Does anyone know of a source for a small dovetail cutter? You know, like the ones for the slide in front sights. They measure 0.205" thereabouts, or around 5mm if you like. NECG has them but $70 is a little steep. I cannot find one in the Brownells catalog. Just thought there might be a supply house that carried something like that, or maybe someone has one for sale. Thanks in advance.

I got mine from Dave Kiff at Pacific Tool and Gauge. His might be up around $70 now, too, though. I don't know.

Steve

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum Hunter1:
Does anyone know of a source for a small dovetail cutter? You know, like the ones for the slide in front sights. They measure 0.205" thereabouts, or around 5mm if you like. NECG has them but $70 is a little steep.

Then make your own. This little cutter is still running strong and is made from one of Brownells Magna Tip screw driver bits.

If you get one from NECG, you will need to get a metric collet to hold it. Don't ask me how I know. The cutter I have has been used only once.

Go to www.basstool.com and go to the cutter tools section. I prefer a .187 tool and cut the slot to size.
Butch

How many flutes do you want?? and would you like it a touch undersize so you can open up the slot to fit??

I can custom grind one for you what ever angle and cutter diameter you like up to six flutes.

Enco has the 3/16 size (0.1875) on sale for $12.95. Use it and then either file or move your mill table to open to the proper size.

Brownells sells them also about a half dozen sizes. Thought so until I looked. Looks like the smallest one is .250
Don

As a side question to this what spindle speed to cut the dovetail

Full width of the cutter about 600 rpm. Feed very slow. When just cutting down the side of a dovetail (male part) depth of cut is more important then rpm. In making my scope bases I set the cutter to proper depth set rpm at about 1200 to 1600 and take .020" per pass using lots of cutting oil. But as I said on a full width (female) cut slow feed slow speed. Blow out the cut with compressed air as go to prevent the flutes from clogging up and breaking the cutter. That's where a tool like the one westpac has is a good option. Two flutes may cut a bit rougher but it wont clog on a full width cut.

2 flute cutting speed for HSS ref. 210/dia=rpm

for instance

210/.250 = 840 RPM

Thanks for the suggestions. I ordered one of the 3/16" from ENCO.

Do NOT buy the cheapest cutter you can find. It WILL be made in china and it will most likely be crap. Had a batch that all were missing the cutting edge.

I suggest MSC if your in the NE. They list cutters from $108 (solid carbide) to $24 (cheapest and probably chinese). If you can talk to a sales rep and ask if they have any recent sales, you can probably get a discount. I keep a running list and wait to order a bunch of stuff until they have a 40% off metalworking sale, then I order files, cutters, stones, etc.

Depends on your use. I have ordered cheap chinese from Enco for 15 years and had zero complaints. When you are a hobbyist, the prices make the difference betwwen buying a tool and not. I can say I have never had a job fail because the tooling didn't work. Would I do this in a production shop? No. But I cut two or three dovetails a year. The only thing I don't skimp on is lathe inserts. I buy good inserts for my cheap toolholders.

Here's the thing the FALgrunt And I'm not busting your chops. But most here are going to make a few cuts if that with a tool at best.

As for the country of origin... We really need to get off this topic as it's not the country of origin that has anything to do with the quality of the tool, part or product. It's the specs on the print. You can specify any grade any tolerance and China can build/ make it. You get what you pay for, from the US and from China. Want a crapy bottom dollar cutting tool??? You can get it from both the US and China. Want a high quality cutting tool?? You CAN GET BOTH FROM THE US AND CHINA.. You get what you pay for and what you specify

Kcscott,

ABSOLUTELY, you do get what you pay for and it matters more about the market (US market wants cheap crap, China produces cheap crap). I agree with everything you said 100%.

However, I am merely relating a personal observation that out of a batch of 12 "cheap" chinese dovetail cutters not one of them had a cutting edge. At all... as in, you could not make ONE cut with any of them.

A fluke? Possibly... MSC replaced them all.

If faced with two possible sources of equal quality of course I will choose American. If faced with two different qualities, I will buy the better quality.

Fal I have to agree. And sure bet if I was sent cutters that were not sharpened correctly you bet send them back. That said MSC is not the best choice. But they also just bought out my suggestion Rutland tool. So I just stick with a local supplier I've dealt with for years. L&N Tool in Poway california. The web site leave a lot to be desired but a phone call will get you a catalog and people that know tooling.

Well, we buy the majority of our tooling through BG supply, but as far as I know they do not have a website. In fact... if I had to guess... they might have just upgraded to a computer a few years ago.

But man do they know their tooling!

Myself personally, I buy from MSC because they are a lot cheaper and I can get everything I need at one spot. Kinda like Brownells(except the cheap part). Sound familiar?

quote:

Originally posted by Fal Grunt:
Sound familiar?

Yep!!!

I have had good luck with there tooling for small cutters.
Doug

http://internaltool.com/

Well don't get me wrong.. MSC sells good stuff they were just prone to mistakes like that mention by Fal. Granted they will also take care of it but machine shop suppliers like this aren't on every corner nor are they ever open on a weekend when you need something at home. When you work at home and have limited amounts of time bone head mistakes like that can cost you a whole days worth of work or more. That said when ever you buy tooling buy extra stick it in a drawer in the tool box it will be there next time. Doing that I've amassed a pretty impressive collection for a shop thats in a garage.

And buy Carbide when ever you can as well depending on the material but say for the sake of this discussion we're dealing with tool steels 90% of the time carbide will out last HSS five to ten to one. But they are damn expensive to have resharpened where as HSS is typically 50% of the cost of new for a regrind

I've alway had good luck with the customer service at MSC, but have had issues with some of there product. But the salesmen seem to be aware of issues with certain vendors and will steer you away from them. I alway talk to them in person, but that's probably since I can walk there from the house.
Don

OK, Got the "3/16" dovetail cutter from ENCO, but it is not 3/16 it is 3/8. Apparently, 3/16 cutting width does not mean a 3/16 cutter. I guess I read it wrong but I thought it was a 3/8 shank with a 3/16 cutting width. Anyway, ENCO does not have a cutter that small. I can use the 3/8 cutter down the road, but the search goes on for a 3/16 dovetail cutter. Any other sources? Thanks in advance.