METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AND REPAIRING FIXED-CUTTER DRAG-TYPE ROTARY TOOLS WITH CUTTING CONTROL STRUCTURES

摘要

A rotary tool for drilling subterranean material is disclosed. The rotary tool includes a tool body having a distal crown end comprising a circumferential series of raised cutting blades with recessed junk slots therebetween. Cutting elements are located proximate a leading peripheral edge of the raised cutting blades and cutting control structures are located interiorly of the cutting elements at a leading surface of an adjacent junk slot. Cutting control structures are releasably secured to the tool body in the adjacent junk slot whereby a used rotary tool is refurbishable by removing worn cutting control structures without degradation to the tool body and replacing the worn cutting control structures by installing new cutting control structures in the worn cutting control structures' locations.