# CCGT inserts



## stragenmitsuko (May 22, 2017)

Let me start by saying I'm not an insert guy . 
I like my hss tools , I like to grind them , and I 'm the proud owner of a 
clarkson MKIII t&c grinder . Never needed inserts , and hardly use them . 

That said , I recently got some lathe tools with ccgt0903 inserts .
CCGT is ment to be used on alloy's . 
So I gave them a try .  
And I must say , I'm speechless with the way they perform . 
These inserts have a high positive rake , are rasor sharp , and leave a bright shiny finish when turning aluminium . 
Even the worst alum I have ( the home cast variety ) machines to a very  acceptable finish , with no sticking of the chips to the tool .  

Thought I'de share that . 


Pat 

Btw I wonder what material these inserts are made of . It doesn't look like carbide .


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## Jasonb (May 22, 2017)

Also very good on brass and bronze, instead of the usual shower of fine brass chips you should net short curls.


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## Hopper (May 22, 2017)

How well do they work on steel?


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## blighty (May 22, 2017)

i use these tips all the time on Ali etc. also work well on Steel, but don't last to long. they might last longer on steel if you use coolant, but as my lathe doesn't have coolant i cant say for sure.


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## Wizard69 (May 23, 2017)

Hopper said:


> How well do they work on steel?



Can't comment on that particular insert but a specific sized insert comes in an endless variety of coatings, reliefs and such so that you can get an insert that is useful for steel and one that is useful for aluminum that will go into the same holder.   Likewise you can find inserts designed for cast iron.

The best thing I can suggest is to spend a lot of time with manufactures catalogs.   You will find all sorts of carbide grades, coating types and such, which at first will be confusing.  These days most catalogs can be downloaded with no hassle.

The biggest problem with trying inserts is that some suppliers only sell in box sizes (often 10) which can be expensive, especially if they don't give you the performance you expect.   Your options are to find a supplier selling individual inserts.    The other option is auctions, which is where I've picked up most of mine.   Auctions are good in that you get a mix of inserts, ideally they are in their original boxes - you will want to reorder the ones that work for you.


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## purpleknif (May 23, 2017)

If the first letter is "C" they're probably
 ceramic.


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## blighty (May 23, 2017)

if you're UK based give these guy a try.

http://www.jbcuttingtools.com/epage...es/"Turning inserts"/Ground__Polished_Inserts

they tend to be at all the shows, very helpful and will sell them separately.


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## kvom (May 23, 2017)

That's the insert I use on everything.


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## Jasonb (May 24, 2017)

purpleknif said:


> If the first letter is "C" they're probably
> ceramic.


 
No.

The first letter refers to the shape of the insert. "C" is the 80/100 deg rhomboid shape, "T" Triangular, "R" round etc


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## stragenmitsuko (May 24, 2017)

Some of the wel known chinese suppliers sell these CCGT in boxes of 10 for abt 13$ . And a set of 4 different holders with 10 CCMT0903 inserts goes for 22$ . 
S&h included . That makes 4 holders and 20 inserts for 35$ 
Can't go terribly wrong atthose prices . 

So I ordered a set . It has a  left and a right holder , a straight one and a boring bar . 
I need to bore some very accurate holes in the mill and it just doesn't seem to work with my hss tooling . 
So I thought it was worth the risk of giving it a try . 
Haven't tested the ccmt's yet , but the ccgt  aluminium inserts do perform outstanding . 


Pat


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## blighty (May 24, 2017)

top tip.....

if you get the round insert and use it as a fly cutter. the finish you get is amazing. plus when it gets a bit blunt, just undo the screw and turn  it around a bit.


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## stragenmitsuko (May 24, 2017)

I didn't know there are round inserts for aluminium . 
Would make a great flycutter indeed . 


I've been thinking about building a flycutter holder that would use the the ccgt insert , but rotated 90° , using the "other" two cutting edges . . 

The insert has two cutting edges that are used in the std holders . 
and the other two corners are never  used , altough they are sharpend . 
So that would give a dull insert a second life , and it would make a great flycutter . 

I must have seen this somewhere on the net , but can't seem to find it anymore . 

Pat


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## blighty (May 24, 2017)

i did try the CCGTas a fly cutter first, the finish was good , but left the finish a bit like an LP. the tip did have a 0.2 rad on the tip so could of tried a 0.8mm see if it made a smoother finish. the round tips on ali with WD40 leaves a dead smooth semi mirror finish with a slight rainbow affect....... which is nice 

finishes don't show up to well on camera.


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## Jasonb (May 25, 2017)

stragenmitsuko said:


> I didn't know there are round inserts for
> The insert has two cutting edges that are used in the std holders .
> and the other two corners are never used ,Pat


 
Get yourself a couple of holders that allow the use of the other two corners. I mostly use them for roughing as they can't turn to a corner but will face across a job


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## stragenmitsuko (Nov 12, 2017)

Guys , I can confirm now that even if the inserts are supposed to be used for alloys , they work good on steel to . In fact they work very good . 

I had to cut  off a number of hardened lineair rails .
First brought them rougly to length with an angle grinder . 
Then tried to face them off in the lathe with various tools  , but no avail . 
The core of the rails is soft , but the outher 2 mm is extremely  hard . 
I started thinking I'll have to use the toolpost grinder to get this done . 

So I gave the insert a try , and what do you know .
Cut very well , cutting off only 0.2mm a pass . 
Insert lasted about 4 passes . 

Then I upped the rpm a bit , and put on a drop of cutting oil . 
Suddenly the insert lasted for all the remaining cuts . 
4 rods to face off at both ends , each time abt 1mm to face off . 
Must have been 50 -ish 0.2 cuts with a single insert . 

As it went that well , I decided to give all the rails a 1mm chamfer . 
Make it look a bit more professional . 
I used the middle of the cutting edge for that , and 8 chamfers done with a single insert . 

Picture shows the shiny outer ring wich is hard , and the dull core wich is soft . 
The core can be machined , drilled tapped etc with normal tooling . 
But surface is a different story . 

@JasonB  
Do you know where to find a holder that uses the "other corners" . 
Or what's it called exactly in english . Then I can probably google it .


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## bazmak (Nov 12, 2017)

I too have bought many inserts which are quite cheap from China
A box of 10 can be had for $15 or so and if you search you can get a set of tools with 10 inserts and torx screws for about $20. I have 4 or 5 different shapes and sizes which i stick with for turning and milling and its easy to make your own tooling to fit them to .One of my favourite milling cutters is is a homemade endmill with 1 insert and a flycutter with 1 insert.Best finish and ease of cut far better than the multi tip fce cutter i bought. I find the hard part is sourcing the screws so i use hx sock cap screws usually M2.5


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