Micro 100 Cutting Tools — Complete Product Guide
Summary
Micro 100 is a Meridian, Idaho manufacturer specializing in small-diameter and micro-turning tooling. Founded as an independent company, acquired in 2019 by Harvey Performance Company — the same parent that owns Harvey Tool and Helical Solutions. That acquisition put Micro 100 in a strong distribution network without changing what the brand actually does, which is make boring bars, grooving tools, threading tools, and small end mills that work reliably at diameters most tooling catalogs treat as an afterthought.
The product that put them on the map is the Micro-Quik quick-change boring bar system. Beyond that, they make a broad catalog of solid-carbide round tools aimed squarely at US job shops doing small-bore, tight-tolerance turning work. If your shop regularly bores holes smaller than 0.5" — especially below 0.25" — Micro 100 belongs on your shortlist.
They're not competing with Sandvik or Kennametal across the board. They're a specialty house. That's the right way to think about them.
What Micro 100 is best for
- Small-diameter boring — this is the core competency. Boring bars down to 0.020" bore diameter. Solid-carbide shanks for rigidity at high L/D ratios in small bores.
- Quick-change boring on CNC lathes — the Micro-Quik system lets you swap bar heads without removing and re-indicating the shank. Significant time savings on family-part work or frequent bore size changes.
- Grooving and parting on small parts — their carbide grooving tools handle groove widths down to 0.010" on turned parts where a standard insert tool won't fit.
- Threading on small diameters — external and internal threading tools for fine-pitch, small-diameter work common in medical, aerospace fasteners, and Swiss-turned components.
- Swiss-turn shops — they build tools specifically dimensioned for Swiss-style lathes (Citizen, Tsugami, Star) where shank size and clearance geometry matter more than they do on a conventional lathe.
If you're machining watch components, surgical implants, dental hardware, or any turned part where the bore is under 0.5", Micro 100 is a practical first call.
Brand architecture
Micro-Quik (quick-change boring bar system)
The signature product line. A steel or carbide shank body stays in the turret; carbide insert heads swap in and out with a single set screw. Coolant-thru is standard on most configurations. The system is designed for CNC lathes — not manual work. The repeatability on head swaps is tight enough for finish boring without re-indicating.
Available in multiple shank diameters (roughly 0.25" to 1.0" range — verify current catalog for exact sizes). Head geometries include straight bore, back bore, and face grooving. This system is the primary reason shops specify Micro 100 by name rather than buying generic boring bars.
Pro-Max (high-performance end mills and round tools)
Pro-Max is Micro 100's label for their higher-performance solid-carbide end mills and specialty round tools. Think variable-helix geometry, AlTiN or TiN coatings, and tighter runout specs than their standard line. The Pro-Max end mills overlap somewhat with what Harvey Tool sells — expect a similar philosophy: geometry optimized for a specific material class or operation, not a general-purpose tool trying to do everything.
Standard boring bar line
Solid-carbide boring bars without the Micro-Quik quick-change feature — conventional shank and head, available in a wide range of sizes and geometries. These are the tools you're buying when you need a specific bore depth and geometry that the Micro-Quik catalog doesn't cover, or when you're on a tighter budget.
Grooving and threading tools
Solid-carbide grooving bars for internal and external grooves, parting tools, and threading bars. The threading line covers both single-point and multi-form geometries. On Swiss lathes especially, these tools are specified by shops that have had consistency problems with standard insert-based threading tools at small diameters.
Swiss turning tools
A dedicated sub-catalog for Swiss-style turning. Dimensioned for guide bushing clearance, small shank sizes, and the specific geometry constraints of sliding-headstock lathes. If your shop runs Swiss equipment, check this catalog separately — the standard turning catalog may not cover what you need.
Product cheat sheet
| Product line | Primary use | Key feature | Bore/diameter range (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro-Quik | CNC lathe boring | Quick-change head, coolant-thru | ~0.1" bore and up |
| Standard boring bars | Boring, small-bore finishing | Solid-carbide shank rigidity | 0.020" bore and up |
| Pro-Max end mills | Milling, high-performance | Variable helix, AlTiN coating | 1/16" to 1/2" typical |
| Grooving tools | Internal/external grooves | Narrow groove widths | Down to 0.010" groove width |
| Threading tools | Single-point threading | Small-pitch fine thread | Varies by tool |
| Swiss turning tools | Sliding-headstock lathes | Swiss clearance geometry | Per Swiss shank standards |
When to use Micro 100 vs. alternatives
- vs. Sandvik Coromant / Kennametal boring: Both make excellent boring bars in larger sizes. Below 0.25" bore, Micro 100's catalog depth and size options beat both. Above 0.5" bore with L/D over 4:1, Sandvik's Silent Tools damped bars are worth the premium.
- vs. Iscar / IMC Group: Iscar has strong grooving and threading insert tooling at mid-to-large sizes. Micro 100 wins on sub-0.25" work where Iscar's insert system physically can't go.
- vs. Harvey Tool: Sister brand under Harvey Performance. Harvey Tool focuses on solid-carbide end mills for exotic materials and specialty geometries. Micro 100 focuses on boring, grooving, threading, and turning. Minimal overlap — most shops buying one will eventually buy the other.
- vs. Helical Solutions: Same parent company. Helical is high-performance end mills for production milling. Micro 100 is turning-oriented. Different product classes entirely.
- vs. generic carbide boring bars: The cheap import boring bars in the MSC catalog will work for one-off jobs. Micro 100's consistency on shank runout and edge prep is noticeably better when you're running a medical part to ±0.0002" bore tolerance repeatedly.
Related articles
- Boring bars catalog — how to select shank size, L/D ratio, and geometry
- Swiss turning tooling — setup and tool selection
- Small-diameter end mills — geometry and speeds for micro milling
- Harvey Tool cutting tools — complete product guide
- Helical Solutions cutting tools — complete product guide
- Machining medical components — tolerances and tooling
Ask 4man
Micro 100's catalog is wide and the size increments are small — it's easy to spec the wrong shank diameter or geometry for a given bore. Tell 4man your bore diameter, depth, material, and machine type and it'll narrow down the right tool family and flag whether Micro-Quik makes sense for your setup.