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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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#1
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
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 |
#2
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
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 Normally a face mill has multiple cutters, so if it e.g. has 8 cutters it can be fed into the workpiece 8 times as fast as a single-point flycutter. The point is time which is money .. GWE |
#3
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
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). |
#4
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
"E. Walter Le Roy" wrote in message news:0MDQf.1071$o41.293@trnddc06... 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 As it was said you can feed faster with the face mill. I just got a used mill/drill. and I can take some pretty healthy cuts with a 1 1/2" inserted cutter which uses 3 of the TPG322 inserts. I can justify a face mill because the cost of each corner on an insert is less than having a cutter sent out for sharpening. Last time I bought inserts I paid about $3.00 each for them. If I use one corner on 3 inserts every time I index the insert costs me $3.00. Also when I can afford to upgrade my mill to either a Bridgeport type or a number 2 horizontal mill with a vertical attachment my 1 1/2" face mill will work just fine there. If I want a real nice finish and my machine isn't very ridged then a light cut with a fly cutter is the way to go. |
#5
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
Amen to the single fly-cutter with a 5/16 inch HSS lathe bit. With a
slow steady feed you can get a near-mirror finished surface, and regrinding is a snap. "F. George McDuffee" wrote in message ... On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 17:27:24 GMT, "E. Walter Le Roy" wrote: I'm sure it's been discussed here before but I missed it. What is the advantage of using a face mill rather than a fly cutter? Thanks Walt ================== Keep in mind this is a reply to rec.crafts.metalworking and I am assuming you are a home shop machinist with light duty machines and a limited budget. In this circumstance you are *MUCH* getter off with a fly cutter. A flycutter uses a lathe bit that you can resharpen and custom grind with your desired clearance and rake angles and you can use either HSS or carbide. A face mill is much more expensive and will require a special arbor. While it may machine slightly faster, generally the lighter home shop machines won't have either the power or regidity to remove much more [if any metal] than a fly cutter per unit time. If the facemill is HSS/brazed insert you will have to send it out for sharpening [unless you have a survace grinder and fixturing] and if it is replaceable insert, the inserts are very expensive for hobby use. The import fly cutters typically sell for 10-20$ 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). |
#6
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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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). |
#7
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
My mill won't go any slower than 350 rpm, so I figure that I couldn't
use a very large diameter fly cutter, so I use a 1 1/2" face mill with 3 TPG 322 inserts and it works just fine. Sometimes I look longingly at those who have flycutters with a 4" diameter swing, but I cant' go as slow as that 12 + inches per rev would require. Pete Stanaitis 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 |
#8
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
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face mill vs fly cutter
"F. George McDuffee" wrote:
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). If you want to use carbide in your home shop, go to a commercial shop and ask them for some of their old carbide inserts. You can resharpen them and braze them on a tool blank for practically no cost. John |
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