Carbide Burs
A carbide bur is a rotating tool that is used for removing material, as
well as deburring, cleaning, finishing, smoothing, shaping, and carving.
Basically, the tool rotates at a very high RPM (rotations per minute),
allowing it to manipulate the material it is working on.
Carbide burs are very versatile tools, and they are used by a wide variety of people. They are commonly used in dentistry, diamond cutting, jewelry making, and auto head porting, as well as equine dentistry, sculpting, welding, and windshield repairing. Of course, carbide tools come in as many variations as the jobs they are able to do. So it makes sense that the type of carbide bur you choose will depend upon the job you expect it to do.
Carbide burs traditionally come in standard cut, double cut, and non- ferrous models. The most common types of burs are single cut burs, which remove the most amount of material. The drawback to using single cut carbide burs is that they leave a rather rough finish. Single cut carbide burs are commonly used when working with cast iron, steel, copper, brass, and other ferrous material.
Double cut carbide burs can be used at slower speeds, and produce smaller chips. They remove harder material more rapidly than single cut burs, and offer more operator control. Depending upon the shape and size of the bur you choose, some will leave a very smooth surface on your material, while others will leave a less smooth surface but might remove more material.
Non-ferrous carbide burs are exactly what they sound like. They are specialized burs designed for using with non-ferrous material, like aluminum, copper, and magnesium.
Carbide burs come in many sizes, from 1/16-inch all the way up to 1-inch.
The size of the bur will depend upon is application. As a general rule of
thumb, finer work that calls for smoother surfaces, like cutting diamonds,
or dentistry, call for smaller burs. If you are working with larger pieces
of material and it's more important to remove the most material in the
quickest time possible, a larger bur is called for.
While most carbide burs can be used at a variety of RPMs, the rotational speed at which you use your bur will depend upon the application. Most carbide bur manufacturers can offer guidance when it comes to the speed at which you should use your carbide bur.
Carbide burs also come in a variety of shapes, including cylindrical, ball shaped, oval, round nose tree, pointed tree, flame, 60-degree cone, 90- degree cone, tapered cone, or inverted cone.
This web site, Carbide-Burs.com, has all the information you need when choosing your carbide burs. In addition to listing many manufacturers, this web site also includes good information on carbide bur use. Please take your time when browsing so that you buy the carbide burs that are right for you.
- Advanced Carbide Tool Company - specializes in the manufacture and repair of carbide burs.
- American Carbide - carbide end mills, carbide burrs, and carbide router bits.
- Busch Carbide Burs - United States distributor of Busch dental burs.
- CarbideBur.com - wholesale supplier of carbide burs, endmills and accessories.
- Eversharpe Deburring Tool - specializes in carbide tooling design and service.
- Innovative Carbide - tungsten carbide processing solutions.
- MacDonald Carbide - full-service tungsten carbide manufacturers.
- Midwest Cutting Tools - manufactures and resharpens carbide burrs and HSS cutting tools.