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Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
E. Walter Le Roy
 
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Default face mill vs fly cutter

Thanks to all w ho replied. You completely cleared up my questions.
Walt
"David Anderson" wrote in message
. com...
Amen to the single fly-cutter with a 5/16 inch HSS lathe bit. With a
slow steady feed you can get a near-mirror finished surface, and
regrinding is a snap.

"F. George McDuffee" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 17:27:24 GMT, "E. Walter Le Roy"
wrote:
I'm sure it's been discussed here before but I missed it. What is the
advantage of using a face mill rather than a fly cutter?
Thanks
Walt

==================
Keep in mind this is a reply to rec.crafts.metalworking and I am
assuming you are a home shop machinist with light duty machines
and a limited budget.

In this circumstance you are *MUCH* getter off with a fly cutter.
A flycutter uses a lathe bit that you can resharpen and custom
grind with your desired clearance and rake angles and you can use
either HSS or carbide.

A face mill is much more expensive and will require a special
arbor. While it may machine slightly faster, generally the
lighter home shop machines won't have either the power or
regidity to remove much more [if any metal] than a fly cutter per
unit time. If the facemill is HSS/brazed insert you will have to
send it out for sharpening [unless you have a survace grinder and
fixturing] and if it is replaceable insert, the inserts are very
expensive for hobby use.

The import fly cutters typically sell for 10-20$ a set and the
HSS [M2] lathe tool blanks are generally on sale for 1$ or less
each. [FWIW -- I find tungsten tooling is of little value in the
home shop and is much harder to grind.] You can use carbide lathe
tools, again 1-2$ each import c.3-5$ domestic -- use the C2 as it
is more shock resistant.

It is easy to make your own two tool rough/finish fly cutter.
The single tool cutters are so cheap it is not worthwhile from a
cost;benefit viewpoint.

Unka George



The art of leadership . . . consists in consolidating the attention of

the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will
split up that attention. . . . The leader of genius must have the ability
to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category.
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), German dictator. Mein Kampf, vol. 1, ch. 3

(1925).