On 17 Jan 2005 12:14:59 -0800, jim rozen
wrote:

In article , Harold & Susan Vordos says...

... The tools of choice for me, and the shops where
I was employed, just happened to be end mills, and I suspect that unless
most folks are engaged in machining key slots routinely, that would be their
tool of choice, too.

This is sort of crazy, to use an end mill when the correct tool
(woodruff key cutter) is so widely available. In a horizontal
machine one can do the job much more reliably and accurately.
I wouldn't think of of using an end mill for the job.

Depends on the job, Jim. We did a lot of keyways that had to be full
depth for their entire length, and 1/4" past the end of the key was an
oil seal. Woodruff cutters aren't always an option. It's actually
pretty common.

Greybeard.