This mystery object looks like a patended boring bar insert holder.

partsproduction said:

Thanks Shop Supply. I'll think it over, PH Horn makes good tools, but very expensive. The shank diameter right at the insert end is .355", but looking the capture grooves with a loupe I see damaged surfaces. I have three of these.

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Shop Supply Guru said:

It's a PH Horn Mini bar. They make a few different sizes. If you give me the head diameter I can tell you what exactly it is. I can supply the inserts. I'm a tool sales guy out of Ohio. We sell a lot of Horn.

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partsproduction said:

...PH Horn makes good tools, but very expensive.

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beege said:

+1 on the PH Horn. Had some long ago. Nice system, but pricey.

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gregormarwick said:

It might be different over there, but here in the UK at least, Horn are actually very competitively priced compared to the other premium tooling manufacturers.

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Shop Supply Guru said:

I'm very familiar with Horn. I also sell Sandvik and the last distributor I worked for we sold Simtek. So I'd like to address a few things.

1. You can have the end reconditioned from Horn. I just sent one in for a client of mine. Their cost was under $110 USD. It is a long lead time however. 6-8 weeks.
2. Horn is the originator or at least the perfecter of these styles of tools. They are celebrating 50 years this year. Simtek was started by 2 former Horn engineers around 25 years ago that is what I'm told by the Simtek USA rep.
3. The pricing from Simtek to Horn is give and take from what I've seen.
4. Sandvik CXS series is made by Simtek and will match up to all of their holders. The Sandvik is noticeably more expensive in my opinion. However they usually have good stock. Simtek at least 3 years ago was ridiculous to get product. Like a month for a common tool.
5. Depending on what you need for an insert from Horn you are looking from $18-$30 which is pretty reasonable in my mind compared to a Micro 100 style solid carbide bar. Much more expensive than a CCMT or something longer that. However this one holder can take boring, grooving, back turning, threading, face grooving, cbn inserts and more. So it's more like an ease of use type tool than a cheap tool. They are also a stronger more rigid tool then a 1/2" or 3/8" indexable boring bar.

Click to expand...

Shop Supply Guru said:

I'm very familiar with Horn. I also sell Sandvik and the last distributor I worked for we sold Simtek. So I'd like to address a few things.

1. You can have the end reconditioned from Horn. I just sent one in for a client of mine. Their cost was under $110 USD. It is a long lead time however. 6-8 weeks.
2. Horn is the originator or at least the perfecter of these styles of tools. They are celebrating 50 years this year. Simtek was started by 2 former Horn engineers around 25 years ago that is what I'm told by the Simtek USA rep.
3. The pricing from Simtek to Horn is give and take from what I've seen.
4. Sandvik CXS series is made by Simtek and will match up to all of their holders. The Sandvik is noticeably more expensive in my opinion. However they usually have good stock. Simtek at least 3 years ago was ridiculous to get product. Like a month for a common tool.
5. Depending on what you need for an insert from Horn you are looking from $18-$30 which is pretty reasonable in my mind compared to a Micro 100 style solid carbide bar. Much more expensive than a CCMT or something longer that. However this one holder can take boring, grooving, back turning, threading, face grooving, cbn inserts and more. So it's more like an ease of use type tool than a cheap tool. They are also a stronger more rigid tool then a 1/2" or 3/8" indexable boring bar.

Click to expand...