Update: Purchased and used a Regofix high precision ER16 tool holder and collet. For the small feature, I first drilled as large a hole as would fit with .010 clearance per side, then used a .040" four flute end mill to clear out the pocket leaving .002, this was run at S4900 at 5ipm with a stepover and DOC of .008. This tool lasted through all 6 parts. To finish the sidewalls, I used a Harvey 886231-C6 in the Regofix tool holder at S6160 at F .9 taking .002" radially and .008 DOC. I used 3 radial passes each at .002 to cut the required feature. I was able to cut 2 parts with one tool before I was getting a small taper which blew out the required tolerance. Thanks for all of the help and suggestions. I would have updated sooner but I had caught the COVID, fortunately, it was a mild case. LeoC

Thanks for the feedback, I didn't allow for the runout factor, my bad. I see MSC has Regofix tool holders on sale, I think I will pick up one of those. I was at 2.5 IPM, so also too high of a feed. LeoC

I have a very small pocket I need to machine in A286, bought the material from McMaster, .625" round stock. Part measures .115" long. Pocket to be machined is circular with 2 round ears , like a slot and circle combined. I am predrilling the hole to .089 diameter, opening up to .112. Smallest radius in pocket is .020" so I am trying to use a Harvey end mill, https://www.harveytool.com/products/tool-details-886231-c6 . Using Harvey's speed and feed guide, https://harveyperformance.widen.net/content/jno1w53rk1/pdf/SF_886200.pdf?u=1i9tm9, using Nickel alloys as the guide, I get 50SFM and .0001 per tooth. I am trying a radial and axial DOC of .008" and not having much luck, broke 3 end mills. Any suggestions on how to make this work besides sending it out for wire EDM? Thanks, LeoC

Do you have the link to what you ordered from Amazon? We would like to try a couple for a simple production job. Thanks, LeoC

Are the jaws aluminum or steel? The description says 440C, but picture almost makes it look like they are aluminum. I would be curious to see how well they hold up, but at that price, they could be described as a "throw away" item, use them until they are beat to crap and then toss them. LeoC

Update 2: Contacted Iscar after first insert broke, they suggested raising tool .007" and lowering the feed halfway through the cut to half the previous feed rate, so from F.0008 to F.0004, also ramped up max spindle speed to 4K. Worked great, no visible nub, very clean cut, and then on the 5th part, it chipped, this time on opposite side. Since I only had two inserts on hand due to the cost, had to look for another option. I liked the lathe method because it was fast, 20 second cycle time and easy to load. So after seeing comments about just trying carbide, I used what I had, standard Haas 3mm cut off insert, HCI-3R, 3mm Carbide Cut-Off Insert, Grade HU30 - Pack of 10 (haascnc.com) . Ran it at 200 SFM and F.0008, used coolant and CSS, worked very well, not as clean as a cut but reliable. Since I have so many parts to cut in a short time, a reliable process was vital. I will just need a slight touch up on the bench grinder and they will be good to go. Thanks again for all of the suggestions. LeoC

Update: Used an Iscar PCBN 3mm wide cut off insert using 325 SFM with a feed of .0008 using CSS. Broke the insert on first part, although it cut the pin very cleanly. I am wondering if it broke because of the tool not being centered correctly. I have attached pics of insert and pin. If I measure the nub diameter, it is about .020". Contacted Iscar rep for further suggestions. Helical feed mills should arrive on Tuesday. LeoC

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I had talked to Iscar and Kennametal and am going to try a PCBN insert. I will post the results of how that goes, they are supposed to show up today. I had not thought of the high feed end mill, I will order some of those also in case the inserts do not work. This user name is quite new, the shop I had worked before had closed the machine shop during the pandemic, so I had to find a new job after 15 years there. We use Fusion 360 and Mastercam here for our 5 axis gantry mill. I have always considered the eMastercam forums as a valuable source of intelligent information and again, thanks for the suggestions. LeoC

We bought the Haas heat shrink system with the holders and it has turned out to be a great investment. We purchased HSK and CAT40 holders and we now use them all the time. LeoC

Yes, wire EDM would have been one of my first choices, but we don't have access to one of those. I don't even think they budgeted enough time for a wire EDM shop to cut them, turn around time that is. This is one of those jobs where the people who quoted it didn't ask the people who actually have to do the task for any input. LeoC

I have the task of cutting some gage pins to length for a special inspection fixture, about 8 different diameters, total quantity of 120 pins. We do not have a surface grinder. Current method consists of handheld Dotco grinder with a cut off wheel and then using VF2 to trim to length with a jig grinding pin. Cutting the pin to rough length with a handheld tool leaves something to be desired as cut off length is not consistent. I could put the Dotco grinder in the lathe by making a special bracket to hold the grinder, put the pin in a 5C collet and then turn on spindle and grinder and cut that way. But would a Cermet part off insert be a better way? I don't have any experience with using a Cermet insert. And unfortunately, I do not have the option of starting from raw stock and cutting and grinding and then send out to heat treat. Thanks, LeoC