Facing with a mill

[mksj]

A 45 degree face mill will probably give a nicer finish in aluminum then the usual 90 degree, in addition the inserts can be rotated in 90 degree increments so you have 4 cutting edges vs. 2 for most 90 degree. There is also the forward rake of the insert pocket which takes less Hp. The other component is the insert, as there are different ones for ferrous vs. non-ferrous, as well as the type of steel. Aluminum typically uses ground edge inserts that are very sharp and are uncoated, ferrous inserts are almost always coated and the edges usually molded. There are many characteristics to the inserts and it can get complicated, but for most of us we usually have one set of inserts for aluminum and another set for ferrous.

Either a 2.0" or 2.5" would be OK in that size mill using a 45 degree face mill and lighter cuts, I would stay with a 2.0" if a 90 degree or primary work will be in steel. Surface finish on aluminum is greatly improved with some light lubrication/light air stream.

You need a R8 shell mill arbor for the size face mill you plan to get.

45 DEGREE FACE MILL FOR ALL MATERIALS (SIZE: 2.5")

latheinserts.com

SEET12T3 INSERTS FOR 45 DEGREE FACE MILL, PACK OF TEN (WHAT MATERIAL ARE YOU CUTTING?: ALUMINUM & NON-FERROUS)

latheinserts.com

SEET12T3 INSERTS FOR 45 DEGREE FACE MILL, PACK OF TEN (WHAT MATERIAL ARE YOU CUTTING?: STEELS & STAINLESS)

latheinserts.com

Haas face mills are also recommended, I use them as well as a number of other people.

HSPP, 2-1/2" Ø Shell Mill, 3/4" Pilot Bore x 45° Lead Angle, 5 Flute, Positive/Positive Geometry

HSPP, 2-1/2" Diameter Shell Mill, 3/4" Pilot Bore x 45° Lead Angle, 5 Inserts (Square), Positive/Positive Geometry

www.haascnc.com

HSPP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Square Positive Positive, Grade HN25 - Pack of 10

HSPP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Square Positive Positive, Grade HN25 - Pack of 10

www.haascnc.com

HSPP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Square Positive Positive, Grade HMP20 - Pack of 10

HSPP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Square Positive Positive, Grade HMP20 - Pack of 10

www.haascnc.com

I use this Haas face mill for both steel and aluminum and it can also do shouldering to a depth of ~0.3" I am only using the HS6NP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Trigon Negative Positive, Grade HMP20 for both and get a great finish. The inserts are trigons and can also be flipped so 6 cutting edges, and a pack of 10 inserts is two complete sets of inserts with a 5 pocket face mill. Haas is also running a sale on most of their cutting products through Friday.

HS6NP, 2-1/2" Ø Shell Mill, 3/4" Pilot Bore x 90° Lead Angle, 5 Flute, Negative/Positive Geometry, TSC

This Haas Square Shoulder 6 Negative Positive shell mill provides high stability and allows larger depths of cut for face milling and shoulder milling applications. It has a 2-1/2" cutting diameter, and a 3/4" pilot bore, with a 90-degree cutting edge. The cutter body takes 5 triangular cutting...

www.haascnc.com

HS6NP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Trigon Negative Positive, Grade HMP20 - Pack of 10

HS6NP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Trigon Negative Positive, Grade HMP20 - Pack of 10

www.haascnc.com

Optional if only aluminum

HS6NP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Trigon Negative Positive, Grade HN25 - Pack of 10

HS6NP, Carbide Shell Mill Insert, Trigon Negative Positive, Grade HN25 - Pack of 10

www.haascnc.com

 

[Smithdoor]

A fly cutter works great for hobby work.
I have had both types the only downside to multiple cutter is the cost.

Dave

 

[Archer60x]

I have so much to learn! Thank everyone! As always i need to keep reading.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

What is a good beginner mill tool to face aluminum? All i have is drill bits, starter pack of two flute end mills and some reamers for a project i am planning. The project it am planning is a maximum dimension of 4inches.

I will probably be looking on ebay for something used to get me started.

PM728VT Mill with R8 spindle

Thanks'!
Chad

I have the 3" version of this which your mill's specs say are its maximum. I have a PM940V which is a 2HP 3Ph mill you might be more interested in the 2" which you can find listed at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/Accusize-Tools-Indexable-installed-0028-6908/dp/B01N3T0NQ8/ref=sr_1_1_pp?crid=2CQOIAU3N3YLJ&keywords=ACCUSIZE%2BFACE%2BMILL&qid=1702602562&s=industrial&sprefix=accusize%2Bface%2Bmill%2Cindustrial%2C108&sr=1-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685&th=1

I can take a 1/4" deep cut full width through aluminum and roughly half that though steel with this mill and it is an R8 which will minimize the vertical space required. These types of mills do facing but are really for hogging material, if you just want to surface a piece using a light cut you really want a fly cutter and your mill can take a large fly cutter, the following link is just to provide an example, better can be found and a 2" R8 is available to shorten your tool make up in the z axis, I built my fly cutters.

https://www.amazon.com/OMEX-New-Fly-Cutter-Shank/dp/B01CGB8VE2/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2RXKPZS3ZAEMA&keywords=ACCUSIZE+fly+cutter&qid=1702603190&s=industrial&sprefix=accusize+fly+cutter%2Cindustrial%2C123&sr=1-8

Hope that is helpful....

 

[Archer60x]

Oh man i never looked at the Haas website... F1 fan and admirer of there giant machines.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

What is a good beginner mill tool to face aluminum? All i have is drill bits, starter pack of two flute end mills and some reamers for a project i am planning. The project it am planning is a maximum dimension of 4inches.

I will probably be looking on ebay for something used to get me started.

PM728VT Mill with R8 spindle

Thanks'!
Chad

Something else you might consider, not cheep but.... Your mill will have 16" clearance between the bed and end of the quill and by the time you put a vise in there without the rotating base and an end mill 2" cutting depth in a chuck you'll about 8 to 10" left for your project piece. you can buy a couple of extra inches by using tools with an R8 connection or mounting tools in an R8 collet. I have 2 sets of these collet, 1 set was cheep and when I connected a couple of them they had too much run out and the other set that I bought were more expensive and no appreciable run out. I would suggest a good set of R8 collets would be worth considering.

 

[Archer60x]

Something else you might consider, not cheep but.... Your mill will have 16" clearance between the bed and end of the quill and by the time you put a vise in there without the rotating base and an end mill 2" cutting depth in a chuck you'll about 8 to 10" left for your project piece. you can buy a couple of extra inches by using tools with an R8 connection or mounting tools in an R8 collet. I have 2 sets of these collet, 1 set was cheep and when I connected a couple of them they had too much run out and the other set that I bought were more expensive and no appreciable run out. I would suggest a good set of R8 collets would be worth considering.

I hope the collets i got are good. There were the "ultra precision ones" that you can choose to package with the mill. I am finding that ULTRA precision, precision are terms that dont seem to hold much weight. Kind of like the labels on the food. "Good For Your Heart"

Ultra Precision 11 Pc. R-8 Collet Set – Precision Matthews Machinery Co.

www.precisionmatthews.com

 

[Ischgl99]

To confuse you a bit more, if you are just doing clean up passes on your material, the Tormach Fly cutter might be a good choice. It takes inserts, so is easy to have a good cutting edge, but will be slower cutting since it only has one cutting edge instead of multiple edges of a face mill. The advantage of one edge is a nicer finish, but multiple inserts allows a faster feed rate.

Tormach SuperFly Cutter | Fly Cutter Tool | LittleMachineShop

Get maximum performance on spindles with less than 3hp by using the Tormach SuperFly cutter kit. The package includes a fly cutter tool, body, insert, and more.

littlemachineshop.com

When I first started out, I bought the two book package of Moltrecht’s Machine Shop Practice. It doesn’t have much on carbide inserts, but is an excellent reference to have on how to machine things that is valuable for home shop machinists.

 

[Archer60x]

To confuse you a bit more, if you are just doing clean up passes on your material, the Tormach Fly cutter might be a good choice. It takes inserts, so is easy to have a good cutting edge, but will be slower cutting since it only has one cutting edge instead of multiple edges of a face mill. The advantage of one edge is a nicer finish, but multiple inserts allows a faster feed rate.

Tormach SuperFly Cutter | Fly Cutter Tool | LittleMachineShop

Get maximum performance on spindles with less than 3hp by using the Tormach SuperFly cutter kit. The package includes a fly cutter tool, body, insert, and more.

littlemachineshop.com

When I first started out, I bought the two book package of Moltrecht’s Machine Shop Practice. It doesn’t have much on carbide inserts, but is an excellent reference to have on how to machine things that is valuable for home shop machinists.

I have those books coming next week.
THanks!

 

[Ischgl99]

I have those books coming next week.
THanks!

I’ve had them for 20+ years and still use them regularly.