CS with Zero clearance insert, why it's chipping?

[Paul Chapman]

I pay just under £ 5.70 per (reversible) tip and the 18mm body with a tip installed costs circa £39. From experience the tips outlast brazed carbide by about 50% and they are reversible, so for £ 5.70 I'm getting the equivalent of 3 cheap TCT router cutters, at say £5.00 each for the brazed TCT?

That sounds like really good value, Scrit, even for hobby use - might give it a go :wink:

Cheers

Paul

 

[George_N]

I pay just under £ 5.70 per (reversible) tip and the 18mm body with a tip installed costs circa £39. From experience the tips outlast brazed carbide by about 50% and they are reversible, so for £ 5.70 I'm getting the equivalent of 3 cheap TCT router cutters, at say £5.00 each for the brazed TCT? As the tool body costs £33 (in effect) and will do hundreds of tips before wear becomes apparent I'm up on the deal somewhere around TCT cutter #12 (or tip #4), thereafter the cost of running the TC-RT drops. So I think that your maths is out. If you only use a few TCT cutters a year probably not worth it - as soon as you need to use more than 4 or 5 a year then TC-RT makes perfect sense. And as I said - kitchen fitters use the TC-RTs a lot these days because they are sharper and cut cleaner for longer with less chipping out - so better qualiity and cheaper in the long run, too.

Scrit

I'm not arguing about the long term economics of it...it makes good sense. It's just that I can probably do the job in hand with 3 cheap cutters and then maybe not need that cutter again for a year (the difference between the pro and the DIYer, I suppose). In the longer term I may well look at getting a couple of RT bits, probably 1/2" and 3/4" but at the moment I'm trying to keep the spiraling tool cost of this kitchen project under control. Maybe I'm cutting costs in the wrong places or maybe I should have just bought the units from IKEA/MFI