Chamfer and Debur for Dummy Machinists

Pipe on right has burrs removed and edges chamfered

We love it when freelancers who think they're especially well-trained fall completely flat on an assignment. You can hear the snarky snickers all over the conference room when one of the Antisocial Network staffers turns up utter bullbleep published by someone who really should know better. It's almost as hilarious to come across a long-time, extensively published freelancer who totally muffs an easy assignment... like what Lexa W. Lee did when she uploaded her post "What Is Chamfering & Deburring" to SFGate.com.

Let's get the right answer out of the way first. Consider casting a raw metal part: the manufacturing process is rarely perfect, which can leave excess bits of the metal along edges and corners. Depending on the process, those excess bits of metal are called "flashing" or "burrs." Removal of the excess is what is known as "deburring." Simple, yes?

Chamfering is a process used in finishing both metal and wood products. It is simply the process of cutting a small amount off a sharp corner to "ease" it and make it more comfortable to hold. Like we said, simple.

Unfortunately for Lee, she was writing for Demand Media, which demanded 300 to 500 words for their article, where the explanation above was about 90. That meant she had to pad the answer – an answer that, frankly, she never actually provided. Instead she started by explaining that,

"Chamfering and deburring, two terms used in parts fabrication, describe processes for finishing machined parts. Chamfering means to make a bevel, groove or furrow. Deburring is to remove any rough ridges, edges or areas from a part after shaping."

Of course, Lexa immediately got herself in trouble with that "groove or furrow" business, since neither word describes a chamfer. Perhaps she was thinking of a flute? Who knows? Oh, and deburring does not refer to "areas."

Lee's unfamiliarity with metalworking led her to some awkward moments. For instance, she more or less got the reason for deburring right:

"Deburring removes bits of metal and imperfections that can interfere with the function of a part..."

...but blew it when she tried to restrict chamfering to a single application:

"Chamfering is commonly used for cutting symmetrical and consistent grooves in the teeth of a gear."

Let's disabuse you of Lexa's dumbassery: darned near every piece of metal you can see at this moment is chamfered; not just the "the teeth of a gear"! Oh, yeah, and so is most of the wood you see...

Lee then went into excruciating detail.about chamfering and deburring, including dredging up a NIST paper about automated systems. In doing so, she went far beyond her level of knowledge (that much is clear) and one can assume she went far beyond the level of information needed by the OQ; probably a wannabe jewelry maker encountering the terminology for the first time. Lexa didn't know when to quit, because Lexa had probably never heard of either "chamfering" or "deburring" before taking on the assignment. For her ensuing contribution to the stupidification of the internet, we hereby award Lee her sixth Dumbass of the Day award.

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