"jim rozen" wrote in message
...
In article , Harold & Susan Vordos says...

Gotcha! And I do that when necessary, too, but it sort of supports those
that create the argument that you risk making scrap because you don't
rely
on the tool to make the cut to size. It goes without saying that
those
of us that work in the trade don't recognize the risk. :-)

Most folks understand that end mills flex.
When they do, the surfaces they cut are no longer
where you think they should be, based on a simple
'edge finder, and measure the (still) cutter'
calculation.

Those who don't understand this either don't care
because they're working to 0.010 tolerance - and
there are *plenty* of jobs out there that are done
to +/- 1/64 inch in industry - or they're making
a lot of scrap.

Woodruff key cutters might cut a thou oversized or so,
depending on condition or size. A 1/8 inch end mill
could cut oversize, or offside, by ten thou or so.
Also small end mills will take a while to do a
keyway because they can't do it all in one bite.
Chip clearance becomes a big deal.

This is why I like keyseat cutters.

Jim

Absolutely! I was thinking more on the order of ¼" and above. I've used
my share of small end mills, right down to 1/32". Talk about a piece of
glass! Yep, for those small keyways, there's nothing that competes with a
Woodruff cutter. Interestingly, I have never had a problem with them
cutting oversized, either. In fact, they generally cut snug to the cutter.
Could be the spindle assembly is quite true. Do keep in mind I've run only
my own machines for well over 30 years now.

Like you, I've used Woodruff cutters for many things, not just keyways.

Harold