All The Different Ways Of Cutting A Spur Gear .........

[BillWood]

Was reading about cutting spur gears a while ago

I read about several possible ways of cutting a spur gear on lathe, shaper and milling machine using either single point tools or gear cutters or hobs.

I've only just seen the first post in this thread

http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/showthread.php?3874-The-Gate-Opener&p=62079&viewfull=1#post62079

Is that also a common way to cut gears ?

Bill

 

[randyc]

Was reading about cutting spur gears a while ago

I read about several possible ways of cutting a spur gear on lathe, shaper and milling machine using either single point tools or gear cutters or hobs.

I've only just seen the first post in this thread

http://www.alloyavenue.com/vb/showthread.php?3874-The-Gate-Opener&p=62079&viewfull=1#post62079

Is that also a common way to cut gears ?

Bill

Well, it is ONE way to cut gears and a better method than single point tools which are slow and deliver a lot of "pounding". But a single point tool is very quick and easy to make compared to the cutter shown in the post that you referenced. If one is going to cut more than one or two gears, in my opinion it is crazy not to invest in a REAL set of gear cutters. A full set of imported gear cutters can be obtained for around $100 U.S. these days.

These cutters are best used in a horizontal mill because the spindle speeds are usually much lower than those of vertical mills and because of the enhanced rigidity. The large diameter cutters - especially when cutting steel gears - usually require low speeds. However, many vertical mills have back gears so speed would not necessarily be an issue.