Do HSS End Mills still serve a viable purpose for the home machinist?

[ChazzC]

my X power feed can do a slow crawl. I can do a fine end mill better than by hand. and I agree, long moves are boring, but can lead to issues too.

Always watch what's happening, and keep my left hand on the switch (you're right: we've all been known to forget to move the work & tooling out of the way!).

 

[Eddyde]

Late to the discussion but FWIW, I use mostly mill and turn with HSS, Though I do use carbide for harder steels and situations where an insert is easier.

 

[slowneasy]

okay I don't know where power feed came into the picture but yes, I agree power feed is nice and it's very useful
Surprised your power feed can't turn slow enough for <1/8" end mills GeneT45. I believe mine is Align and it can barely move on the lowest position. Course maybe i forgot to unlock the table
I'll be on the lookout for some HSS/HSCo end mills to try. Just kinda feels like going backwards.....

 

[jwmay]

Just kinda feels like going backwards....

I would suggest this is a matter of perspective. Are you new to machining?

Had you asked if regular hardened steel cutting bits were outdated, and unnecessary, I suspect you’d have gotten answers more in line with your perspective.

But HSS end mills are currently in use on 12 of the 20 mills in production in the very up to date tool room I walk past everyday. It’s absolutely not an outdated material. Lol

Where did you even come up with that idea? Lol

Please take my questioning as friendly and not judgmental. It’s just really a very far out idea from where I stand in a manufacturing environment.

 

[GeneT45]

Surprised your power feed can't turn slow enough for <1/8" end mills GeneT45. I believe mine is Align and it can barely move on the lowest position.

Mine does not move at all in the lowest position. There's a certain amount of inertia that must be overcome, so the size of the table, tightness of the gibs, the stuff sitting on the table, probably all contribute. To go slowly I usually turn the power feed on at it's lowest setting and then dial up until the table starts to move. Once the table is moving I can turn it down a smidge, but if it stops I have to start over. I'm sure that on a smaller table it'd move right away.

GsT

 

[dabear3428]

In addition to what others have said, carbide requires more hp and rigidity. I use carbide and hss, but each has its best utility. If I had to choose between running all carbide or all hss, I’d dump the carbide.

I can’t really see a good reason to limit yourself to either option.

I know this can be true for lathe tools (unless you are using inserts for aluminum) but all of my carbide end mills are just as sharp as my HSS, BTW i use both depending on what i'm doing. so i would say that yes HSS still serves a viable use in my hobby shop.

 

[homebrewed]

I know this can be true for lathe tools (unless you are using inserts for aluminum) but all of my carbide end mills are just as sharp as my HSS, BTW i use both depending on what i'm doing. so i would say that yes HSS still serves a viable use in my hobby shop.

I have a 1.25" carbide-insert face mill I use for facing larger areas, or when I'm going to be milling through scale or rust. I've found that the carbide inserts don't last all that long, possibly because my mill is a small benchtop machine. When they're new the inserts produce a mirror finish but that seems to be a temporary thing for me.

 

[ltlvt]

In addition to what others have said, carbide requires more hp and rigidity. I use carbide and hss, but each has its best utility. If I had to choose between running all carbide or all hss, I’d dump the carbide.

I can’t really see a good reason to limit yourself to either option.

Excellent response. I use both.

 

[ltlvt]

I guess it depends on your definition of Hobbyist: most “Hobbyist” machines don’t have the spindle speeds or rigidity to maximize the capabilities of carbide end mills.

Do I have carbide end kills and insert tooling for my Mini-Mill & Mini-Lathe? Yes; but I use tgem cautiously for tougher materials. With the exception of face mills (with “Aluminum” inserts), I find that quality HSS/Cobalt tooling works well on Aluminum, 12L14 and 1144.

Just as carbide inserts need to be matched to materials, so do coated/uncoated HSS tools (and HSS insets).

Please identify "Aluminum inserts"

 

[Batmanacw]

Please identify "Aluminum inserts"

Like ccgt in a polished insert vs ccmt. Same size. One is foe aluminum.