Carbide Burrs or Diamond burrs?

[jaymeister99]

Any suggestions for rotary burrs? I was going to get some for my dremel. Which works best?

EDIT: Also add "tungsten Carbide" in there too.

 

[Salem Straub]

I've not tried diamond burrs, I do have tungsten carbide burrs and they cut hardened steel aggressively. I like them.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Carbide cuts, and is what you want.
Diamond burrs are abrasive devices. They won't hold up long on steel. Diamond has its use from time to time, but a burr may only last for one or two uses before it is destroyed.

 

[jaymeister99]

Cool, carbide it is. :thumbup:

Thanks.

 

[gomipile]

You have to be very careful not to let the carbide burrs chatter, as the cutting edges will chip off if that happens. That being said, they do work very, very well when you hold them steady.

Basically, it takes a very steady, strong grip on the tool, and you have to feed them into the cut exactly the way you would feed an end mill. If you apply pressure at an angle to the edge you are cutting on the work piece, they are prone to start bouncing. So, you need to apply a steady hold, and an even, light pressure parallel to the edge of the workpiece you are cutting.

This all makes a lot more sense if you've done any machining with a milling machine.

 

[jaymeister99]

Any ideas for cutting through steel bar stock using a dremel? I was considering trying it with the carbide burrs, but like said above, I am a little worried about chipping the carbide.

Do the EZ cut-off wheels work well for cutting steel?

 

[12345678910]

Any ideas for cutting through steel bar stock using a dremel? I was considering trying it with the carbide burrs, but like said above, I am a little worried about chipping the carbide.

Do the EZ cut-off wheels work well for cutting steel?

What's wrong with a hacksaw?

 

[tedinatl]

Do the EZ cut-off wheels work well for cutting steel?

They cut the steel, but you'll burn through one about every 6" or less of cutting if you're cutting stainless (depending on thickness as well, of course). As numbers suggests - use a hacksaw or even better a band saw if you have one.

I only use my carbide burrs for shaping, not cutting.

 

[jaymeister99]

A hacksaw will work. I just was curious if the dremel would work, but I don't want to be going through one every 6"!

I've been using a hacksaw but the blade is worn out quick (I need steel cutting blades). I also use a diamond cutting wheel on the dremel, but that takes just as long as using the hacksaw.

Can you recommend a good hacksaw blade to buy?

 

[Mahoney]

The combination of diamonds, high speed power tools, and steel is not a good one, or so I was told. The short version of the story is that as steel heats up from friction, it steals carbon from the diamonds and wears them out prematurely. Diamond stones used to sharpen steel by hand last a long long time because everything stays cool. It could be bunk, I've never tested the theory

If you are using a hacksaw, buy good bi-metal blades (Starrett, Lenox, ...) and use some cutting fluid or wax on the blade

 

[duffy99]

Drill out the profile with a drill press or I've just been using a cordless drill with some cobalt drill bits makes hacksawing a lot faster , but drilling the holes with a cordless drill is also a pain in the ass. Home depot has 2 pack's of 24 tpi blades for like 3 or 4 bucks , 32 tpi might be better but I think 24 is better and I use 3 in 1 oil as lubricant it's not the best but cheap and works ok .

 

[canadian1]

what is a bur used for

 

[jaymeister99]

what is a bur used for

To cut or shape. I use it for cutting out tight spaces on my knives. Also to make choils. I try to use them as a "power file".

Right now I got a couple of diamond burrs and a few composites(?) of some sort that came with my dremel tool. But these wear out pretty quick, only get one or two uses out of em at best.

 

[tryppyr]

Each tool has its purpose. Using it for that purpose you will more often be successful. Using it for other purposes may work, but will likely result in sub-optimal performance in one way or another (either damage to the tool or problems with the work).

I like the diamond burrs for working on things that drill bits aren't very good at doing... like connecting holes so they form a slot... or shaping the edges of a carved piece. But as Stacy said, they do wear down rather quickly. I just bought a second set of 50 from Harbor Freight... not because the first 50 had worn down, but because some of the more useful ones had (and they had then at half price). I have probably worn down 10 of them so far, after less than a year and only a few projects. One project ate 3, largely because I was using them incorrectly. On the plus side, at $10 for a set of 50 I still feel I'm getting value for my money.