Tooling We Trust
A working shop's shortlist of tooling that does the job without the big-catalog markup. No fluff — just gear worth knowing about from suppliers many machinists overlook.
Cutting Tools
2″ Indexable Face Mill
Haas' 2″ aluminum face mill with trigon inserts reportedly outperforms some name-brand options and gives 3× the corners per insert.
View at Haas Tooling →
Carbide Drills
Haas' carbide drills (a 12mm runs about $33) test competitively against Guhring and OSG for a lot less — one of the strongest values in their lineup.
View at Haas Tooling →
Carbide End Mill Sets
Coated carbide end mill sets priced to undercut the big catalogs — convenient if you already buy Haas consumables.
View at Haas Tooling →
Carbide Inserts
Surplus and refurbished carbide inserts — worth a look for common grades.
View at MJ Tooling →
Cobalt End Mills
Haas pushes their cobalt cutters as the value play, and machinists agree they are most cost-effective in the larger diameters.
View at Haas Tooling →
Milling Inserts
Replacement milling inserts at value pricing — handy if you already run Haas indexable bodies.
View at Haas Tooling →
Spotting Drills
Carbide spotting drills for accurate hole starts at value pricing.
View at Haas Tooling →
Taps
Cutting and forming taps across common sizes — reasonable for production consumable spend.
View at Haas Tooling →
TiAlN Carbide End Mills
Coated carbide end mills (a 1/2″ 4-flute TiAlN runs about $40) — solid general-purpose cutters priced to undercut the big catalogs.
View at Haas Tooling →Dull drills slowing you down?
The cheapest way to keep a drill cutting clean is to resharpen it, not replace it. We recondition HSS drills by mail from our shop in Perry, OK — flat-rate, fast turnaround.
Gages
ACME Thread Gages
ACME thread gages — the kind of specialty gage that is painful to source new.
View at MJ Tooling →
Class ZZ Pin / Plug Gage Set
Class ZZ minus pin gage sets that make a full hole-checking set actually affordable. Sold in ranges (.011–.060″, .061–.250″, .251–.500″).
View at Shars →
Metric Thread Gages
Haas' threaded plug and ring gauges, metric and inch — GO/NO-GO thread inspection without specialty-gage markup.
View at Haas Tooling →
Metric Thread Plug Gauge Set (7-Piece GO/NO-GO)
Haas' 7-piece metric thread plug gauge set — GO/NO-GO inspection for M3 through M12 threads at value pricing.
View at Haas Tooling →
Pipe Thread Gages (NPT/NPTF/ANPT)
NPT, NPTF, and ANPT pipe thread gages at distributor prices.
View at MJ Tooling →
Setting Plug Gages
Set plugs for calibrating your ring gages — the hard-to-source piece, available used.
View at MJ Tooling →
Thread Plug Gages
M&J's core business: thread plug gages (UN, NPT, metric and more), new and refurbished, at some of the lowest prices around — great for odd sizes the big suppliers gouge on.
View at MJ Tooling →
Thread Ring Gages
Thread ring gages across UN/NPT/BSPT/metric — buying refurbished here saves big over new.
View at MJ Tooling →Inspection
1″ Dial Indicator .001″ (303-2534)
Standard 1″-travel dial indicator — reliable for general setup and inspection work.
View at Shars →
Dial Test Indicator (.0005″)
A dial test indicator that is plenty good for setups and tramming at a fraction of Interapid money.
View at Shars →
Granite Surface Plate
Grade-B granite surface plates where premium brands get expensive fast — Shars saves real money on the bigger sizes.
View at Shars →
Magnetic Base + Dial Indicator
Heavy 220-lb-pull magnetic base bundled with a dial indicator — a complete setup-checking rig for short money.
View at Shars →Measuring
0-12" Electronic Depth Micrometer Set
Shars' electronic depth micrometer set with interchangeable rods — measures depths and steps out to 12" at a fraction of premium-brand pricing.
View at Shars →
6-12" Outside Micrometer Set
A 6-12" outside micrometer set with .0001" graduation and solid metal frames — covers the larger sizes where premium-brand mics get expensive fast.
View at Shars →
6" Premium Digital Caliper, Carbide-Tipped Jaw
Carbide-faced jaws shrug off wear from rough or abrasive stock — a real step up that still costs a fraction of premium-brand money.
View at Shars →
6″ Dial Caliper (303-1315)
Shockproof stainless dial caliper reading to .001″. This is where Shars' value really shows for everyday shop measuring.
View at Shars →
Aventor 12" Large-Screen IP54 Electronic Caliper
Shars' Aventor 12" digital caliper — big easy-read screen and IP54 coolant/dust resistance. The larger caliper sizes are where premium brands get expensive, so the value really shows here.
View at Shars →
Aventor 6″ Digital Caliper
Shars' house-brand digital caliper and a Practical Machinist favorite for the money — long battery life and about .001″ resolution. The caliper you reach for on jobs where you would never risk a Mitutoyo.
View at Shars →Toolholding
ER Collet Chucks
ER collet chucks (an ER32 CAT40 runs about $80) — basic but well-priced workhorse holders.
View at Haas Tooling →
Tool Holders
Beyond gages, M&J moves used tool holders (CAT/BT) at refurbished prices.
View at MJ Tooling →Workholding & Setup
1-2-3 Blocks, Matched Pair
Hardened, matched 1-2-3 blocks for setups and inspection — a shop staple where Shars value is tough to beat.
View at Shars →
Thin Parallel Set
Hardened thin parallels for vise work, priced so a full set is easy to justify.
View at Shars →Not sure what you need?
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Stuck on a tougher problem?
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We link to suppliers we think are worth a machinist's money. Some links may earn MachinistPost a small commission at no cost to you — it never changes what we list or why. Prices and availability are set by the supplier and can change.