Unpopular opinion: HSS tooling beats carbide for small home shop jobs

I know everyone goes on about carbide inserts for everything, but for my Bridgeport at home I stick with good old HSS. Last week I was profiling some 4140 prehard and my buddy swore I was wasting time. But here's the thing - when that cutter catches or you get a little chatter, HSS doesn't shatter into a million pieces. I can resharpen a HSS end mill in about 2 minutes on my little grinder, costs me maybe 50 cents in wheel wear. Carbide might cut faster but one mistake and you're out $25 for a new insert. Plus for those tiny details and thin walls, HSS gives me way better finish without the vibration. Anyone else stick with HSS for certain jobs or am I just old school?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_moore751d ago

Oh man, I feel this in my bones. You're not old school, you're just practical.

emmasmith22h ago

Exactly what I was thinking @diana_moore75. Being practical never goes out of style, it just gets called old school by people who overcomplicate things. Your post hit the nail on the head.