Which endmill or ballmill to use?
I am setting up a Romaxxcnc HS-1 and need some advice on which bits to use.
I will be cutting parts out of Phenolic (micarta - similar to circuitboard, but thicker 1/4"-3/8") as well as G10 (fiberglass + resin) for knife handles (full tang).
Here's what I have in mind so far:
For general cutting:
1/4" ball end mill, HSS, 2-flute, TiN coated
mcmastercarr.com 8900A21
For profiling and pocketing (for handle bolts):
1/8" end mill, HSS, 4-flute, TiN coated, center-cutting
mcmastercarr.com 8918A41
Let me know if I'm on the right track.
As you can probably tell...this is completely new to me!
Thanks for any help.
Dan
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Last edited by pendentive; 05-15-2012 at 02:40 PM.
mscdirect.com
usshoptools.com
The difference is McMaster ships unbelievably fast. With MSC and US Shoptools
you know what brand you're getting.
....for your application, especially with fiberglass? HSS won't stand up.
Think too of endmills with corner radius when possible.
The G10 will eat up HSS tooling. I cut quite a bit for a client, and use a variety of tools to get the job done.Originally Posted by pendentive
For drilling 1/4" holes, I use a 60 degree tip drill mill from Enco. If I need to make larger holes, I'll start out with the drill mill, and open it up with woth Onsrud 66-900 (coated)or 67-000 (uncoated) fiberglass and composites router; it looks like a burr but are actually cutting edges that grind the fibers away. For pocketing and profiling I use Onsrud 68-200 PCD SERF cutter. They also make a ballnose PCD 68-400. They cost a fortune if buy them at Onsrud's online store. Rather I get them though their eBay aucions at about 70-80% savings...
For regular phenolics I've used regular wood router bits just fine. If you use spiral bits make sure they're for wood (or even composites), I had some issues using endmills. Spiral O flute bits seem to work decently with phenolics and G10 as well...
Pics and descriptions here:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...criptions.html
What about these?
30855A47
and
30855A41
Both are Cobalt, 4 flute, with corner radius
mcmastercarr.com
Dan
I don't think cobalt is strong enough... If G10 eats up even carbide, then it will chew up cobalt.
I drill G10 with TiN HSS everyday in my drill press. I understand that milling at high speed in more dimensions will wear it out faster. I guess I'll just have to try and see what happens.
I ordered the 2 above in cobalt steel. We'll see how it goes.
Dan
Cool, let us know how it goes... the bits in the link above are way cheaper than the McMaster endmills, however, with free shipping, so it may be a good idea to pick up a few.
Cool - just saw your link. I think I missed it when I replied.
I'll check them out.
Dan
I'm an idiot - I ordered 3/8" shank thinking my router would accept them. Nope, just 1/4". no adapters available either.
louieatienza - I picked up a pack of those onsrud bits. Do you have a link for some 1/8" carbide bits? I figured I'd need 1/4" for roughing and 1/8" for finishing.
I found this one at MSC
MSC #: 41244716
You can buy direct from Onsrud, p/n 67-003 fiberglass router, 1/8" diameter
Splash! | Router Bits, Cutting Tools & Drilling Tools, LMT Onsrud
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