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Fly Cutting Issues
- Thread starter Charley Davidson
- Start date
Chuck,
I made this fly cutter and used HSS 1/4" tool and ran it at a somewhat high speed with no coolant and you can see what the result was. I hope the cutter grinding turned up OK on the pic so you can see how I did it, this was my first try at a fly cutter build and was surprised how well it turned out.
Paul
I made this fly cutter and used HSS 1/4" tool and ran it at a somewhat high speed with no coolant and you can see what the result was. I hope the cutter grinding turned up OK on the pic so you can see how I did it, this was my first try at a fly cutter build and was surprised how well it turned out.
Paul
Too much quill extension. Hot rolled what? That's not a steel type, but a method of production. You should use either HSS or a C2 for roughing and a C4 carbide for finishing. Probably as high a speed as your machine has. It's not unusual for feedlines to show up on the tailoff of a flycutter, especially in the case of worn spindle bearings, dull cutters, too aggressive a feed, or a head that is improperly swept in. If the head is not swept in, the cut will be dished, not flat. You also could try feeding from the opposite direction.
Flycutters are generally not good for heavy cuts, but for light cleanup cuts on an aluminum block like you have, they should be fine. If you have too sharp a point, you will probably notice a Moire type pattern on the surface. 0.010/0.015 radius is sufficient as long as your feed does not exceed that much per rev. not likely if your spindle speed is up where it should be.
Flycutters are generally not good for heavy cuts, but for light cleanup cuts on an aluminum block like you have, they should be fine. If you have too sharp a point, you will probably notice a Moire type pattern on the surface. 0.010/0.015 radius is sufficient as long as your feed does not exceed that much per rev. not likely if your spindle speed is up where it should be.
charlie, try splitting your cut into three passes (overlap your passes) and see what that does...
I'm with tony, suck that quill all the way up when your face milling/fly cutting and milling if at all possible.. also run the quill nut all the way up to lock the quill..
I would run about .015 radius on the cutter, and I like rake on aluminum. I would probably start out at about 800rpm and .005-.010 depth of cut, and gradually up the rpm and see how it goes.. if your using carbide you should be able to run up around 1200rpm to start with.. with carbide I use only air to cool, I dont mist coolant on carbide..
Dont use 1018 or 1020 steel for tooling, use high speed or carbide... The heat generated from cutting aluminum is too much for 1018 or 1020..
also if your mill is worn pretty good, the table a little loose in the center, it can help to offset your vise to one side or the other...
good luck..
I'm with tony, suck that quill all the way up when your face milling/fly cutting and milling if at all possible.. also run the quill nut all the way up to lock the quill..
I would run about .015 radius on the cutter, and I like rake on aluminum. I would probably start out at about 800rpm and .005-.010 depth of cut, and gradually up the rpm and see how it goes.. if your using carbide you should be able to run up around 1200rpm to start with.. with carbide I use only air to cool, I dont mist coolant on carbide..
Dont use 1018 or 1020 steel for tooling, use high speed or carbide... The heat generated from cutting aluminum is too much for 1018 or 1020..
also if your mill is worn pretty good, the table a little loose in the center, it can help to offset your vise to one side or the other...
good luck..
Charley,
I use the Big dog extension/riser block on my HF mill to keep the quill fully retracted and I dont climb cut and it results in a much smoother and nicer cut. I just use the cheap HF red soldered carbide bits for 6 bucks a set and they do OK for this type of application. I only take about .005 off each pass so I am not really straining the tool and I keep the carbide close to the cutter to keep doen the vibration of a weak column and less than rigid HF machine. Hope this helps some. I am definately not an expert at this by any stretch of my imagination, but I keep trying non the less.
Bob
I use the Big dog extension/riser block on my HF mill to keep the quill fully retracted and I dont climb cut and it results in a much smoother and nicer cut. I just use the cheap HF red soldered carbide bits for 6 bucks a set and they do OK for this type of application. I only take about .005 off each pass so I am not really straining the tool and I keep the carbide close to the cutter to keep doen the vibration of a weak column and less than rigid HF machine. Hope this helps some. I am definately not an expert at this by any stretch of my imagination, but I keep trying non the less.
Bob
You said the CUTTER was hot rolled steel????? That is your problem right there. Use HSS. Use kerosene for a cutting fluid. WD-40 will also be fine. And,DO suck up that quill. Sticking way out like that is the worst thing for rigidity. Extend the quill as little as possible,and LOCK IT while taking cuts.
But,if you are trying to use hot rolled steel for a cutter,that really is why it is making a mess. Hot rolled or cold rolled steels are NOT FOR CUTTERS. They have no hardness.
But,if you are trying to use hot rolled steel for a cutter,that really is why it is making a mess. Hot rolled or cold rolled steels are NOT FOR CUTTERS. They have no hardness.
I used HSS last night that was ground really nice with plenty of relief but still had issues. I believe it is the tool holder that's giving me issues, I turned the shank down so I could use it in my Burke #4 and I think it is now somewhat out of round/balance. I borrowed one last night but it wont fit my mill. A co-worker from my old job is giving me one with a R8 taper he made in trade school. We'll see how that works.
I faced the piece last night & squared it up with a big ol honkin cutter I got with the mill and it turned out OK.
I faced the piece last night & squared it up with a big ol honkin cutter I got with the mill and it turned out OK.
An excellent question. The cutter's leading edge needs to be on the centerline of the fly cutter's body. So,you have to offset the slot accordingly,or you may not be getting proper clearance for the cutting edge.