Thread: fly cutter tool shape

Hi Mike,
There is a really good right up in the link below and is the shape I use and works well.
fly cutter

Dave

Ah ! thanks you are a gold mine of info..as usual

MIKE

No problem Mike, glad I could help.
When doing steel I find the HSS last a lot longer spraying it with coolant while it's cutting, but don't forget to put up some sort of shield or you will be covered in it as well.

Dave

I have been using the fly cutter with the tool bit as described in Dave's link .

I cannot seem to get that 'mirror finish' that others can . But, I am using what I believe is plain carbon steel K1045 ( green marking on it ) . It is a hunk of 50mm X 50mm that is the beginning of Harold Halls dividing head project . The guy at the steel merchants told me it would machine OK , he didn't have 12L14 in that size

Mike

Mike,

The "mirror finish" tends to be on aluminium, (using WD40 as a cutting fluid), I wouldn't worry about it on steel, so long as it is reasonably flat that's all one needs.

Dave'H

Originally Posted by Dave'H

Mike,

The "mirror finish" tends to be on aluminium, (using WD40 as a cutting fluid), I wouldn't worry about it on steel, so long as it is reasonably flat that's all one needs.

Dave'H

Yes righto Dave

I am being too fussy I guess . The finish I am getting on this plain steel is quite reasonable despite the steel having no lead in it .

I will try some pics soon

Mike

Hi Mike,
I have never got a full mirror finish on steel.
I posted this picture a while back for using a boring head as a fly cutter on larger jobs. The plate is around 220x300x25mm from memory



The thread is here
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/50...ad-set-132912/

Also have a look at the finish you can get from a face mill with one insert in Rays thread, but it might not be wider enough for your job to cover it in one sweep.
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/fa...cutter-142500/

I have one of these and they do a nice job.

Dave

PS
Getting a mirror finish on steel is a job for a surface grinder, or you could always mount a bench grinder on your new shaper, I have done it and it works OK, but I needed a better grinding wheel selection.

Oh I forgot about those posts


I did a lot of experimenting with speeds , the most suitable for steel seems to be about 300 rpm on the DM 45 , for the single HSS fly cutter .

I tried with the five tooth 2" carbon face mill ( from CDCO ) and its 422 inserts, too fast means sparks flying off the work piece . Finish was rather poor on the plain steel , despite different speeds . The DM 45 is limited in that the ideal speed may be in between whats available ..eg there is a jump from 500 to 1000 rpm .

The finish Ray got is astounding .... something to aim for

Mike

500 to 1000rpm is a big jump, it might be time to fit a VFD to over come this blank spot.

Dave

Originally Posted by Dave J

500 to 1000rpm is a big jump, it might be time to fit a VFD to over come this blank spot.

Dave

Yes a belt drive and a VFD ..the way to go , and I will do it one day .. The noisy gearbox is a real pain , it creates vibrations as well which doesn't help with the finish either .But you gets what you pay for ... I wasn't expecting a top machine . Might be worth investigating ways to improve the gear train .

Mike

Even just bolting on a 415v star/delta motor and a VFD for now would probably help a lot.

Dave

I forgot to mention a shaper will leave a better finish than a mill, it almost looks surface ground with a nice sharp tool.



Dave

Generally if your getting sparks it would indicate that the tips need changing.
Does your mill have power feed?
What speed were you running when you had sparks?
What depth of cut were you taking when you had sparks?

Originally Posted by pipeclay

Generally if your getting sparks it would indicate that the tips need changing.
Does your mill have power feed?
What speed were you running when you had sparks?
What depth of cut were you taking when you had sparks?

I have looked at the tips and they appear to be OK, but I will have another look under the viewer scope .... they may need rotating around .

Yes I have a home made power feed and it works well

The two highest speeds created sparks ... 1000 and 1200 rpm from memory

Not that deep a cut , probably about 2mm or a bit less .

Mike

PS just had a look under the viewer scope..yes there are small chips on the corners of the tips .