This Milling Cutter is Da Bomb!

Flyinfool said:
Most, not all, laptops that do not have a key pad do have a keypad mixed into the keyboard. look at the B, N, M, J, K, L, I, O, P keys for numbers on them. Numlock will turn them on to be used as a keypad that will work with the ALT codes.
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Yeah, my Dell has those keys, but they are activated by the Fn key, no Numlock key. They don't produce the Alt codes.
7milesup said:
When I hit Alt +5 it starts up my PowerPoint program, with or without the Num Lock button on. I typed Alt + 0128 and holy hell, I had everything opening up. It was like my computer was possessed. Windows 10 BTW
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That's why you just copy them from the Alt codes page.

edit: I stand corrected. If I hold down the Alt and Fn keys while entering the Fn number keys, it produces the Alt code when I release the keys.
Takes quite a bit of effort, the numbers are hard to see.
 
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I attempted to order this cutter. Did they ship them right away? Think they ran out of them, or are making more. Mine haven't shipped after 4 days. AliExpress says they will cancel my order in 5 (more) days automatically if it isn't shipped. (It seems I have the option to extend that time, if I want.) The shank was shipped immediately. Hope the new lot of milling cutters are as good as the last.

I found the issue with my Sherline fly cutter. It was beating the metal rather than cutting it. The insert had failed. It showed up as a tiny shiny spot on the tip of the carbide. I replaced the insert with one from Valenite. What a big difference! C's and 6's again, and at least I could take 0.010" cuts without effort. However, after cutting off about 100 sq inches of A36 the insert doesn't seem to be cutting as nicely. The noise is greater and the mill seems to be working harder than when I first replaced the insert. How many sq inches of fly cutting should one get with an insert? Have to say the finish is still ok.
 
WobblyHand said:
I found the issue with my Sherline fly cutter. It was beating the metal rather than cutting it. The insert had failed. It showed up as a tiny shiny spot on the tip of the carbide. I replaced the insert with one from Valenite. What a big difference! C's and 6's again, and at least I could take 0.010" cuts without effort. However, after cutting off about 100 sq inches of A36 the insert doesn't seem to be cutting as nicely. The noise is greater and the mill seems to be working harder than when I first replaced the insert. How many sq inches of fly cutting should one get with an insert? Have to say the finish is still ok.
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That's an impossible question to answer, too many variables. The scale on hot-rolled A36 is very abrasive and hard on cutters. It's important to take a deep enough cut to get under the scale on the first pass. What you are experiencing is the reason for getting an inserted face mill. A fly cutter is great for getting a flat surface with a nice finish, not that great for any significant metal removal. I've been using the face mill to get within .010 - .020, the switch to the fly cutter for that pretty, even finish.
 
Just used this cutter again today, milling 4 threading tool shanks down from 20 to 18mm. These tools are hard enough that my file slides off the burrs. I am still using the first corners of the first inserts that I put in it. Running at 160 rpm, .060 DOC, it just chewed through them, throwing blue chips everywhere. The finish was not great, but I expected that considering what I was asking it to do. Definitely pushing the limits of rigidity on a BP type mill. I then finished with an inserted fly cutter. I STILL can't see any wear on these inserts!
 
My set has finally cleared Chinese customs. Promise date is Sept 20th. Feels like it has been forever. Sometimes this stuff takes so long you forget about it. You look at the funny looking gray plastic wrapping and try to guess what you ordered.

AliExpress is not for those who desire instant gratification. But most times, AliExpress is a heck of a lot lower cost than the alternatives.
 
WobblyHand said:
My set has finally cleared Chinese customs. Promise date is Sept 20th. Feels like it has been forever. Sometimes this stuff takes so long you forget about it. You look at the funny looking gray plastic wrapping and try to guess what you ordered.

AliExpress is not for those who desire instant gratification. But most times, AliExpress is a heck of a lot lower cost than the alternatives.
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Most of the stuff I've been ordering takes 2-3 weeks. I have more time than money, so that's fine. The weird part is that it takes almost as long for the package to get from LA (port of entry) to me as it takes to get from China to LA. I had 2 orders placed a week apart arrive on the same day. It is almost like unwrapping a Christmas present, wondering what's inside. The nearly continuous email updates are a bit much sometimes.
 
MrWhoopee said:
It is almost like unwrapping a Christmas present, wondering what's inside.
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Exactly! Kind of like you are 3 years old, full of wonderment. Just had my 2.5 yro grandson visiting last weekend, so the comparison is fresh in my mind.
 
Follow up. Finally the arbor showed up. Yeah, this is pretty nice. Just did four faces on a piece of 7075. LMS calculator says 1750 RPM? I tried 1400, seems to work ok, will try a little bit faster. This just plows through material that would stall at similar feeds before. Quite a welcome difference.
PXL_20220923_230516771.jpgPXL_20220924_200014724.jpg
Thanks for the tip on this.
 
MrWhoopee said:
Yeah, my Dell has those keys, but they are activated by the Fn key, no Numlock key. They don't produce the Alt codes.

That's why you just copy them from the Alt codes page.

edit: I stand corrected. If I hold down the Alt and Fn keys while entering the Fn number keys, it produces the Alt code when I release the keys.
Takes quite a bit of effort, the numbers are hard to see.
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You need to get a Mac: the Option Key opens a new keyboard:

Option KB.png


Shift-Option gives you these possibilities:

Shift-Option KB.png
The row above the function keys changes depending on what you're doing; currently showing Chat shortcuts.
 
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