Ignoramus4117 wrote:

On 2010-09-01, Pete C. wrote:

Jon Elson wrote:

On 09/01/2010 03:34 PM, Pete C. wrote:

Ignoramus4117 wrote:

So, if we compare a cheap imported carbide endmill vs. an expensive
domestic endmill. Is there some identifiable difference between their
performance?

i

Forget carbide. You don't have the spindle speed or axis feeds to
benefit from them, and they are a *lot* easier to chip or break than HSS
endmills.

Well, I now do a LOT of work with 1/8" solid carbide end mills. Yes,
clearly, I don't have the spindle speed, either, but they are so much
stiffer than the HSS cutters. Also, because the solid carbide ones have
1/8" shanks, they are actually CHEAPER than many HSS with 3/8" shanks.
I've had great results in aluminum with the carbide.

Jon

How many have you broken? Iggy is just learning CNC *and* general
machining speeds and feeds, in my opinion, he doesn't need to be using
carbide tooling that he will have a much greater chance of breaking at
this point. He should also not be doing much with end mills under 1/4"
dia or so for a while until he gets the hang of things.

A broken 1/8" end mill is not the end of the world. When I need one, I
use one.

i

No, but you will have a much lower risk of breaking one if you use HSS
instead of carbide, and you will get comparable milling results with
either type, so there is no benefit to using carbide and the is a
drawback to using it.