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

[GeneT45]

For solid end mills, I have a lot of sizes in HSS and a few in carbide. My impression is the sharp carbide does not need higher power and rigidity. When I am cutting steel I can use a larger cutter and/or higher speeds with carbide than HSS so it gets the job done quicker with better surface finish. The carbide is taking smaller chips and lots more of them. Not as much of a difference with aluminum. This is just my hobbyist experience with old underpower Clausing mill.
The price of carbide end mills seems to be coming down so I expect to be buying fewer HSS at least in the common sizes.

Very much. I've completely stopped buying HSS endmills, (though I might if I need another dovetail cutter, or something that would see scant use). I can buy a low-cost solid-carbide endmill for the same, or even less, than a quality HSS endmill. (And low-cost HSS endmills are usually terrible.)

GsT

 

[dabear3428]

For solid end mills, I have a lot of sizes in HSS and a few in carbide. My impression is the sharp carbide does not need higher power and rigidity. When I am cutting steel I can use a larger cutter and/or higher speeds with carbide than HSS so it gets the job done quicker with better surface finish. The carbide is taking smaller chips and lots more of them. Not as much of a difference with aluminum. This is just my hobbyist experience with old underpower Clausing mill.
The price of carbide end mills seems to be coming down so I expect to be buying fewer HSS at least in the common sizes.

your experience parallels mine, I do not make a living at this and have no real deadlines so i tend to buy a lot of cheap amazon, aliexpress tools and throw them at the work and see what sticks. what works i buy more of, what does not just goes to the circular file and i look for the next victim. Things would be different if I needed to turn a profit or had deadlines or was working with more expensive materials/tools/equipment.

 

[dabear3428]

Anything we can help with? You have a huge bunch of guys here who are very happy to help.

I have a terrible time with carbide threading tools on my little lathe. It just doesn't have the power or rigidity for larger threads. If the belt slips the tip of the insert is gone.

agreed and i take advantage of that, my method is to try to figure it out on my own and then when i hit a wall ask for help (then still keep doing it the wrong way), that and reading random stuff here and there, will turn on a light bulb and then i say "so that is why that is happening". anyway no ambition on my part to become the best machinist in the world or the most profitable, more about developing/gathering the tools/skills to complete my varied projects myself.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I find inserts and HSS to be fragile, but that is a personal problem, not the fault of the tools.

I replied to another thread that the chineses inserts I have are better than the Kennemetal inserts we have, and they are.

But this is due to the Kmetal inserts we get not being the correct type of carbide for the abuse we put them through.

We had good inserts years back, but somewhere along the line one of our pencil pushers lost the recipe and now weee stick with these.