[lvittori]

Can this be used as a facemill on the X2?

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5-FLUTE-R8-IND...QQcmdZViewItem

[LeeWay]

I'd say that one is a bit too large for a plain X2. I bought one like it @ 1.25". It works fine. I think the max recomended is 1.5". I do use a 1.5" flycutter sometimes.

[Thazul]

In my X2, I use the 1-3/4" version of this - http://cgi.ebay.com/2-INDEXABLE-R8-E...QQcmdZViewItem and I love it.
I know I've heard others talk about this one from Grizzly - http://www.grizzly.com/products/Fly-Cutter/G2861
Have a look at Hoss's thread, He's using a fairly large face mill. - http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...=30385&page=34

Best Regards

-

Andy

[lvittori]

Thanks for the replies. I saw a thread where Hoss said he was using a 3" 5 insert facemill to take .010 off a tool plate he was making and he said plenty of power. I'm still fairly new to this so I wasn't quite sure if that mill would work since the ad says endmill. I've been trying to use a 1/2" endmill and the surface finish leaves a lot to be desired. The pictures of the tooling plate Hoss was working on looked like it had a great finish but there again he's a professional and I'm an amateur.

How much of a difference would you see in the finish between the 3 insert 2" mill and the 5 insert 3" mill?

Lucian

[toastydeath]

The finish on the 3 flute should actually be a bit better, unless you're using a wiper insert in the 5 flute. The trick is to calculate the feed instead of guessing.

The major consideration for power in a facemill is how many teeth it has, not the width. You should be able to run a 5" wide three flute facemill in aluminum on most machines successfully, it just won't be the fastest thing ever.

For large widths in one pass on a low power machine, or for excellent surface finish, the best suggestion is to use a flycutter and crank the depth in to reach the machine's capacity.

[GoFaster]

...crank the depth in to reach the machine's capacity.

Does this mean keep increasing the depth of cut per pass until the machine complains? Could you please elaborate?

[toastydeath]

Does this mean keep increasing the depth of cut per pass until the machine complains? Could you please elaborate?

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. It will get louder and louder with a deeper cut, but the sound stays the same until you reach the machine's limit.

You can hack off a ton of aluminum with a flycutter, I've had .300"-.400" depth of cut on a Bridgeport with a 4.5" flycutter, about .007"-.010" per rev. This particular cutter had a negative radial rake, so the tool was sturdier than most.

[lvittori]

Thanks for all the input. I ordered one of the 2" 3 insert mills last night and hopefully I'll figure out how to use it well enought to get better results than using my 1/2" endmill.

[impact]

Fly cutters do amazing work when your machine is set up properly.

I dont know why you would really use anything else for strictly facing, minimum material removal.

[lvittori]

Well...I have the endmill on order but after reading your input on fly cutters I looked at the grizzly web site and they have a set of 3 for a reasonable price. I may have to order those next payday to do a comparision. One can never have too many tools.

[blades]

Fly cutters do amazing work when your machine is set up properly.

I dont know why you would really use anything else for strictly facing, minimum material removal.

True dat. I used to use fly cutters all the time when I ran a Bridgport. One real advantage I can see with these insert cutters is that you get 3 fresh tips per insert, with no tool grinding. With a fly cutter, the home machinist would need to have a bench grinder with a green wheel to regrind the carbide tool bits used with a fly cutter, although high-speed would work fine for aluminum. Not to mention they'd have to have experience with tool grinding to know how to grind the tool bits.

With a carbide insert cutter such as those, you can cheat 7 ways to Sunday if you know what you're doing with them. For example if you do have a green-wheel, you can regrind the carbide inserts (as long as the cutting edge remains set off from the cutter body). You can also cut with 1 insert if you remove the other clamps, and adjust your feed, speed, and cut depth accordingly. Some of the most agressive insert cutters I've used on a Bridgeport were small diameter, single-insert cutters.

[Thazul]

I purchased a cheap 3 piece set of fly cutters and some square tools for them prior to finding the face mill on ebay.
I have no experience with grinding the tools, after some reading I got it to work alright, but...
Those cheap fly cutters are made of a really soft metal, and I've had the square tools that go in them actually wiggle loose, damaging the holder.
I had the set screws really tight too...
That indexable face mill you purchased will cut like a dream..
Mine leaves a beautiful finish on aluminum. (never cut anything else with it)

-

Andy

[lvittori]

Thanks for all the info. I'm learning a lot here. I don't know the first thing about grinding tools so fly cutters are probably not for me. I've read some about grinding tools for the lathe. I've been using brazed carbide tools on my mini-lathe which aren't too awfully expensive so I didn't see the point in trying to figure out how to grind my own. You say never cut anything else with the end mill. Since the inserts are indexable would there be any harm in using it on steel with one point of the insert and aluminum on another?

[LeeWay]

I think I bought my flycutters from Grizzly. Not too bad on quality. I have only used the medium sized one though. It stays tight. I use an insert tool holder in mine. It holds three tipped cutters. The tool I use is for cutting center. Type E in this image. No need to sharpen these. You can cut steels or aluminum with these. I think he may have been referring to using a specific type grind for aluminum only.

[blades]

I purchased a cheap 3 piece set of fly cutters and some square tools for them prior to finding the face mill on ebay.
I have no experience with grinding the tools, after some reading I got it to work alright, but...
Those cheap fly cutters are made of a really soft metal, and I've had the square tools that go in them actually wiggle loose, damaging the holder.
I had the set screws really tight too...
That indexable face mill you purchased will cut like a dream..
Mine leaves a beautiful finish on aluminum. (never cut anything else with it)

-

Andy

No reason for them to be hardened. They are typically made from mild steel, which should be just fine. If you've had trouble with the set screws coming loose, try getting some knurled or cone style set screws for holding the bit in place. Alternately, you can machine a small spotface about .030 deep in the side of the tool bit where the set screw contacts it. This is assuming you're using a carbide tool bit, which will have a soft steel body. If you're using high-speed steel bits, disregard everything above.

[Thazul]

The lathe tools I have are 1/2" shank, so they wouldn't fit in the fly cutters I bought.
I had been thinking about making my own fly cutter, One that could hold one of my lathe tools with inserts.
The lathe tools I have might have held in place better, The set screw could have gotten a bite into the tool.
My lathe tools seem kinda soft, the set screws dig into them on my tool post.

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Andy