Alternative source for Kennametal parting/grooving inserts

[revrnd]

I have a Kennametal DSB4340105 parting/grooving blade PN 1263493 along w/ the following inserts for m/cing steel:

Grooving insert - GSP125N Grade KC730 (PN 1189162)

Parting insert - GSP125R Grade KC722 (PN 1112643)

I have 2 concerns w/ these inserts, 1st due to the chip breaker on the neutral grooving insert, the "bottom" of the groove is "crowned" & has to be removed w/ a file.

Secondly, I was thinking of getting parting inserts suitable for aluminum.

Talking to the Kennametal rep today in Toronto & I'm pretty much stuck w/ those inserts for that "system".

Does anyone know of insert supplier(s) that have product that cross references from Kennametal? My only alternative is to get a different blade w/ a better selection of inserts (pricy IMO).

[RussZHC]

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/metal_working_tooling/116816-insert_cutoff_tooling_cross-reference.html

sounds like that is a tough ask...and that you are not the only one with the issue

[LKeithR]

That's generally been my experience as well. Turning tools can be pretty generic with a lot of commonality; inserts for facemills vary, some are proprietary and some are not but most of the parting inserts that I've seen are proprietary. Not much you can do about it but buy a holder which uses different inserts...

[revrnd]

That's generally been my experience as well. Turning tools can be pretty generic with a lot of commonality; inserts for facemills vary, some are proprietary and some are not but most of the parting inserts that I've seen are proprietary. Not much you can do about it but buy a holder which uses different inserts...

I had a Kennametal holder from my working days. So I just automatically got inserts from them. If I had realized the lack of variety, I'd have looked into other suppliers. When my insert supply is exhaused, I'll do some research. My shop is a hobby shop, so that might take a while . Thanks.

[Boucher]

The Kennametal parting tool shown in the lower left of this photo was expensive but it is still working on the first insert put in it. It works better than any of the other tools shown.

I bought the wrong size holder and had to modify it so the part number is not readable. My advice is to get the tools that you need they are a better value in the end.

[Toolguy]

Iscar has a lot of first rate insert tools including parting and grooving.

[revrnd]

The Kennametal parting tool shown in the lower left of this photo was expensive but it is still working on the first insert put in it. It works better than any of the other tools shown.

I bought the wrong size holder and had to modify it so the part number is not readable. My advice is to get the tools that you need they are a better value in the end.

Byron, what I have looks similar to what you have in the upper left.

One more question the tool holder that holds the blade, are they capable of holding other brands' blades as long as the "heights" are the same?

I will admit that the Kennametal inserts I have now m/c much better than the standard insert we had @ work. I'm pretty sure they didn't have a chipbreaker. The chips didn't "narrow in" when coming off the cutting edge, dragging on the side of the groove. The chips now come off "curved" so they're free of the sides.

Our shop @ work was basically for supporting production (no real tool making), so there wasn't any interest on the part of management to improve methods. I guess if we had gone around them to contact vendors for assistance we could've improved things ourselves. At the time we had no idea how old the insert design was we were using or if there were improved inserts.

[PixMan]

Those insert blades are available in three sizes, 19mm (approx. 3/4"), 26mm (approx. 1") and 32mm (roughly 1-1/4".) The 3/4" one is relatively hard to find, and harder to find inserts. The 26 and 32 mm ones are far & away the most common, and are indeed interchangeable between holder makers and the blade & insert makers.

I had two of those blade holder blocks like the one Byron shows in the upper left, but sold them in favor of the integral holders that are available for the CA-400 and CXA-300 size quick change tool posts. That's the one shown in the upper right of his photo. I have those in both single and double-ended inserts, and in both 26 and 32 mm heights, but only because a larger machine can. Most smaller lathes can't drop even a 1" blade and holder down to centerline of the machine without hanging it far off the compound slide. I've not seen the integral blade holder blocks for the smaller AXA-100 and BXA-200 size QCTP's.

When that happens, you often have to resort to the "monoblock" holders. I have those too, but for the widest grooving inserts. (I'm up to 1/4" wide, but they can be up to 10mm/.394" wide.)