[brainlessme]

Hi all, I use a CNC T&CG, needed some help on ideas to grind a good end mill. always end up with some problem or the other....either the finish is bad or the life aint tat good or the tool sparks a lot...any clues.....

how deep does a end mill gash have to be and how wide9 usually do 3, 4 and 6 flute cutters)...is there a percentage related to the dia of the tool, or you guys just look at it and say tat looks good,,,,unforn for a novice like me everythin looks " good"!!!

[littleCNCjohn]

These resources that I found with google might help - I think they give a good intro to milling (I'm not involved or responsible for either)...

CNC Feeds and Speeds Cookbook and Tutorial
http://www.nd.edu/mwg-internal/de5fs...?id=aiIysxaiUB

[uli12us]

It's always and erverywhere a problem, to find a good tools grinder. A good but expensive opportunity is the manufacturer or reseller of the tool. In general, a carbide tool under 6mm 1/4" and a steel tool under 10mm 3/8" isn't oeconomical to regrind.

[spoiledbrat]

Check out jooltool.com . I saw them at a conference recently, and they had some neat stuff.

Namely, they have a honing tool (they call it a sharpening system). It is an abrasive disk (diamond dust, patented process to align diamonds during manufacture), with slots for cooling and in order to see the tool. You apply the cutter/bit from below, and are able to watch the surfaces go shiny/smoother again as you work.

While I question the ability to maintain accurate geometry (you could never bring a gouged/cracked drillbit back to life accurately), it does hone/sharpen the edges quite nicely.

The results were impressive. And they claimed that they are not "changing the geometry".