Shoutout to the old timer who told me to ignore the feed rate on the manual for drilling 316 stainless

Kept chirping and breaking bits until I finally listened to him, dropped the feed down to 0.002 per rev, and now it cuts like butter - has anyone else found the manuals way off for harder materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinnmitchell25d ago

Same here, I used to just follow the book until a 0.002 feed change saved my sanity on 316.

robert_craig9d ago

Funny how just a tiny tweak can make all the difference... I get why people swear by those small feed changes. But for me personally, I think too many folks get hung up on chasing those micro-adjustments instead of mastering the basics first. There's got to be a solid foundation before you start fiddling with numbers that small, otherwise you're just guessing. Maybe I'm old school but I'd rather spend my time on things like finish pass strategies or tool holding before I worry about a 0.002 shift.