14mm with BT marked in one corner. R4 curve. I can't see a physical difference between these and the ones I had been using previously. However as I've been using them, I've now blown up more good acrylic blanks than ever before.
The tool seems to be almost too agressive. I am having to ride the bevel very high and barely bring down to cut where before I could almost go straight in at the centerline. If I try that with these cutters, it grabs the tool and rakes it down shattering the blank. And definitely forget about riding below the center line. That's instant failure.
I'm by no means wet behind the ears with these tools, but I just can't figure out why these cutters are acting so much different than the cutters supplied with the tool
The ones I have would no longer hold an edge any more, and rather than spend $15 on a single replacement cutter plus shipping, I decided to order a pack of 10 for $26 from Global Tooling. They appeared to be exactly the same 14mm x 14mm with BT marked in one corner. R4 curve. I can't see a physical difference between these and the ones I had been using previously. However as I've been using them, I've now blown up more good acrylic blanks than ever before.
The tool seems to be almost too agressive. I am having to ride the bevel very high and barely bring down to cut where before I could almost go straight in at the centerline. If I try that with these cutters, it grabs the tool and rakes it down shattering the blank. And definitely forget about riding below the center line. That's instant failure.
I'm by no means wet behind the ears with these tools, but I just can't figure out why these cutters are acting so much different than the cutters supplied with the tool
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