Minimum and maximum amount a workpiece dimension is allowed to vary from a set standard and still be acceptable.

Grooves and spaces in the body of a tool that permit chip removal from, and cutting-fluid application to, the point of cut.

When reaming nickel alloys, the tool must remove sufficient stock so material that isn’t workhardened is removed, according to von Rohr. The starting point recommendations are 0.010 " for a ¼ " hole, 0.015 " for a ½ " hole and up to 0.025 " for a 1½ " hole.

Because nickel-base alloys withstand high temperatures, not much heat enters the material and the heat that does enter is carried away when chips are made. Therefore, coolant is needed to keep cutting edges from overheating and causing premature tool failure while helping to clear chips.

Not all influential reamer geometries can be readily seen. Coolant channels facilitate metalworking fluid flow to effectively evacuate chips and can also vary in design depending on what type of hole is being reamed. When it’s a blind-hole, Schmidt pointed out that M.A. Ford engineers the though-coolant design so it directs the flow backward, whether through one central channel or two holes, and helps bring chips out the top of the hole instead of sending them to the bottom.

Any manufacturing process in which metal is processed or machined such that the workpiece is given a new shape. Broadly defined, the term includes processes such as design and layout, heat-treating, material handling and inspection.

It means the company insists golfers get fit for each model as it’s vitally important to match the lie angle of the putter to how you putt, to ensure maximum effectiveness. The idea also does away with the fitting of putters to stroke type, so don’t expect to hear toe hang mentioned by L.A.B.

“Silicon-based coatings were originally designed more for high-speed machining and hardened dies,” Schmidt said, “but they found their way into [the machining of] some of these nickel materials as well.”

In addition to coolant concentration, applying it at high pressure is essential when reaming nickel alloys, Edler said. “The higher the pressure, the better the coolant penetration to get beyond that zone where the heat is being generated and to cool down the cutting edge, as well as the material.”

Although sulfur has its benefits, workpiece staining can result if the oil and workpiece temperatures rise too high during reaming, KOMET’s von Rohr explained. Prior to heat treatment, users can remove the stain with a cleaning solution of sodium cyanide or chromic-sulfuric acid. “To avoid intergranular corrosion,” he cautioned, “the parts should be immersed in the cleaning solution only long enough to remove the stain.”

The wider body offers greater distance consistency on off-center strikes than you get with a blade, which can really help as you’ll be surprised how often you miss the middle of the face, particularly on longer putts.

Blades are the most traditional-looking putters. They are typically quite slim, with a small profile. Blade putters tend to have quite a lot of toe hang, which means they suit golfers with an arced putting stroke, although some face-balanced blade putters are available for those with a straight back-and-through stroke who want a blade style.

However, the properties that make nickel alloys desirable for extreme environments, such as those found in pressurized-water reactors at nuclear power plants and in aerospace turbocharger rotors, make the metals a challenge to machine. That’s because the high pressure the cutting tool exerts on the workpiece during machining produces a stressed and deformed surface layer, explained Adrian von Rohr, Dihart product manager for KOMET of America Inc., Schaumburg, Ill. This deformation causes the workpiece surface to harden, slowing the machining process.

Don’t forget also if you draw a straight line on your ball, a single line on your putter can be a great accompaniment for that. If you use a triple track golf ball, a putter with three lines can work brilliantly too.

Hole or cavity cut in a solid shape that does not connect with other holes or exit through the workpiece.

Because chip control can be problematic when reaming nickel alloys, chipbreaker geometry is beneficial, according to Sollich. He noted BTA Heller’s float reamers have a manual chipbreaker held with an insert clamp. “The chipbreaker width can be adjusted based on the workpiece material,” he said. “If you’re reaming a material that tends to be tough as far as chip control, you tighten the chipbreaker to a smaller width, maybe 0.040 ".”

Simon Daddow is the Equipment Editor for Today’s Golfer. Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what he doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

Simon also spent time working as a Sales Executive in Harrods’ golf department, even helping supply Sir Nick Faldo with personalized shirts in a last-minute emergency ahead of a flight to a tournament.

Ping’s Dr. Paul Wood told me “Research shows a really good match between players who describe a putter matching their eye, and aligning consistently correctly with those models.” So there’s a real link between finding a putter that’s easy to align and putting well with it.

Golfers who like a clean top rail use the perpendicular line created by the blade sat behind the ball to square up to their target. A lot of putters combine a clean top rail design with other alignment features, but players who like models in this category will often find the extra cosmetic shapes or lines distracting.

To support those sharp edges, the relief angles must be slightly less steep than on reamers for less demanding materials, according to M.A. Ford’s Schmidt. Reamers typically have 3° to 5° relief angles, whereas 1° to 3° is more appropriate on tools for nickel alloys.

There is a clear trend towards wider-bodied blade putters, which sit between a mallet and a blade and offer a bit more forgiveness and reassurance than a very slim blade.

Angle of inclination between the face of the cutting tool and the workpiece. If the face of the tool lies in a plane through the axis of the workpiece, the tool is said to have a neutral, or zero, rake. If the inclination of the tool face makes the cutting edge more acute than when the rake angle is zero, the rake is positive. If the inclination of the tool face makes the cutting edge less acute or more blunt than when the rake angle is zero, the rake is negative.

Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.

Space provided behind the cutting edges to prevent rubbing. Sometimes called primary relief. Secondary relief provides additional space behind primary relief. Relief on end teeth is axial relief; relief on side teeth is peripheral relief.

Miller pointed out that Allied offers coated and uncoated carbide and cermet reamers, and Allied generally recommends uncoated cermet tools for high-speed reaming. “There’s not a dramatic benefit to putting a coating on cermet as far as tool life,” he said, noting that cermet withstands tool wear from nickel alloy’s abrasiveness better than carbide.

Tiger Woods uses a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS Prototype putter, which has been in his bag for most of his career. Check out all the clubs and other equipment Tiger Woods uses here.

When using BTA Heller’s float reaming system, coolant volume is more important than pressure, with 25 gpm per inch in tool diameter being the rule of thumb, according to Sollich. He recommends applying sulfur- or chlorine-based cutting oil and maintaining the oil temperature at 80° to 85° F with a chiller unit to extend cutting tool life 15 to 30 percent.

There’s a mountain of putter grip options to choose from, whether you want to explore the size, shape, profile, or material of your putter grip my best putter grip page will help you decide which best suits you.

Sollich added that the tool’s double-effective cutting configuration allows users to substantially increase the feed rate versus a single-cutter reamer. For Inconel 718, he recommends a feed of 0.040 to 0.060 ipr.

Mallet putters tend to have a bigger footprint than blades, although the blade length from heel to toe is often shorter.

Iscar’s Edler agreed. “As long as you have a good concentration of water-based coolant, say 10 to 12 percent, everything will be fine.”

He added that balancing tool geometries for both materials rather than optimizing them for one can prove effective.

Typically, this feature is only really found on mallet-style putters, because blades don’t have the body width to create a long sight line. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but it often tends to be less skilled putters who like this style of alignment aid most.

He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has worked for both Today’s Golfer and Golf World. Working alongside our test pro Neil Wain, Simon has made todays-golfer.com the most reliable source for golf club testing.

Despite his youthful looks, Simon has played golf for more than 40 years and plays to a handicap of 10. A lack of club speed means he’s short off the tee, but very handy from 125 yards and in.

Putters, particularly mallets and MOI models, come with all sorts of different visual aids to help you align putts and strike the ball in the middle of the face more often. A lot comes down to personal preference, so it’s a good idea to pick up as many putters as you can to see what sort of alignment aids suit your eye. Here’s my guide to finding your perfect alignment aid.

Putter faces used to be a simple, flat piece of metal, and although some are still like that, most have an insert or some form of groove pattern designed to help reduce skid and get the ball rolling sooner. Finding the face type or insert that you like the feel of is key to confidence and consistent pace control.

On conventional reamers, a chipbreaker is effective for controlling chips but it reduces tool life compared to a reamer without one, according to KOMET’s von Rohr. A chipbreaker may not even be required to control nickel alloy chips. That’s because, as the material workhardens, it becomes more brittle and tends to break from the parent material before becoming long and stringy, he added. “The nickel itself almost acts like a chipbreaker.”

“Because inserts are not brazed onto the body, high-performance coatings can be considered,” he said, noting indexable inserts repeat within 0.0001 ".

Golfers who like a golf ball-width feature do so because they like to frame the ball while lining up to putt. There are tons of putters out there that have a feature to frame the ball at address, and while some do it subtly, others are much more explicit.

Iscar’s Edler indicated that BAYO T reamers have uneven flute spacing, with two flutes directly across from each other and the remaining ones varied. “It’s definitely to avoid harmonics,” he said.

Other zero torque putters are available (like the Axis 1 used by Justin Rose) but L.A.B. models are different as they’re designed to resist twisting to the path of your stroke, not your target. So, where Ping founder Karsten Solheim invented the perimeter-weighted Anser to twist less on off-center hits, L.A.B. putters are designed to not twist to the path of your backswing and downswing.

While we normally share all the data from our golf club tests, we don’t do that with putters. Whilst we do use a Foresight GC Quad launch monitor in putting mode to measure and gauge the roll, topspin, and skid of every putt hit, over the years we’ve learned that putting data is more player- and day-dependent than any other club in the bag. So, whilst we use this data for analysis, we don’t base big decisions or recommendations on it, as history shows data is very likely to be different on another day’s testing. Essentially, we’re not comfortable making huge claims that one putter rolls better than another, because we know that on another day’s testing, the rolls could be reversed.

Putters are typically 33″ to 36″ long (discounting arm-lock models, which are longer). The correct length largely depends on your height but also the way you stand when putting; basically, the distance from your wrist to the floor when you address a putt is the length of putter you need.

Tendency of all metals to become harder when they are machined or subjected to other stresses and strains. This trait is particularly pronounced in soft, low-carbon steel or alloys containing nickel and manganese—nonmagnetic stainless steel, high-manganese steel and the superalloys Inconel and Monel.

“As the hole gets bigger, the tolerance range gets larger,” said Jacob Miller, product manager for Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., Dover, Ohio. The cutting tool manufacturer recently added replaceable-head reamers from S.C.A.M.I. to complement Allied’s monoblock and ring-style reamer offerings from the same Italian manufacturer.

Expect a Zero Torque putter to need some bedding in time, they are the hottest trend on tour right now, my best L.A.B. putter page will help you decide if you like the concept and establish which model is for you.

All of the leading manufacturers – including TaylorMade, Odyssey, and Ping – offer a wide range of putters in different shapes, sizes, styles, and types, so how do you know where to start?

A reamer’s geometric configuration also helps minimize chatter—especially unwanted in a finishing operation. Reamers frequently have asymmetrical flute spacing to disrupt the natural-harmonic-frequency generation that causes chatter during machining, von Rohr noted. He added that the flute design can aid machinability when interrupted cutting, such as when reaming cross-holes. “Dihart always uses asymmetrical-flute spacing for our high-performance reamers,” he said.

Pre-loved putters can be a fantastic option as they offer the opportunity to save considerable amounts of cash buying a model somebody else no longer wants. Make sure you’ve tried and tested the putter you want before buying, it’s much less likely you’ll get fitted to any second-hand model.

You may have heard about face-balanced, toe-up, and torque-balanced putters before, but L.A.B. Golf’s Zero Torque putters and the new PXG Battle Ready Allan work differently from anything you’ve seen before. The idea came about when Directed Force (the company acquired and relaunched by now L.A.B owner Sam Hahn) built a device called the Revealer, to better understand how putters torque and rotate during the putting stroke. Only by inventing the device, which allows putters to hang freely while being swung, was it possible to spot how putters rotate during the stroke, but also to design a putter that didn’t torque or spin at all.

Stability putter shafts improve the consistency of off-center hits as the face deflects fractionally less at impact, so the idea has the potential to shave shots from your scorecard and help cut your three-putt percentage.

To maintain a sharp cutting edge, the coating can’t be too thick. “A thick coating does not necessarily mean you have a better tool,” von Rohr said. “It’s actually the opposite; a thick coating may crack easier.”

Tough, difficult-to-machine alloys; includes Hastelloy, Inconel and Monel. Many are nickel-base metals.

Nickel-base alloys and other heat-resistant materials certainly qualify as being difficult to machine, but effectively reaming them to improve hole cylindricity and surface finish is possible if users select the appropriate tools and make proper provisions. “If you want to run extreme, you have to take precautions,” Edler said. And when that’s the case, “high-temp alloys are basically the same as any other type of material.” CTE

Hole or cavity cut in a solid shape that connects with other holes or extends all the way through the workpiece.

He added that the lead angle varies, depending on whether the hole being reamed is a through- or blind-hole. When reaming a through-hole, a 45° lead angle rolls the chips forward—ahead of the tool and out the hole. In a blind-hole, a 20° lead directs the chips back up the flutes and out the hole.

Quite simply, you’re making the game harder by using a narrow blade putter rather than an MOI Putter, especially on longer putts.

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Measure of the relative efficiency with which a cutting fluid or lubricant reduces friction between surfaces.

Most putters come with different hosel options, which not only affect the look but also the amount of ‘toe hang’ the putter has. Toe hang is measured in degrees and basically dictates how much the putter wants to rotate during your stroke. Generally, golfers with more arc in their putting stroke will benefit from more toe hang, while those with a ‘straight back and through’ stroke will want less.

Schmidt noted the coatings on M.A. Ford reamers are from 0.0001" to 0.0002" thick and are applied by outside coating companies via flash coat to reduce coating cycle time, and, therefore, coating thickness and the amount of heat entering the tools. The coatings for nickel-alloy reaming applications are primarily silicon-based, he added, noting TiAlN and AlCrN, which are not silicon-based, are also effective.

The biggest decision when choosing a new putter is whether you want a blade putter, a mallet putter, or a super-stable high MOI putter.

The float reaming tools, which can open existing bores up to 1⁄8 " on diameter, are applied only in a deep-hole drilling machine and can ream holes 100 diameters deep or more, according to the company.

Finding the best putter for your golf game is hugely important, as it’s the club you use more than any other. There’s nothing more frustrating than hitting a great approach or chip to close range and then missing the putt. Plus, holing a few more putts is a quick way to lower your scores.

The new S.C.A.M.I. replaceable-head reamers complement Allied’s monoblock and ring-style reamer offerings.

If you can accept the somewhat unconventional looks of an MOI model, you’re giving yourself maximum benefit. It’s important to love the look of your putter, though, as confidence plays such a huge part on the greens.

Predominantly, think of the golfers who gravitate to this style of putter as liking simpler, traditional blade designs with less going on cosmetically and you won’t go far wrong.

Coatings are also needed to protect reamers, as well as reduce friction, when cutting nickel alloys. “A coating makes the difference between an application working and not working,” said KOMET’s von Rohr. “You produce less heat and less stress, and it’s just easier for the chip to get out of the way with a coating.”

This area of the market has really taken off in the last decade as golfers realize the performance benefits of super-stable putters.

Machine designed to rotate end-cutting tools. Can also be used for reaming, tapping, countersinking, counterboring, spotfacing and boring.

Angle between the side-cutting edge and the projected side of the tool shank or holder, which leads the cutting tool into the workpiece.

BTA Heller's float reaming, or skive, tool's body holds a floating cutter magazine with two cartridges and two indexable inserts that oppose one another and have diametrical adjustment of 0.080" to 0.118", depending on the tool diameter.

Alan holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Including his 20 years at CTE, Alan has more than 30 years of trade journalism experience.

Take your time, look at the condition, and get a feeling for how the putter may have been looked after by the previous owner. If the finish is chipped or there are dinks in the top edge it’s highly likely the putter has had a tough life, which could mean it might no longer be at its original spec.

Ping’s Dr. Paul Wood told me “There’s a real trend of more skilled players wanting fewer alignment features, which sort of makes sense as the better you are at lining up, the less help you need.

Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.

There’s a growing consensus of not going too large as you can lose feel and distance control. As a very general rule, oversized grips with flat fronts typically will suit straighter stroke players whereas smaller more pistol-shaped grips can be a better fit for golfers with arc and/or release in their putting stroke.

He enjoys excellent relationships with the biggest names in the golf equipment industry, including PXG boss Bob Parsons and TaylorMade’s Tomo Bystedt and Adrian Rietveld.

Choosing the best putter for your game comes down to many factors, including price, the head shape, what alignment aids suit your eye (if any), whether you have a straight or arced putting stroke, whether you prefer a firmer or softer feel, the length that suits your height and setup, and what type of grip feels best in your hands. We’ve discussed every factor in our guide to choosing the best putter for your game.

According to von Rohr, too low a feed rate results in glazing, or workhardening, of the workpiece and excessive tool wear, while an excessive feed reduces the accuracy of hole dimensions and surface finish quality. He recommends a feed from 0.0015 " to 0.004 " per flute per revolution when reaming nickel alloys.

“What we’re seeing on some of the newer reamers is just a bit of a cylindrical margin, so, if you have chipping, the cutting edges are backed up,” Schmidt added. With that design on a reamer with a smaller relief angle, toolmakers place more support on the back of the cutting edge, making the edge stronger.

Compared to reamers with brazed carbide tips, indexable-insert reamers offer more coating options, according to von Rohr. That’s because the carbide tip must be coated after brazing and the temperature used to apply the coating cannot be higher than what the brazed connection allows, meaning too high a temperature would cause the braze to fail.

It’s a difficult one to answer, as so much of putting comes down to confidence, which makes it important to choose a putter you love the look and feel of. That said, a high-stability MOI putter will offer greater performance benefits than any other type of putter. If you’re struggling with your putting and have only ever used a traditional blade, it’s well worth seeing how much a forgiving MOI putter could help you.

Gary Schmidt, applications engineering for M.A. Ford Manufacturing Co. Inc., Davenport, Iowa, recommends basing reaming parameters on those for holemaking with carbide drills, cutting the reaming speed in half and doubling the feed. The increased feed will load the reamer and prevent it from rubbing and wearing prematurely, he noted. M.A. Ford produces standard solid-carbide reamers from 0.013 " to 5⁄8 " and specials up to 1¼ ".

TG Equipment Editor Simon Daddow and Test Pro Neil Wain both putted to a hole 15 feet away and hit at least 20 putts with each model tested. We’re listening for sound, looking for how putts roll across the surface of the green, and gauging the feel and feedback of the putter face. We consider the grip size, shape, and texture, whilst also paying attention to the shaft and the stability on off-center hits.

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A sightline like this leads the eye all the way to the back of the ball, and I’ve always felt it gives the impression of hitting a nail in with a hammer when putting. The alignment feature doesn’t have to be a line – it can be another design – but explicitly this style of putter doesn’t have a top rail.

Stability putter shafts have grown hugely in popularity over the last decade, as engineers have realized when premium carbon fiber (like with the graphite KBS GPS) is wrapped correctly in the right areas, graphite shafts can resist twisting better than steel.

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In addition to running at the correct feed, applying reamers—which cut only on the bevel and taper leads and not on the lands—with up-sharp cutting edges and positive rake angles will shear nickel alloys rather than push the material. “The biggest concern is making sure you have a sharp tool geometry to minimize the amount of heat you produce,” said Allied’s Miller.

Dimension that defines the exterior diameter of a cylindrical or round part. See ID, inner diameter.

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Engagement of a tool’s cutting edge with a workpiece generates a cutting force. Such a cutting force combines tangential, feed and radial forces, which can be measured by a dynamometer. Of the three cutting force components, tangential force is the greatest. Tangential force generates torque and accounts for more than 95 percent of the machining power. See dynamometer.

A simple but effective way to see how much toe hang a putter has is to balance the shaft on your finger; the angle at which the head points down towards the ground when hanging freely is the amount of toe hang. A putter with no toe hang is often called “face balanced” and the face will be pointing straight to the sky.

He noted TiAlN is the most common coating for nickel-alloy applications, but AlCrN is also suitable.

Away from the course, Simon is a season-ticket holder at Peterborough United Football Club, attending games with his young son. He’s also a keen cyclist and enjoys working (and relaxing) at his allotment.

Similar to other machining processes, reaming nickel alloys requires a significantly slower cutting speed compared to most other materials, Miller noted. “Usually it’s between 60 and 80 sfm for coated carbide,” he said.

Simon’s job means he plays regularly around the world, and rates Kingsbarns as his favorite course. He uses a PXG 0311 GEN6 XF driver, TaylorMade Stealth 2 HL (15º), Ping G400 (20.5º), PXG 0317 X Gen2 hybrid, PXG 0311 GEN6 P irons (6–PW), Cleveland CBX2 wedges (52°, 58°), Ping 21 Fetch putter and a TaylorMade Tour Response golf ball.

Substances having metallic properties and being composed of two or more chemical elements of which at least one is a metal.

Tangential velocity on the surface of the tool or workpiece at the cutting interface. The formula for cutting speed (sfm) is tool diameter 5 0.26 5 spindle speed (rpm). The formula for feed per tooth (fpt) is table feed (ipm)/number of flutes/spindle speed (rpm). The formula for spindle speed (rpm) is cutting speed (sfm) 5 3.82/tool diameter. The formula for table feed (ipm) is feed per tooth (ftp) 5 number of tool flutes 5 spindle speed (rpm).

There’s a reason most beginners don’t pick up traditional blades with no sightlines; they’re not so easy to line up. It’s natural, then, for less skilled and less confident golfers to go for wider body, longer sightline models because there’s more insurance. Mallets are more stable and forgiving, but you also get more help lining up, too.

“Your CNC will allow you to run at two different parameters as you’re going through the workpiece,” Miller said.

Instead of removing 0.005 " to 0.008 " of material for holes under ½ " in diameter and 0.008 " to 0.012 " of material for holes ½ " and larger when reaming non-nickel-alloy materials, Iscar’s Edler recommends 0.004 " of stock removal for all nickel-alloy holes. An exception is when the drilled hole is egg-shaped, or out of round, more than 0.004 ". “You’re going to have an area that is not going to clean up,” he said. “You would then need to leave more material to have a completely finished hole.”

As you’ll see from our selections above, brands including Scotty Cameron, TaylorMade, Odyssey and Ping make what we feel are the best putters in golf.

Although high-performance drills can produce high-quality holes, reaming is required for a tighter diameter tolerance. Indexable-insert drills typically achieve a tolerance as tight as 0.008 " and solid-carbide drills achieve a 0.002 " tolerance, von Rohr noted, but solid-carbide, carbide-tipped and indexable-inserts reamers attain a tolerance of 0.0004 ". KOMET makes solid-carbide, carbide-tipped and indexable-insert reamers.

When a metal part must offer low weight, corrosion and oxidation resistance and high strength at high temperatures, part designers often turn to nickel-base alloys. These materials, along with iron- and cobalt-based materials, are considered heat-resistant superalloys.

He’s a specialist in all things metal having spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years. Starting out as trainee professional at Downes Crediton GC where he learned the art of golf club making, he went onto work for Clubhaus Plc and Tony Charles Ltd as a golf club maker, and running Product Development at Benross Golf.

Having the original headcover in good condition is always desirable and a good sign the putter might well have been cherished by its previous owner. I’d always recommend factoring in the cost of a new grip too just so you get the feel and feedback you want. Our selection of the best putter grips can help you decide which will best suit you.

Fluid that reduces temperature buildup at the tool/workpiece interface during machining. Normally takes the form of a liquid such as soluble or chemical mixtures (semisynthetic, synthetic) but can be pressurized air or other gas. Because of water’s ability to absorb great quantities of heat, it is widely used as a coolant and vehicle for various cutting compounds, with the water-to-compound ratio varying with the machining task. See cutting fluid; semisynthetic cutting fluid; soluble-oil cutting fluid; synthetic cutting fluid.

Because nickel alloys tend to workharden, a slower speed reduces friction and heat generation, von Rohr added. Just as a drilled hole guides a reamer, drilling speed can direct reaming speed. A rule of thumb is to ream at about two thirds the drilling speed, he noted.

With many of the best putters retailing for over $400, it’s important to decide how much you’re willing to spend. After all, a higher price doesn’t guarantee you’re going to hole more putts. Typically, the leading manufacturers are at the forefront of R&D and use premium materials, which explains the high price, but there’s nothing to say you can’t find a putter for under $200 that works great for you.

Because these extreme-environment parts often require high-quality holes—with an H7 international size tolerance grade or better—part manufacturers commonly employ reaming to meet surface finish, size and concentricity requirements. For example, an H7 tolerance for an 18mm-dia. hole is 0 "/+0.0007 ".

Compared to reaming steel at a cutting speed of about 650 sfm, 200 sfm is appropriate for Inconel 718 when applying BTA Heller Inc.’s float reaming, or skive, tool, noted Mark Sollich, president and CEO of the Troy, Mich., company. BTA Heller states that the tool body holds a floating cutter magazine with two cartridges and two indexable inserts that oppose one another and have diametrical adjustment of 0.080 " to 0.118 ", depending on the tool diameter. Each insert has four cutting edges.

Reaming nickel-base alloys can be challenging enough, but add a dissimilar material into the workpiece, such as a composite in stacked arrangement, and the demands increase exponentially.

Condition of vibration involving the machine, workpiece and cutting tool. Once this condition arises, it is often self-sustaining until the problem is corrected. Chatter can be identified when lines or grooves appear at regular intervals in the workpiece. These lines or grooves are caused by the teeth of the cutter as they vibrate in and out of the workpiece and their spacing depends on the frequency of vibration.

Others interviewed concurred that reaming nickel alloys is a slow process but some offered slightly different recommendations. Tom Edler recommends reaming Inconel at 80 to 100 sfm. He’s the national deep-hole drilling, reaming, thread milling, ITS bore and oil field thread chasers products manager for Iscar Metals Inc., Arlington, Texas. Iscar’s BAYO T reaming system is suitable for nickel-alloy applications. While the speed is slow, the feed can be a different matter. “The design of the tool allows for aggressive feed rates, typically 20 to 30 times faster than conventional reamers,” Edler said.

“A float reaming tool is designed to follow the existing hole and give uniform size, finish and wall thickness from start to finish, producing a true round bore,” Sollich explained. “When you start into the bore, you introduce hydraulics to the tool, expanding the floating magazine, or cutters, to whatever size you require and skiving through the part with high-volume coolant running on the tool OD, which flushes chips away from the cutting edges. When you get to the end of the bore, you turn off the hydraulics, collapsing the cutters, and pull the tool back without leaving any scratches or marks inside the bore.”

“Even under the best conditions, stresses may be produced that distort the work,” von Rohr said. “For maximum dimensional stability, it is best to rough the part almost to size, stress-relieve it and then finish it to size.”

Rotating cutting tool used to enlarge a drilled hole to size. Normally removes only a small amount of stock. The workpiece supports the multiple-edge cutting tool. Also for contouring an existing hole.

“This kind of player wants lines to indicate where the outer edges of the ball should be in relation to the putter’s body, like tram lines running straight from the putter’s head out to the edges of the golf ball that’s sat in front of it,” Ping’s Dr. Paul Wood told me. The putter may have a clean top rail, but golfers aren’t using it to align.

Click the image above for a video demonstrating an ALVAN replaceable-head reamer from Allied reaming an Inconel 718 workpiece.

Out-on-tour stability putter shafts have their place, but they’re certainly not mainstream, so I’d advise not getting too bogged down in deciding whether or not you need one. Other much more important factors need your full attention. If though at any point you want to go full out and create your ultimate flatstick then absolutely a stability putter shaft should be on your radar.

His favorite ever piece of golf equipment is the Callaway Warbird fairway wood and he considers the biggest technological advancement in the game to have been titanium driver heads.

Groove or other tool geometry that breaks chips into small fragments as they come off the workpiece. Designed to prevent chips from becoming so long that they are difficult to control, catch in turning parts and cause safety problems.

While some recommend applying a sulfurized or chlorinated mineral oil to improve both lubricity and antiweld properties when reaming nickel alloys, others emphasize having the proper coolant mixture. “When you get into high-temperature alloys, the concentration of water-based coolants is important,” M.A. Ford’s Schmidt said. “We like to see 8 to 11 percent. With the normal 4 to 6 percent concentration, you have much less lubricity.”

Particularly difficult-to-machine nickel alloys include Incoloy 901, Nimonic 80 and 105, and Inconel 625 and 718. The latter is a precipitation-hardenable nickel-chromium alloy with excellent creep-rupture strength at temperatures up to 1,300° F. It is used in gas turbines, pumps and rocket motors, according to ESPI Metals, Ashland, Ore., a supplier of high-purity metals and metal compounds for research purposes. The nominal composition of Inconel 718 includes, among other elements, 52.50 percent nickel, 19.00 percent chromium, 17.00 percent iron, 3.05 percent molybdenum and even a bit of titanium, at 0.90 percent.

About the Author: Alan Richter is editor of CTE. He joined the publication in 2000. Contact him at (847) 714-0175 or alanr@jwr.com.

Often used as a tool coating. AlTiN indicates the aluminum content is greater than the titanium. See coated tools.

When controlling chips, a reamer’s lead angle also plays a critical role. In addition to possibly a 45° lead angle, a reamer might have a double, or compound, angle, with a 20° lead as well, to reduce the cutting force and enhance chip control by generating smaller chips, Edler explained. “The compound angle can be anything we need it to be to solve the chip control issue.”

“The way I usually explain it to customers is it is very similar to reaming a casehardened material,” said Gary Schmidt of M.A. Ford Manufacturing Co. Inc. “You have the outer crust that’s very hard and you have a softer center. Metal-matrix composite materials are that way too.”

Thin web or film of metal on a casting that occurs at die partings and around air vents and movable cores. This excess metal is due to necessary working and operating clearances in a die. Flash also is the excess material squeezed out of the cavity as a compression mold closes or as pressure is applied to the cavity.

However, optimizing the speeds and feeds for each material can also prove effective. Allied Machine & Engineering Corp.’s Jacob Miller emphasized this when reaming bimetal workpieces, such a thin Inconel explosion-bonded cladding on A 516 70 steel or 316 stainless. That might require starting at a slow surface speed and then increasing it once the tool passes the cladding.