Overheard a young operator say 'just buy new inserts' and it hit me different

I was at a shop in Detroit last week and this kid tossed out a carbide end mill because it had a tiny chip. When I was starting out we'd regrind those things until they were nubs. Has anyone else noticed the younger guys don't bother with tool maintenance?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben_nguyen2d agoMost Upvoted

Nah, you're stuck in the past. Time is money and that kid's probably making more per hour than you did grinding tools in a Detroit shop. Regrinding a $30 end mill to save $15 makes zero sense when you factor in setup time, consistency issues, and the risk of a crash from a fucked up tool.

blair_dixon2d ago

Yeah, time is money until that $30 end mill costs $300 in replacement downtime.