- Joined
- Dec 20, 2012
- Messages
- 9,422
I was thinking we'd see the first cut on that new mill by now - you lagging? No, just joking. I was thinking about resources that might help you and thought I'd send a link that might help guide you when making cuts: http://www.niagaracutter.com/techinfo/
Go to the Speeds and Feed section and look at the listings for the common materials we use. It will tell you how deep a peripheral or slotting cut you can take with a given end mill, speed, and feed. The thing we small mill owners tend to do is take tiny, tiny cuts because we think our mills can't handle a "real" cut. It turns out that the Sherline mill can do a whole lot more than you might think. It isn't the rigidity of the machine as much as it is the rigidity of the end mill itself for cutters 3/8" and under and I think you might find that your little machine is capable of doing some serious work. The key limitation of the Sherline lathe is it's top speed of only 3200 RPM. Fortunately, that DC motor provides some serious torque at lower speeds and that is what we need for end mill work in harder stuff. Just be sure you have a solid end mill holder.
Speaking of end mill holders, if you are using the Sherline end mill holder then I suggest you consider drilling and tapping an extra set screw just above the existing one. Nasty things happen if an end mill slips under load and two screws on a Weldon flat are better than one. An ER32 collet is even better.
Anyway, have a look. I printed all the sheets for the materials I work with and refer to them every time I use an end mill.
Mikey
Go to the Speeds and Feed section and look at the listings for the common materials we use. It will tell you how deep a peripheral or slotting cut you can take with a given end mill, speed, and feed. The thing we small mill owners tend to do is take tiny, tiny cuts because we think our mills can't handle a "real" cut. It turns out that the Sherline mill can do a whole lot more than you might think. It isn't the rigidity of the machine as much as it is the rigidity of the end mill itself for cutters 3/8" and under and I think you might find that your little machine is capable of doing some serious work. The key limitation of the Sherline lathe is it's top speed of only 3200 RPM. Fortunately, that DC motor provides some serious torque at lower speeds and that is what we need for end mill work in harder stuff. Just be sure you have a solid end mill holder.
Speaking of end mill holders, if you are using the Sherline end mill holder then I suggest you consider drilling and tapping an extra set screw just above the existing one. Nasty things happen if an end mill slips under load and two screws on a Weldon flat are better than one. An ER32 collet is even better.
Anyway, have a look. I printed all the sheets for the materials I work with and refer to them every time I use an end mill.
Mikey
