Here is an assortment of good porting tools commercially available to most sledders.

1) Dremel tool runs 5000 -35000 RPM, very little torque, you can't get a better tool for the money (factor the $50.00 purchase price into the job)
2) Flexible shaft attachment for Dremel (another $30.00)
3) 90 degree adaptor for the Dremel ( $25.00, for those hard to reach places)
4) Diamond burr cutters(ferrous metal & fluted for aluminum): oval, cylindrical and tapered. Get good quality tungsten or carbide (HSS won't last)expect to pay $10.00 each
5) A good selection of 1/8 - 3/16 shank grind stones (not to be used on aluminum as they will clog with metal & vibrate the tool out of your hand) of various grits
6) Assorted sized sanding tubes and arbors (use aluminum oxide tubes to finish surfaces)
7) Flap wheels (these will conform to irregular shapes both internal and external) for finish jobs
8) Latex surgical gloves (to keep those hands clean)
9) Wet or Dry emery paper ranging in grits from 150 to 2500 (This can be used with latex surgical gloves and light oil to finish polish exhaust ports)
10) Jeweler's rouge compound and felt buffing bobs

nice. but hss cutters will work great on allum, I was always told not to use carbide on allum. but on cast or steel I agree.one thing I always have on hand is a coolant to cool the cutters,it also helps get the metal off the cutters.I just keep a can of tap magic around for dipping the cutters.now I am no cutter expert,but there is a cutter grinder on the site and in the forums.maybe he can give us a lil insite. :thumbsup:

Ya...there may be a toolgrinder here somewhere. :D

Both HSS and carbide will work well. When making very light cuts where accuracy is most important, you would want to use a HSS cutter because they are sharper and would cut easier with less pressure. No matter how careful a manufacturer is carbide will always have a more fractured edge than high speed.

Tapmagic is a pretty good lube for keeping the mat'l from sticking to it, but it turns into a sticky mess if not cleaned up right away. I prefer to have hand tools such as burrs TiN coated for lubricity. TiCN is harder and more slippery than TiN, but in my estimation is not worth the extra money.

If your tools do get loaded up with aluminum, a soak for a few minutes in some muriatic acid will eat the unwanted material away. ***A word of caution about muriatic acid...don't leave tools soaking in an open container. The fumes will corrode all the metal in the room in a matter of minutes. Keep the container (plastic butter dish) covered at all times. You all know the health risks associated already, so I won't get into that. IT'S ACID!

Hey Thumbdoctor...if you want your tools TiN coated before you get started, send them on down. I'll do it for you. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the offer Idooski, but for your stuff I'm using surgical grade S / S bone cutters then take it real easy with abrasive tubes and tungsten brushes. I may sent the bits to you to get cleaned up before the administrator sees them. I agree that HSS does a great job on aluminum, but one visit with the the cast barrel liner and by buy. I've had good results with carbide broad fluted burrs. Some so called experts I've visited with use diamond pattern HSS or carbide, you know the results. One trick I learned from working with titanium & magnesium is to refrigerate the aluminum parts before rough cutting, the bits rarely clog and alloy micro melt on the cuttig face is avoided. For beginners, sometimes having a somewhat dull burr reduces the chance of the bit running away on low torque die grinders or Dremels thus gouging a critical area (gasket surface). Applying rubber or ABS tape where you could possibly slip onto will save a trip to the plating shop.

:p Hope the administrator doesn't sled! :p

Yeah, I forgot to mention cooling the material to be machined first. That does work.

No she doesn't sled, but she thinks snowmobiles hurt golf courses. I have to keep reminding her that without motorsports we'd have to sell used stretchers to make a decent living. :D :D

TiAlN is worth the extra $$$ on the cutters i use at work. that is on heat treated steel though 52-60Rc. i assume even though aluminum is very low wear on cutters it may help. in tool and die shops the Tin coating craze is almost through now its TiAlN. high speed steel is MUCH cheaper and has worked just fine for me. dont waste money on coatings on hss. carbide seems to be chippy but its better for hard steel (sleeves). yes, to the diamond pattern.

your not planning on polishing the intake ports, are you?

TiAlN is worth the extra $$$ on the cutters i use at work. that is on heat treated steel though 52-60Rc

You're right about using something other than TiN in hardened or tool steels, but TiAlN is even more expensive than TiCN and is absolutely not necessary unless you are machining dry. If machining with coolant and temps of the cutters edge can be kept below 375 degrees, TiCN is what you want. If machining dry (which is the way of the future with coatings) or deep hole drilling with a mist coolant, then TiAlN is appropriate as it has a workable temp of up to 750 degrees.

even though aluminum is very low wear on cutters it may help

It will help due to the added lubricity. Tool life will also be increased by a minimum of 200% and more likely 300% - 400%. Maybe more in aluminum.

in tool and die shops the Tin coating craze is almost through now its TiAlN.

Are you in a position where you see what all the shops around you are doing, or are you basing your statement on what the preference is in your shop? My customers are still using much more TiN than any other coating. But then, I don't push a more expensive product to do a job that doesn't require it just to make an extra buck. The trend is moving away from TiN, but very slowly and due to the fact that there are so many other job specific coatings out there to choose from now. TiN will always have its place.

I'm not trying to bust your chops here. What you are talking about is part of what I do here. And I do know what I'm talking about. If you would like to know more, I would be happy to respond to your e-mail or feel free to call me here at the shop.

durkee@toolgrinder.com
Industrial Sales & Grinding, Inc.
Kalamazoo
269-345-1101

I really don't want to get into a discussion here about it. This was about porting tools. Coating was brought up because it can extend the life of porting tools as well as other cutting tools.

Thanks,

Keith

local shops in MI say it works good and we do. the sales man dropped a couple off (TiAlN extreme) tried ALL others. on hard steel none compare. shops tend to stick w/what worked (TiN). your right though about specific applications. this isnt too off topic IMO. through our sharpeners TiAlN is just $2 over uncoated carbide. our cutters range from .015" to .500" in carbide.