Knowledge Center
Material, process, design and buying guides built on the same charts we quote from. No theory that does not change a decision.
Guides
Carbide Grade Selection Guide
Sixteen grades, three numbers each. Once you know what the numbers trade against each other, picking a grade takes about two minutes.
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Gun Drilling Process Guide
A twist drill loses its way past about five times the diameter. Gun drilling was invented for everything beyond that point.
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Choke Bean Sizing Guide
A choke bean is a calibrated hole. Order the wrong bore and the flow rate you record is not the flow rate you have.
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Coolant Hole Rod Design Guide
The coolant channel is decided before the flute, not after. Get the order wrong and the hole breaks into the flute on the grinder.
Read the guideWhat Each Guide Covers
Material guide
A practical guide to reading the GWM grade chart: binder content, HRA hardness, transverse rupture strength and density, and how to pick the grade for abrasion, impact or corrosion.
Process guide
What gun drilling is, how it compares with BTA and ejector deep hole drilling, the diameter ranges each method covers, and how to specify a carbide gun drill blank.
Buying guide
Reading choke bean item numbers, matching bore to outside diameter, the 1/64 inch graduation system and the common bean sizes used on positive choke valves.
Design guide
How to choose between central, twin straight and helical coolant channels, how to read bore circle and eccentricity figures, and how much grinding stock to allow on a carbide rod.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these guides written for buyers or for engineers?
Both. Each one starts with the decision a buyer has to make and then gives the numbers an engineer needs to check it.
Do the guides use your own data?
Yes. Every dimension, tolerance and grade figure quoted comes from our own published charts.
Can I get these as a PDF?
The dimension and grade charts are available as PDFs in the download center. For a guide in another format, ask us by email.
Ask The Question The Guide Did Not Answer
Email the detail you are stuck on. We answer technical questions before there is an order on the table, not after.