First Set End Mills???

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Kroll

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Guys it won't be long before I will start warming up the mill for the first time.But I have no tooling as of yet,so I need some parallels and end mill holders,set.Guys I already have my first project which will be making some brackets for the DRO.So drill holes and milling slots,who knows what else will be needed for this project.Anyway to my questions,the material that I will be making brackets will be made out of aluminum so need some end mills that works for aluminum such as milling/drilling.Guys I just kinda want a cheap set that during the learning process when I break an end mill that it won't be costly.So for a beginner what would you guys suggest starting out milling/drilling from say 10/32 up to maybe 1/2 or smaller?If you know of any links to a Christmas sale that is going on please let me know,and any good reading links on end mills.
 
Hi Kroll,

For the sort of work that you describe an ER collet holder and a cheap set of slot drills is what I would go for.

Just in case you don't know and many people don't, end mills are not normally center cutting whilst slot drills are ! Yes you can buy center cutting end mills, but they are often more expensive.
 
Buy what you need, sizewise, sets are for selling to folks who don't know what they need. I've found real deals for (for instance) 20 5/32 two flute double end mills for less tha a buck apiece. They can be used to cut a 1/2 in slot. I also found half a dozen 3/8 carbide double end six flute end mills for about $2 per cutter. All these on Ebay.
 
Kroll,

I got myself a center cutting endmill set from Grizzly with a reasonable range (~3/16 through 3/4 in). Not the highest quality, but good enough to start out with. I found that the vast majority of my milling can be done with the 3/4 in. I now buy better quality 3/4 in HSS endmills (with cobalt). At some point I will get a few smaller endmills of better quality. BTW - a previous post mentioned using double ended endmills- if you go that route, make sure the length you get will fit in your collet. (I have a nice on that is too long and I will need to fine a way to cut it in half.)

Rick
 
BaronJ said:
Hi Kroll,

For the sort of work that you describe an ER collet holder and a cheap set of slot drills is what I would go for.

Just in case you don't know and many people don't, end mills are not normally center cutting whilst slot drills are ! Yes you can buy center cutting end mills, but they are often more expensive.
Click to expand...
On this side of the pond, a two flute end mill normally is center cutting, a four flute end mill is normally not, but can be had as such.
 
Look on Amazon for stuff by uxcell, yg, dywishkey. Cheap cutters you won't feel bad about destroying, though some of them may take 30 days to ship.
Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VXNJ26G
Bredehoft is correct that you'll likely end up using only one or two end mills in a set, but often it's a way to get a bunch of cheap ones so you have spares. There will always be a sharp cutter in there that hasn't been used, which is nice when finishing.

You might want to get at least one roughing cutter. Probably run you $20-30 for one 3/8 to 1/2 in diameter. Good for plowing through that aluminum to reduce thickness, mill a step, etc, and you're unlikely to break it.
 
JimDawson said:
I would head to Harbor Freight (in Humble for you), buy an end mill set and a set of cobalt drills. Harbor Freight has a 25% off coupon right now that expires today. https://www.harborfreight.com/ Print a couple of them and take someone with you to Harbor Freight so you can use 2 coupons.

https://www.harborfreight.com/20-piece-titanium-nitrade-coated-end-mill-set-5947.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/115-pc-cobalt-drill-bit-set-61886.html
Click to expand...
This set has both 2 and 4 flute end mills. It is what you need and the price and quality is perfect for learning.
The cobalt drill set is also a home run!
I have both of these sets. If you don't overspeed these and use lube they are very satisfactory.
 
Purchase the tools needed for the job, no more and no less then required.
I understand that sometime in the future that the tools that were included in a "set" may be useful, or not.

If the goal is to spend as little money as possible why would anyone buy a "set" of end mills for a job that only uses one of them?

The best scenario is to purchase several of the size, material, design and coatings for what you are doing at the moment, if you break one you have another.
 
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