Ball End Milling Question

C

ClayPort

Registered
Registered
Joined
Jun 11, 2024
Messages
14
Hi all. I need to make a set of wood turning tools known as beading tools. The attached pictures show the profile of the recesses that I need the cutters for. The tools themselves are found to ground to 45-60 degrees. I was going to buy a pre-made set but since I have a new (to me) PM935 I thought I would give it a try. I plan to make these out of various size HSS blanks. My questions are:

1. Do I want carbide 4 flute ball ends such as these: https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/Milling/End-Mills/Ball-End-Mills?navid=2106252
2. Do I want to try pre-cutting the recess with a standard end mill first and the following up with the ball nose, try it will multiple passes with the ball nose only, or try a slow single pass with the ball nose.

Thanks in advance.

1730309358951.png

1730309237681.png
 
Unfortunately, what you want is a grinder. If you succeed with carbide ball end mills, I'll be intrigued. If you pursue that route you might consider carbide endmills with corner rounding rather than balls, because the corner rounding endmill will actually cut, while the center of a ball endmill more or less galls its way through the work.

All this I say by way of discourse. I certainly don't want to discourage you from trying to find another technique.

GsT
 
Gene, you have never steered me wrong in the past. A TC grinder is out of my budget/space. I have a 3x79 and a CBN wheel on a slow speed bench grinder that I planned to use for shaping the part, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the recess. I thought I could get away with something but it sounds like I can't. Thank you both, I learned something today.
 
I have a tool & cutter grinder and could make a shorter approximation of those tools but it would take me time and considerable wear on grinding wheels. If you use those tools in any sort of production, I'd buy them. If you try carbide on HSS, wear very good protective gear! Maybe if you have access to a heat treat oven? Anneal, cut, grind, harden, temper. I've tried it with a torch, sort of possible if you have enough time and material. Highly variable results for my efforts.
 
I was going to anneal, which was going to be a first for me, but I was afraid of not being able to harden and temper back to the original strength. I just bit the bullet and bought a preground set. I think this was a little ambitious for my first try at making tools. I just picked up a few HSS blanks and will try a few simpler wood turning tool designs (think metal lathe parting tools) as first project. Thanks everyone.
 
^Yes. This could be done in tool steel. O1 for example. Should work fine.
 
I think the groove down the top of the tool is not round. It would need to be elliptical so that when the relief angle is put on the end it will leave a round profile.

To do this would need a custom ground grinding wheel to grate that profile.

You might be able to find a carbide burr with close to the right shape and use the burr as a milling cutter????
 
ClayPort said:
Gene, you have never steered me wrong in the past. A TC grinder is out of my budget/space. I have a 3x79 and a CBN wheel on a slow speed bench grinder that I planned to use for shaping the part, but I couldn't wrap my mind around the recess. I thought I could get away with something but it sounds like I can't. Thank you both, I learned something today.
Click to expand...
Why do they have to have the long flutes?
Couldn't you make a scraper to do beading?
In that case you only need to have a grinding point the correct size. an Air tool held in your lathe tool post while your tool is in your chuck would create the profile. Like a bedan tool it should cut fast.
Just another way of looking at it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top