Mirage_Man
Flashlight Enthusiast
Well after many months of himming and hawing over spending the money on a new threading tool I finally broke down and bought one after snapping my last "Thin Bit" insert. It's a Sandvik "laydown" style threading tool. It has a 3/8" diameter solid carbide shank with through coolant to boot. I searched for many moons for one on Egay for either the Sandvik or Kennametal equivalent but none ever popped up in this size or orientation. So I ordered one through my local Sandvik dealer. Fortunately I have a buddy with an account and got a much better than list price. Even at that price it was a bit tough to swallow given the economy's current state. Hopefully though it's an investment that will be well worth it. I've been using the laydwon tools for external threading for awhile now and love it.
You have probably seen this style holder in larger steel shanks. The problem is for the I.D.'s that I typically work in they won't fit. Or if they are small enough it's got a stepped down section that only projects so far (not more than 1" in most cases). Most of the time that would be fine but sometimes you need to get deeper into a part. That's where this bar comes in. With a solid carbide bar you can project 8X it's diameter without much worry of chatter. Granted you don't want to be hoggin at that length.
One other important thing is that the inserts are more cost effective. They have three cutting edges as opposed to the one I was getting with my Thin Bit threading tool. There are many manufacturers that make these type of inserts as well. As far as I know Thin Bit is the only one that makes them for the particular tool I was using.
I am still waiting on some inserts to be delivered but here are some pics of the bar.
You have probably seen this style holder in larger steel shanks. The problem is for the I.D.'s that I typically work in they won't fit. Or if they are small enough it's got a stepped down section that only projects so far (not more than 1" in most cases). Most of the time that would be fine but sometimes you need to get deeper into a part. That's where this bar comes in. With a solid carbide bar you can project 8X it's diameter without much worry of chatter. Granted you don't want to be hoggin at that length.
One other important thing is that the inserts are more cost effective. They have three cutting edges as opposed to the one I was getting with my Thin Bit threading tool. There are many manufacturers that make these type of inserts as well. As far as I know Thin Bit is the only one that makes them for the particular tool I was using.
I am still waiting on some inserts to be delivered but here are some pics of the bar.
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The Kennametal version lists for $399! :eeksign:
