Best online resource for CNC shop tooling and consumables

Hey PM goers! I've been a lurker on the forums for years and have been a member awhile as well, though I don't post very often. Anyway, this post is about creating the best place online for guys like us to buy the tools we need. I have been programming/machining for five years now and would really like it if there were an easy-to-navigate place online to buy tooling which has in-depth information and more importantly NUMBERS!!! about the tools and inserts available. Really, I think it would be great if the site was focused mainly on the needs of the machining industry. I don't know about everyone, but I know most of the places our shop buys tools from are vendors for all types of manufacturing disciplines and don't really focus on machining and provide the type of information or search-ability I believe machinists could really benefit from when purchasing tools or researching new tool purchases. I would like to create a site which is very data driven, focusing on all of the physical aspects of tools AND their real world cutting data.

Basically, I am going to create a new website which will be easy to navigate, provide abundant tool geometry and cutting characteristic information, and be very easily searchable to find exactly what you are looking for. Users will be able to rate and recommend tools, adding information about cuts they have taken successfully with a particular tool, which over time will give our industry a great database of cutting information for others to take into consideration when searching for a tool to meet a particular need.

This is my general vision so far and I'm hoping to hear some input from you guys. I know that I have definitely benefited from this website in my career with the wealth of knowledge of the posters here, and this is going to be my way of providing some value back to our community. I am very open to any and all suggestions and will take into consideration feedback regularly. I want to create a great resource for those in the machining industry and by doing that, hope to earn your business as well.

Thank you and I look forward to your responses =)
-Eric

Well if you make a site that broke down the different proprietary inserts, for turning and milling, along with grades, coatings, "why this works better than that in x material," I would be impressed. Sounds like a lot of work though.

I don't mean to shit on your dream there, but I have found that it's way more productive to find a good sales rep (you're in Ca, call Western Tool) and let the experts be experts. I don't have to learn about every single insert ever made, I just call my outside sales rep and get a suggestion. They sell several different brands so there's no favorites, and if it's a very important job for whatever reason, they can setup tool trials. Test several tools, buy the one that worked best and return the rest for no fee. Can't find any of that on a website.

emagray said:

this is going to be my way of providing some value back to our community.

hope to earn your business as well.

Click to expand...

So witch one is it?

Just curious how do you plan on generating business from this?

Brent

this is a tough one.
is it a solution to our fragmented tooling acquisition process or a solution to a problem the doesn't exist?
at anyrate it seems like something a company with resources like google/shopping could put together.
as far as a privateer doing it??? prove me wrong.

lowCountryCamo said:

Well if you make a site that broke down the different proprietary inserts, for turning and milling, along with grades, coatings, "why this works better than that in x material," I would be impressed. Sounds like a lot of work though.

Click to expand...

That would absolutely be part of it. And it will be a lot of work, but I need a new challenge and I like this one.

Matt@RFR said:

I don't mean to shit on your dream there, but I have found that it's way more productive to find a good sales rep (you're in Ca, call Western Tool) and let the experts be experts. I don't have to learn about every single insert ever made, I just call my outside sales rep and get a suggestion. They sell several different brands so there's no favorites, and if it's a very important job for whatever reason, they can setup tool trials. Test several tools, buy the one that worked best and return the rest for no fee. Can't find any of that on a website.

Click to expand...

I was born and grew up in the internet age and have been googling my way to the answers of my questions since I was five. For me, data and peer recommendations are big factors in purchasing decisions, whether it's for a vehicle or cutting tools. I know that I would personally use a site like the one I'm attempting to describe, and I think others in the field would find it beneficial as well if executed correctly. Much of what I have seen as far as the online presence of cutting tool suppliers and tool data seems very outdated and fragmented. That is the problem I would like to solve with this site.

yardbird said:

So witch one is it?

Just curious how do you plan on generating business from this?

Brent

Click to expand...

By selling the cutting tools, and drawing business by being the best online supplier/distributor for cutting tools.

mkd said:

this is a tough one.
is it a solution to our fragmented tooling acquisition process or a solution to a problem the doesn't exist?
at anyrate it seems like something a company with resources like google/shopping could put together.
as far as a privateer doing it??? prove me wrong.

Click to expand...

I think your question helped me clarify my goal. I guess it will be a bit of both actually haha. I would like tooling acquisition to be less fragmented and I also want to make available information and data that is just too time consuming to find at the moment. Hopefully people will find the information beneficial, but it is somewhat of a shot in the dark!