RCT facing cutters for bench mill

[bazmak]

Hi i plan to make a couple of facing cutters for my newly aquired benchmill
one at 25dia with 1 tooth and one at 40 dia with 3 teeth.Anybody with comments or input ? My question is this.How important is it and how accurate
do the multiple teeth need to be to each other so that 1 tooth is not doing
all the work.REgards Barry

 

[purpleknif]

Well, some cutters are flat and some are staggered. The staggered ones are generally for roughing. There are all kinds of these cutters on flea bay at reasonable prices. If you don't want a staggered cutter the need to be real close.

 

[bazmak]

Thanks purpleknife,just starting a 1" dia and 1 tooth so dont need to worry yet
Then i will make a 40mm dia 3 tooth and see how it goes.May eventually splash out on a bought one say 50mm dia 4 tooth and R8 shank approx $120

 

[deverett]

Thanks purpleknife,just starting a 1" dia and 1 tooth so dont need to worry yet
Then i will make a 40mm dia 3 tooth and see how it goes.May eventually splash out on a bought one say 50mm dia 4 tooth and R8 shank approx $120

Just a remark about the diameter of cutters. My Wabeco mill (same size as a Seig X3) recommends a maximum diameter of 40mm for multi tooth cutters.

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[Blogwitch]

Barry,

No need to go to those sorts of prices.

Arc Euro do a very good range in R8 and I think they also have a retailer in your part of the world.

http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Cutting-Tools/Milling-Cutters/Indexable-Carbide-Cutters

I bought a 2" version and it works wonderfully.
Plus spare tips and screws don't cost the earth.

John

 

[SmithDoor]

Here is the one I made for my mill 2" (50.8mm)


Milling tooling Fly cutter for 2MT and R8 w/inch and metric dimension
This drawing show tang with draw bar will not drop out and or spin as you cut

Works great for all my work


Dave

 

[bazmak]

I wanted to buy a set of turning tools but decided to make them
After playing/modding the compound slide on the advance lathe
i finished with a non standard centre height.I milled 4 pieces of 12 sq bar
to nom 10mm (to give me exact centre height.Bought a pack of 12 triangular tips and fitted with M2.5 hs cap screws to give me 1 each of common sizes
Only took 2 hrs and the cost of the tips.All spot on centre height and no shimming

 

[velocette]

Hi Bazmak
A facing cutter can easily be made that uses high speed steel toolbits.
Use An Arbor, Blank 3MT Drawbar..
Fabricate a collar with slots to hold the tool bits that will press fit on to the arbor or loctite in place.
A simple jig to get the tips set properly at the same cutting height.

Attached a couple of pics

Eric

 

[deverett]

I made a two tip fly cutter years ago with round HSS as the tips. One tip is 5 thou further out than the other. The inner one cuts 2 thou deeper than the outer one, the theory being that the outer cutter does the roughing work and the inner one cleans it up.

Haven't used it for a while because now I can afford end mills!

Dave
The Emerald Isle

 

[bazmak]

Hi Dave got your message,how long since you left OZ
With regards to facing cutters,when cutting hrms i find that hss is no good
i have to use rct.I can use the flycutter with hss on brass and ally
May try your idea with say 3 carbide tipped tools.I have put much thought
into the cutting edges being in line
Any slight difference meaning 1 tip does more work.Advantage or diadvantage?
Does 1 tip rough a larger cut and the following tip cut a lighter finishing cut ?
Makes my head spin thinking about it.Like the idea of parallel slots with a tip mounted on sq bar rather than fitting multiple tips direct.Easier to set
The single tips mounted direct does work well

 

[velocette]

Hi Bazmak
""With regards to facing cutters,when cutting hrms i find that hss is no good"".

Try 180 to 250 rpm with a 40 mm dia cutter with adequate cutting fluid and a light cut will work.
You may find that with an X2 mill drill that it just has not got enough power to drive a 40 mm dia cutter as the manual for SX2 says 30 mm facing cutter.

Perhaps a bit more info on the photos I posted of the facing cutter.

It is driven by a 1.25 hp motor with a poly vee belt drive with the spindle speed @ 1100 rpm MAX in low ratio on much modified X2 mill drill.

Enjoy making and modifying your tools.

Eric

 

[deverett]

Hi Dave got your message,how long since you left OZ
With regards to facing cutters,when cutting hrms i find that hss is no good
i have to use rct.I can use the flycutter with hss on brass and ally
May try your idea with say 3 carbide tipped tools.I have put much thought
into the cutting edges being in line
Any slight difference meaning 1 tip does more work.Advantage or diadvantage?
Does 1 tip rough a larger cut and the following tip cut a lighter finishing cut ?
Makes my head spin thinking about it.Like the idea of parallel slots with a tip mounted on sq bar rather than fitting multiple tips direct.Easier to set
The single tips mounted direct does work well

Last time I was Down Under was 1971. I remember the regauging of the railway to Perth and decimilisation. Now that shows my age!

With my old 2 flute flycutter, using HSS I found it did help having the different radii/cutting depth. The main problem was that I made the diameter too large at about 3.5". Great for putting a flat surface on the rough metal I was/still am using, but too big for any sort of intricate work. The principle worked well. A smaller diameter cutter could still use the same idea. Set the height of the tips to touch the milling table and just put a 2 thou feeler under the outer one.

Dave
The Emerald Isle