Large Endmill Use

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kplyler

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With nothing else better to do with $15, I picked up a 2" x 10" end mill. Its about the size of a brick (except for being cylinder shaped :) ). 6 flutes, and new (still in the waxy coating). OK, it's too big for my BP J-head. I thought about making a 2" to 1/2" adapter, and use it in an R8 in the BP, and on the Lathe (largest drill bit I have is 1 & 7/8", so 2" end mill would get me to 2" ID on tasks before I have to start using a boring bar). I assume when its worn out I can grind it and use it for HSS (not sure how to clamp it in the QCTP unless I ground it down significantly or made yet another adapter).

Any other thoughts on what it could be used for?

Thanks
 
Could be handy on a horizontal mill. Both ends supported.
 
Man, there's no way I would mount that in my Bridgeport type mill. That big endmill was made to run in big heavy No. 5 mills and larger. No. 3 or 4 mills maybe. I could see someone coming up to a part to slab mill an edge and the end mill catching the corner and pow! It would bend over and break off and fly across the shop, if it didn't hit you first!. Everything on the mill would get knocked out of wack, if it doesn't bend the spindle, first. And if that endmill did hit you, the ER doctor would mark it down as another interested case. And trying to explain that to insurance, no way!

BTW- I was watching a so called machinist running a No. 5 vertical mill in my younger years. He was rapding up to an edge of a work piece, went too far and caught the corner of a 2-1/2" two flute end mill. Kaboom! That twenty thousand pound mill shook the entire shop when the edge of the endmill broke off. Even the owner came out to see if anyone got hurt. The chunk that broke off flew out hit the sheet metal on the building and put a sizable dent in it.

Be practical and use some com and sense with what you are thinking of doing.
 
I've got a #3 universal mill and that's about a mouthful for it, as Ken said. And that's got a 7.5 hp motor on it and weighs nearly 7,000 lbs. Just an opinion, but you could have used that $15 more wisely. I don't know what practical use you have for it if you only have a bp style knee mill. As far as lathe use goes, since you have a 1-7/8" drill, that 1/8" size gain won't be worth all the trouble to build something to hold it. Assuming of course that you have the lathe that will pull the load.

Not trying to criticize, but even at that price I probably wouldn't have bought it, even though I can use it.
 
kplyler said:
With nothing else better to do with $15, I picked up a 2" x 10" end mill. Its about the size of a brick (except for being cylinder shaped :) ). 6 flutes, and new (still in the waxy coating). OK, it's too big for my BP J-head. I thought about making a 2" to 1/2" adapter, and use it in an R8 in the BP, and on the Lathe (largest drill bit I have is 1 & 7/8", so 2" end mill would get me to 2" ID on tasks before I have to start using a boring bar). I assume when its worn out I can grind it and use it for HSS (not sure how to clamp it in the QCTP unless I ground it down significantly or made yet another adapter).

Any other thoughts on what it could be used for?

Thanks
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Use it as a boring bar. Don't clamp it in the QTCP: make a holder for it. You could also make an adapter for the tailstock and use it sort of like a core drill.
 
Leave the wax on it and use it for a paper weight.:grin: Way too big for anything I have here.
 
Make sure to do the RPM calculations and run it slow enough.

Daryl
MN
 
Yes, the shank is 2" all the way. It has three Weldon flats, two on one side, and one on the other. no I'm curious, Does the larger diameter set up vibration in a smaller Mill? The Mill is ~1800 lb, and 2HP. The posts above seem to indicate some stored spring energ that can go baddy if un-sprung?
 
I have seen end mills that size used on 50,000 lb mills with 50 HP spindles. The problem is the amount of twisting force it applies to the machine. I get nervous when using a 3/4 x 4 inch end mill on my 3,500 lb machine. It is not heavy enough to overcome the cutting forces imposed by the cutter when using that end mill to capacity. With a 2 x 10 inch inch end mill, the amount of stick out would be huge and the twisting torque applied to the head would be immense.
 
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