What Are Metal Cutting Tools and How Do You Choose the Right Type?

Metal cutting tools are the cutters, drills, taps, dies, reamers, and saw blades that remove material to shape a metal part. Choose by the operation first (drilling, milling, turning, threading, sawing), then by work material, tool material and coating, and geometry such as flute count. Victor Machinery's online store organizes its catalog around exactly these categories, so the operation is the most reliable starting point for a search.

Start With the Operation, Not the Tool Name

Each cutting action has a characteristic tool and a characteristic failure mode. Matching the tool to the operation prevents most wrong purchases.

Victor Machinery's category menu follows this structure: End Mills, Milling Cutters, Drill Bits, Reamers, Taps, Dies, Threading Tools, Hacksaw and Bandsaw Blades, and Lathe Tool Holders are listed as separate departments. If you know the operation, you can go straight to the matching department instead of browsing the alphabetical index.

The Main Categories in a Machine Shop

Drill bits

The entry point for holemaking. The catalog separates drill bits from cutting tools, bits, and blades as a group, and also lists combination drill and taps for drilling and threading in one step.

End mills and milling cutters

End mills are listed by geometry: 2-flute and 4-flute, single-end and double-end, long length, ball nose, and metric sizes, in HSS. Flute count is the visible selection axis here — 2-flute for more chip clearance, 4-flute for a stronger edge and better finish on harder materials.

Reamers

Used after drilling when a hole needs a controlled diameter and smoother wall. They are a distinct category rather than a variant of drill bits, which reflects their finishing role.

Taps and dies

Taps cut internal threads; dies cut external threads. The catalog breaks taps down by thread standard and style — hand taps in NC and NF, spiral point taps, spiral flute and STI taps, pipe taps, metric taps, left-hand taps, Acme taps, and long or oversize taps. Dies follow the same logic: HS round dies in NC and NF, carbon steel hex dies, metric dies, left-hand dies, and pipe dies. Die head chasers are listed separately for production threading heads.

Saw blades and lathe tooling

Bandsaw blades and hacksaw blades form their own department. Lathe tool holders and lathe and drill chucks sit under machine accessories rather than cutting tools, which is a useful distinction: the holder is not the cutter.

Selection Factors That Actually Change the Cut

• Work material. The catalog separates HSS (high-speed steel) tooling from carbide tooling (solid and tipped) and carbide inserts plus indexable tools. HSS is the general-purpose default shown across end mills, taps, and dies; carbide is offered as its own line for higher production or harder work.
• Flute count and geometry. End mills are sold as 2-flute, 4-flute, ball, long, single-end, and double-end. Each variant exists because chip evacuation, rigidity, and reach trade off against each other.
• Thread standard and hand. Taps and dies are organized by NC/NF, metric, pipe (NPT/NPS), left-hand, and special pitch. Buying the wrong standard or hand is the most common threading mistake, so this is the first filter to apply.
• Size range. Special pitch taps and dies are split into up to 1/2 inch, 9/16 to 1-1/8 inch, and 1-3/16 inch and larger. Die head chasers are split by head size (5/16 and 9/16, 3/4 and 1 inch, 1-1/4). Size determines which listing applies to you.
• Tool holding. Tap wrenches and guides, die stocks and holders, and tapping and die heads are separate from the cutters themselves. A correct cutter in the wrong holder will not cut correctly.

Matching a Tool to the Job: A Worked Example

Suppose you need a threaded hole in a piece of mild steel.

1. Drill the hole. Select a drill bit sized for the thread's minor diameter. The catalog lists drill bits as their own department, and combination drill and taps exist if you want one tool for both steps.
2. Choose the thread standard. Decide NC, NF, metric, or pipe. This narrows you to one tap family.
3. Choose the tap style. A hand tap for manual work; a spiral point tap for through holes on a machine; a spiral flute tap for blind holes where chips must come out the top.
4. Match the tap to the hole type. Through hole versus blind hole is the deciding factor between spiral point and spiral flute.
5. Hold it correctly. Use a tap wrench and guide from the threading tools group so the tap starts square.

The same logic applies to milling: pick the end mill flute count and length from the operation (roughing versus finishing, deep versus shallow), then confirm the holder.

Wear Signs and When to Replace or Resharpen

A dull cutting tool shows up as changed results before it shows up as visible damage:

• Increased cutting force or spindle load for the same cut
• Poor surface finish where the tool previously produced a good one
• Oversize or out-of-round holes from a drill or reamer
• Torn or galled threads from a worn tap or die
• Chipping or rounding on the cutting edge under magnification

When these appear, stop and inspect the edge. Whether a specific tool can be resharpened depends on its geometry and material — end mills and drills commonly are, while many taps and dies are replaced rather than reground. The catalog does not state sharpening services, so treat resharpening as a shop decision based on the tool type.

Practical Takeaways

• Identify the operation first; the Victor Machinery catalog is organized that way.
• Use the standard and size filters for taps, dies, and chasers before anything else.
• Match flute count and tool material to the work material and the hole or cut type.
• Remember that holders, wrenches, and guides are separate purchases from the cutters.
• Replace or resharpen when results degrade, not only when the edge is visibly broken.