Evan...???

[torker]

Those carbide blanks you sent me...how would I "slice" off a thin piece from one?
I've(finally) started trying to tool up my little turret lathe.
I need to make a carbide cutoff tool for it.
Same ol'..I tried a HSS one but this lil guy runs way too fast for that.
There isn't a lot of room on the toolholder for my insert cutoff blade so I'm going to have to make one up.
Thanks!
Russ

[Circlip]

If you have access to a diamond disc cutting wheel (Like the Dremel) you can slice with that, or a Copper disc with diamond lapping paste - use parrafin as a coolant - like a circular saw.
Regards Ian.

[Evan]

I wouldn't try to slice one. That stuff is C1 carbide, the toughest type intended for hard turning interrupted cuts such as descaling irregular chilled iron castings. If you want to try then some sort of diamond is the way to go.

[Herm Williams]

I cut it almost daily. Drills and mills prior to grinding. I use a chop saw with standard abrasive cut off wheel. When you start the cut put normal pressure on the item to be cut and then when it turns orange the carbide will sluff off.
re

[bob_s]

A friend, who is a dental technician, supplied me with a .003 inch thick diamond dremel disc for cutting ceramic inlays. Amazing tool cut through a 3/4 inch solid micrograin carbide end mill.

[lazlo]

C1 is actually the "softest" grade of carbide -- it's micrograin carbide with a lot of cobalt filler. Like Evan says, it excels at shock resistance.
The carbide grain size, and therefore the overall hardness, goes up to C8, which is the hardest carbide grade, but very fragile.

In any event, any grade of carbide slices nicely with the Dremel or Harbor Freight diamond wheels.

[Evan]

It may be the "softest" but toughness is a different property. It grinds well on a diamond wheel so slicing it should be possible although probably time consuming.

[lazlo]

Sure, hardness and toughness are almost always at opposite ends of the spectrum. T-15 tool steel is much harder than the typical M2, but M2 has higher toughness than just about any of the common tool steels (Vanadium super steels like 9V excluded).

C1 (micro-grain) carbide is actually the most expensive, and probably the most desirable for a home shop. When you see those $75 Micro 100 threading bars, those are micro-grain carbide, because they're much more tolerant of interrupted cuts and general shock.