Dumb question- Uses for concave & convex rotary cutters?

[Mill Lee farm]

Hello everyone. So in my search for horizontal mill rotary cutters on eBay, I keep coming across the convex and concave style. I’ve been searching all over trying to figure out what designs they are used for and haven’t found anything….

I just got a big one in a box-lot I purchased for example.


What are these used for beside possible decorative details?
I feel really dumb asking this but I truly don’t know.
Thanks in advance for enlightening me!!!

 

[Shootymacshootface]

My guess is that they are for woodworking. Making decorative wood panels and molding.

 

[francist]

I find the convex ones very useful for fluting handles and such. Not so much the concave ones (for cutting beads) but that’s probably because I don’t have any. Yet…

 

[Mill Lee farm]

So yes! Those are good uses that I would call decorative. Def useful!
I was also thinking of ball bearing races for a ‘linear’ type straight situation…..
That might be interesting and possible.

still trying to figure out the concave cutters….. besides woodworking on a horizontal metal mill lol

 

[benmychree]

My guess is that they are for woodworking. Making decorative wood panels and molding.

They are definitely not for woodwork, as they do not have the necessary relief angles for wood, in addition to convex and concave, there are also corner rounding cutters that are concave, made in left and right hand styles. One example of uses was illustrated in a video I watched of a man in India machining a semi auto pistol top slide.

 

[Bi11Hudson]

Not being a machinist, I can't picture in my mind the many places such a cutter can be used. Think of making a shaft. . . Make a pass along square stock, rotate 180 degrees and make another pass. Voila, a shaft. Not very accurate compared to a lathe, but a shaft none the less.

.

 

[Lo-Fi]

Radius cutters are for making convex milled radius features on parts. Inside radius is easy with a mill. Outside radius not so much. It's like the inverse of a ball nose end mill.