X3 milling

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

Posted by Chris Heapy on 03/06/2013 23:38:37:

Another way – possibly better than using the vice – would be to mount that piece of steel lengthways along the bed, standing on a packing piece and use a clamp at each end, then use the endmill flutes to cut both sides of the workpiece without having to re-mount it. The result will be as accurately parallel as your machine is capable of milling.

For the 'flip', just mill the piece as usual held in the vice, then rotate it 180deg (like a propellor blade in front of you ). Any inaccuracy would be equalised and the result (should) be a parallel bar.

I like the idea of mounting it on the bed. It seems so obvious when someone points it out to you. There are just so many ways of doing the same thing. As I said to Andrew I'll have to leave it until the weekend now.

I understood what you meant by the 180 flip but couldn't get why it would equalise out any inaccuracy. Say for example (with exaggeration) the right side of the vice base was 0.1" higher and you were machining a piece 1" high then after the first side was machined, the piece would be 0.1" larger at the left end. Then when the piece was flipped in the vice, wouldn't the right end start off 0.2" higher than the left. If this was now machined until flat, wouldn't the piece still have a 0.1" taper left to right? The penny will probably drop soon.

Gary

[Anonymous]

Gary,

Dormer endmills are over-priced in my view. I use their drills and some taps, but not milling cutters. My local tool emporium stocks Garr and Guhring. Garr is fine for aluminium but a bit soft for steel, for which I use Guhring. I see that Cutwel do 12mm HSS cutters from YG (Korean) for about £15, including VAT. A good proportion of 'professional' cutters these days are centre cutting, 2,3 or 4 flute, as industry largely uses CNC mills, where the traditional end mill makes it difficult to start cutting in a pocket, even with a helical or ramp lead in. For new cutters I've standardised on 6mm and 10mm three flute carbide centre cutting end mills.

Trust me, Chris's suggestion does work.

Regards,

Andrew

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

I tend to stick with 12mm 4 flute cutter for general narrow stuff, usually approx' .5 – 1 mm doc & cut dry, although I have used a 16mm carbide end mill. Any large material I use a 4 bit 2" indexible tip face mill, also cutting dry, hand fed. I try to use the nearest size material to the required finished size but as always needs must when it comes to available material. Was toying with the idea of getting a power feed too (for my WM16) but priced at £280 from Warcos..!! maybe Santa Claus will visit me this Xmas? but for the moment I go by 'feel, sight & sound'

George

Edited By mechman48 on 06/06/2013 13:18:15

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