sharpen a roughing end mill ?

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sharpen a roughing end mill ?

This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 October 2017 at 12:49 by BW.

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10 October 2017 at 12:57 #320854
BW
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@bw
Hey, how do people sharpen roughing end mills ? Had a quick google and didn't find much.

Am guessing its difficult and you somehow take a spinning stone up the flutes ?

Bill
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10 October 2017 at 12:57 #8905
BW
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@bw
10 October 2017 at 13:40 #320865
Emgee
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@emgee
Good guess I believe Bill but you do need a T&C grinder for best results including the end cutting faces.

Emgee
10 October 2017 at 14:12 #320870
Chris Evans 6
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@chrisevans6
You have answered your own question, they are ground up the flutes. I have some from 40 years ago that where sent to a specialist cutter grinder who ruined them by grinding like a normal end mill. Where I worked at a later date we had our own machine and all on the milling machines ground their own cutters.
10 October 2017 at 14:45 #320872
Rik Shaw
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@rikshaw
Bill – if you are sharpening HSS rippa cutters the right way, you would mount the cutter between centres on a T&C grinder and use a saucer wheel to run up the flutes (for cutters with centres of course.) Cutters without centres are held in a chuck or similar and again done with a saucer wheel. This was the way we used to do them many moons ago.

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 10/10/2017 14:47:22
10 October 2017 at 15:56 #320877
John Rudd
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@johnrudd16576
Is the process described for sharpening the end of the mill or the sides? I'm guessing this for the sides and the effect of this would reduce the actual diameter of the cutter?

Excuse my ignorance…….
10 October 2017 at 17:00 #320886
Rik Shaw
Participant
@rikshaw
John – I have described the method of sharpening the side cutting flutes. The ends are done using a universal head with the cutter held in a chuck and gashing if ness with a saucer wheel and sharpening with a cup wheel.

Yes it will reduce the diameter a little but for a roughing tool this hardly matters.

Rik

Edited By Rik Shaw on 10/10/2017 17:11:13
10 October 2017 at 17:21 #320893
John Reese
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@johnreese12848
Some shops do an extra step in sharpening roughers. With the tooth rest against the rake face of the cutter they grind the back of each flute. Then with the tooth rest against the back of the flute they grind the rake face with a saucer wheel. That only needs to be done for the initial regrind. The purpose is to assure the back of each flute is an identical distance from the rake face. That process applies to any form relieved cutter.

As to change in cutting diameter: the diameter will decrease with each regrind no matter if it is a conventional or form relieved cutter.

Modern cutters ground from the solid probably do not require the backs of the flutes be trued before sharpening.
10 October 2017 at 20:58 #320937
John Rudd
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@johnrudd16576
Rik/John Reese,

Thank you both for the clarification.
11 October 2017 at 12:49 #321009
BW
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@bw
Thanks for the answers, am curious, surely somebody somewhere, with no t&c grinder,

tried a quick and dirty run up the flute with a stone on a dremel tool ? Or a run across the milling table with a stone in the quill and a wire/gears to twist the flutes appropriately as they go past the spinning stone ……. ball shaped stone just touching the inside of the flutes ?
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