Burned out 2 carbide end mills on lathe tool holder

[samthedog]

A cobalt mill isn't going to cut that hard steel either. I repeat: try to arrange the hardened metal in a lathe to trim it down more cheaply with a brazed carbide cutting tool that costs a few dollars,and is easier to resharpen.

I ended up just whittling it down with the belt grinder using a course belt. It went fairly quick and did not really wear the belt. The problem was that I had no idea what the steel was. I tested it with a file and didn't seem that hard but it work hardened so quickly that grinding was the best option in the end. I could probably have cut it down with the bandsaw as well and this would likely have been quicker again. Live and learn I guess.

On the positive side, I have some tool grinding to do over the Christmas break and I have multiples of these end mills in good condition to use to set the angles on the dividing and angle fixtures. It's not the end of the world and will certainly get more life from these endmills.

Paul.

 

[Ebel440]

I've seen some big cnc boring bars cut on a 4x6 bandsaw but sometimes its too hard and ruins the blade.