I need to cut an o-ring groove. It will be a static seal on a flat surface in aluminum 6000 series, 13/16" nominal diameter. This will be cut in a milling machine, and it seems like using boring head I already own is a good way to go. Mine uses 0.5" diameter boring bars. Yes, I know you can do the job in seconds on a lathe, but I don't have an operational lathe right now.
MSC sells an o-ring grooving tool with a 0.5" round shank, but it's ~$55 because it's made from carbide. Overkill for my requirements, but I haven't been able to find anything cheaper.
It looks like this should be a pretty easy tool to grind. The Parker reference gives a huge tolerance for the groove size. The shape is very simple. I need to make a groove somewhere in the 0.080" to 0.107" range (depends partially on whether it's to seal against air or water.)
I had a bit of stainless steel rod available and tried making a grooving tool out of it. It didn't cut extremely well, but I expected to have to try several times on scrap to get it right. But the stainless must be too soft, because the cutting edge dulls very quickly. Too fast to get anything useful done.
I have been reading posts on this site about heat treating, and I doubt that I can do a reasonable job. The Enco website lists W1 drill rod as possibly hard enough for some jobs without hardening.
My question is, would I be better off just paying the money for a professionally made tool that will do the job right, or can I get enough cutting life from some kind of steel (that I don't need to harden) I can grind on a bench top grinder with aluminum oxide wheels? This is for hobby/entertainment purposes only, I'm making some bike lights for myself and have no paying customers at this point.
Walt
MSC sells an o-ring grooving tool with a 0.5" round shank, but it's ~$55 because it's made from carbide. Overkill for my requirements, but I haven't been able to find anything cheaper.
It looks like this should be a pretty easy tool to grind. The Parker reference gives a huge tolerance for the groove size. The shape is very simple. I need to make a groove somewhere in the 0.080" to 0.107" range (depends partially on whether it's to seal against air or water.)
I had a bit of stainless steel rod available and tried making a grooving tool out of it. It didn't cut extremely well, but I expected to have to try several times on scrap to get it right. But the stainless must be too soft, because the cutting edge dulls very quickly. Too fast to get anything useful done.
I have been reading posts on this site about heat treating, and I doubt that I can do a reasonable job. The Enco website lists W1 drill rod as possibly hard enough for some jobs without hardening.
My question is, would I be better off just paying the money for a professionally made tool that will do the job right, or can I get enough cutting life from some kind of steel (that I don't need to harden) I can grind on a bench top grinder with aluminum oxide wheels? This is for hobby/entertainment purposes only, I'm making some bike lights for myself and have no paying customers at this point.
Walt