Using end face of end mill

[JimM]

If I want to true up a thin piece of stock (say 6" x 1" x 0.25") along the long edge, what size end mill should I be using.

Would I use a 0.25" and use the full diameter of the cutter but with a small DOC or should I use a wider cutter. If a wider cutter do I offset the cutter so that it uses the 'outside edge' of the bottom face or should it be centralised over the stock ?

Does any of that make sense ???

Cheers

Jim

 

[starbolin]

It's not that critical. Usually I'd use whatever cutter was going to be needed for subsequent operations. In the absence of any other considerations I'd use my 1/2" rougher just because thats the cutter I use for everything. In general you don't want to bury an EM any more than half it's width so for 1/4" material that would dictate at least a 1/2" cutter. Yes, offset the cutter so the leading edge enters the work at a shallow angle.

 

[tornitore45]

Good point regarding the angle of attack.

For very thin material, or even a 1/4" if stick out much from the vise, you do not want to hit the piece across an have a short cut, by entering almost tangent to the long edge you have the force the long way rather than across and the length of cut is longer, less hammering.

With practice it come natural to orient the cut for best results. The wrong way may even bend thin stock and make a mess.

Mauro

 

[winklmj]

Hah...learned something. I never thought of offsetting the bit and trying to make it cut w/only one side. I ususally just centered it up and ran it right down the middle. Never occured to me that it would be trying to bend the stock sideways. But for thin stock it makes sense to NOT do that. I'll try it offsetting next time.

 

[hobby]

I'm only in this as a hobby, not an expert, so no expeert advise from me,

but from personal experiance, when cuttring the edge of 1/4" thick stock, I would use either a 5/16, or more than likely a 3/8 endmill, 4 fluted,
and run it in the center of the endmill, if I get chatter, then I offset it to the side so its conventional cutting.

I try not to ever run it on the side of a climb cut, unless it is a final pass with a skim cut. But even then I just finish up with a conventional pass more than not.