My old leadman swore by a certain brand of cutting oil, I switched to a cheaper alternative, and I burned through 3 end mills in a single shift last Tuesday - did I just get unlucky or was he onto something with that premium stuff?

He told me the cheap stuff doesn't handle the heat on 304 stainless, I figured it was just brand loyalty, but now I'm out $180 in tooling and wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with cutting fluids making or breaking a job.

2 comments

2 Comments

michaeljones2d ago

Read an article a while back that said cheap cutting oil is basically just mineral oil with some coloring. The good stuff has actual additives that handle heat better. Sounds like your old leadman wasn't just blowing smoke.

elizabeth_ramirez2d ago

Oh, that makes so much sense. I've definitely bought a few bottles of the cheap stuff over the years and wondered why it burned up so fast on a tough job. Your old leadman sounds like he knew his business, that kind of hands-on experience is hard to beat. I think a lot of us learned the hard way that with cutting oil, you really do get what you pay for, especially when you're trying to save a worn-out tap. It's a shame that kind of practical knowledge isn't passed around as much anymore.