End Mill Sharpener ?

[rdean]

I have been watching mark_f's post (Another Tool and Cutter Grinder) with great interest. He makes some beautiful useful tools and this one just caught me. Maybe I could make something that resembles an end mill sharpener that might even work. I watched a lot of videos and many other threads here and on line and there are many different designs to get the same results. A member here (coffmajt) made a sharpener a few months back that uses a table top grinder. I have a HF model similar to his so that is what I will try to use. He was kind enough to answer some of my questions and was a big help.

I have no experience what ever in sharpening end mills so this project may be just for fun and entertainment but here goes. ( I have trouble sharpening a pencil)

I have made some morse tapers recently and wondered if I could make a end mill holder with a R8 taper. Found the angle of the taper and went to the Machinists Handbook to get the sine measurement and set up my lathe. I started with a piece from the scrap bin that I think was from an old office chair.

I figured about 7 1/2" long should be about right and had a go at the R8 taper.

Well that worked out really well so I got a 1/2" bolt and cut it down in the lathe. I single pointed some 7/16" 20 threads, cut off the head, and added a handle.

It looks like this might work so I made a collar to press on to the barrel but first I drilled 4 holes 90 degrees apart to use for locating holes. Well as long as I had it set up I also added 2 more holes 120 degrees apart from the first just in case I have a three flute mill to sharpen.

We will have to see what happens from here but so far I have had a lot of fun

Thanks for looking

Ray

 

[Andre]

Is this going to be linear/rotary unit for sharpening flutes or just used for indexing to sharpen the ends?

 

[34_40]

I cannot imagine what you're up to!
So, I'll just keep watching. I was watching Marks tool as well, but I haven't kept up. Once I fell behind in how it was to work..

I just stopped watching.

 

[CraigB1960]

Very interested in this as well.

 

[rdean]

Thanks guys if it works it will do the flutes and the ends.
More tomorrow.

Ray

 

[rdean]

I am very pleased with the way the barrel turned out so on to the next step something to put the barrel into. I am trying to make this project with out buying any materials just using what ever I can find around the shop that was left over from other projects.
This is what I found for the housing.

This piece was perfect because it was the only piece I had.
I put the 4 jaw on the lathe and preceded to bore the hole for the barrel.

I could not have gotten a better fit. The barrel slides through like glass and I am quite pleased. I also drilled and tapped a couple of holes for the locking pin.

This housing needs to be angled for different cuts so this is a good time to add a part with some lines scribed on it. I originally started cutting
the lines every 2 degrees but very quickly found my technique would not work that close together. ( I really screwed it up)
The lines are 5 degrees apart.

Drilled and countersunk 4 mounting holes and a center tapped hole for the lock bolt.

This is what the housing looks like.

Here is what it looks like assembled.

I made an adjustable locking tab and pin.
Coming together nicely.

Now for something to mount it to.
Tomorrow maybe

Thanks for looking
Ray

 

[rdean]

Got some more done on the sharpener. First thing I didn't really like the handle I had on the barrel so I made this for it.

I like it much better.
So I need a post or support for the barrel and found this. It is a table leg and mounting bracket I bought at a yard sale a couple of years back. It is a little large in diameter and way too long but still had pretty nice chrome on it and I can cut it off.

I have been cutting some rollers out of some nylon circles for another job and this is one of the leftovers. Just couldn't bear to throw it out so I will try to reuse it for this.

More to come

What do you think?

Ray

 

[Rick Leslie]

So far it looks great. And I really like repurposing as much as possible. (The cost should be manageable on this one.) I'm curious to see how you handle the indexing for sharpening the sides of the cutter.

 

[FOMOGO]

Following along with interest, looks good so far. I'll be going down this road myself at some point, so the more I can learn watching others the better. I imagine after a few years of watching different designs evolve we will eventually see the penultimate machine. Mike

 

[rdean]

Rick I haven't figured that out yet and I have a couple of ideas but want to wait on that until later so it isn't in the road of something else.

I chucked the nylon in the lathe to make it round and bored the center hole to fit the leg. I cut off one side to make a flat mounting face and drilled and tapped the other side for a locking spider.

I used another piece of left over nylon for a top cap with an adjusting threaded screw.

You can just see the screw handle on top. That's the one I took off the barrel a couple of days back. Looks and works much better up there anyway.
I am sure I will have to shorten the leg and adjusting screw but until I get this mounted on some type of X Y table I will leave it as is.
I also need to add a slider pole on the apposite side of the screw to keep the top and bottom in line and the screw straight.

I don't have an X Y table and don't want to buy one so I'll just make it. (can't be that hard right?)

Thanks for looking

Ray