I bought my first Noga deburring tool 12 years ago, from McMaster Carr. Frankly, I don’t remember if I bought it because I needed it, or because I saw it in McMaster’s online catalog while searching for something else, and believed it was something I could use.
A typical deburring tool, shown above, consists of a handle and interchangeable blades or accessories. You use it, with the appropriate blade, to clean up edges and other surfaces of machined, cut, drilled, or worked-on parts.
It basically breaks or eases sharp corners and edge by removing a small amount of material.
There are different reasons why you might want to do this. For holes, it can make it easier to insert fasteners. For rectangular materials, it can make things easier to handle. For cut materials, it can remove burrs that stick out and affect part fitment.
I like Noga because of the availability and affordability of blades and accessories, and there are different handle styles, such as one with an adjustable length blade holder.
Typical deburring tool handles allow blades to swivel, so that the blade can follow an edge without the user having to rotate the tool in their hand.
I posted about Shaviv deburring tools a few years ago, and I continue to use my Mango II deburring tool on occasion. I have a few specialty Noga deburring tools, such as countersinks that I use on tapped holes, and a sheet metal deburring tool that I use less than I thought I would.
Deburring can sometimes take the place of filing, and is cleaner too, creating chips rather than dust.
A 3-blade or 5-blade assortment set is a good place to start, and there are also bundle, sets that give you a bunch of standard general purpose blades.
If you think it’s something you can use, you can get a handle with a couple of blades for under $15, even under $12 (plus shipping, via McMaster).
Buy Now(Noga 3-blade set via Amazon)
Buy Now(Noga heavy duty handle with 10x S10 blades via Amazon)
Buy Now(5-blade set via McMaster Carr)
Deburring blades are identified by special numbering systems, and different brands, such as Noga and Shaviv, have different systems. For instance, Shaviv’s general purpose “heavy duty” sized blade is E100, Noga’s is S10.
All my deburring tools came from industrial suppliers – McMaster Carr, Zoro, and MSC. But they’re also available at Amazon, at least certain products are.
If you find that Noga handles are too “chunky” for you, there are several brands and styles of “disposable” deburring tool handles that are more slender, such as the Noga Edge-Off. You can’t remove or change the blades on these tools.
There’s also a “universal” set with small diameter handles, but I don’t like them as much as Noga’s standard handles.
