t-slot

[fatboy55]

Hello All,

I have to cut a tslot in alum with a woodruff cutter tomorrow, should I conventional or climb mill?


Fatboy55

[Pres]

Rough conventional.
Finish climb.
Pres

[Geof]

Originally Posted by fatboy55 Hello All, I have to cut a tslot in alum with a woodruff cutter tomorrow, should I conventional or climb mill? Fatboy55

On your first cut you cannot avoid doing both at the same time.

Also if you are cutting a tee slot you should be using a tee slot cutter not a Woodruff cutter. Woodruff cutters are only side cutting, tee slot cutters are side and face cutting. Also tee slot cutters are sized to cut standard tee slots while Woodruff cutters are sized to cut keyways for Woodruff and a very different in proportions, diameter and thickness, to tee slot cutters.

[fatboy55]

Yeah, I know what your talking about with the proper tslot cutters. I've never used them but are aware of the uses. I have no time to order any cutters and this is what was available. I have to make the tnuts also so I can use any size that'll work.

I'm going to make the slot wide enough for the woodruff cutter to enter the channel so I can cut only on one side, so.....conventional or climb:-)

On my little mill I always conventional mill but on my Industral Hobbies mill, MUCH bigger, I aways climb. Today I was side milling a piece of 6061 1/2 inch thick taking 1/4 inch off the end with a 3/8 end mill. Super easy on that mill even with a high feed rate.

This job is going to be done on the big IH mill so conventional or climb. Climbing is easier on the cutter and this woodruff is delicate so I would guess climb???

Fatboy55

[Geof]

Originally Posted by fatboy55 .....Climbing is easier on the cutter and this woodruff is delicate so I would guess climb??? Fatboy55

Climb also can give better chip removal which is going to be a problem. Go very slow to start, it is easy to wedge chips in the teeth of a Woodruff cutter and things go downhill quickly when that happens.

[fatboy55]

Originally Posted by Geof Climb also can give better chip removal which is going to be a problem. Go very slow to start, it is easy to wedge chips in the teeth of a Woodruff cutter and things go downhill quickly when that happens.

Good point Geof. Thanks. Lucky for me this project can be made many ways and doesn't have to be pretty. If I do $#%@ it up I can always just cut the main slot as wide as the tslot was going to be and bolt some bar stock down to "make" the t slot. I might even mill a pocket so it's all flush.

Thanks again for the advice. It seems to me that if the mill is stiff enough climb for everything. Are there any exceptions? I bet there are but I have not run into one yet.

Of course on my little mill I can only climb for finish cuts. It can't handle deep climbs.

Fatboy55

[Geof]

Originally Posted by fatboy55 ....It seems to me that if the mill is stiff enough climb for everything. Are there any exceptions? I bet there are but I have not run into one yet....Fatboy55

I seem to recall reading someplace that conventional milling is better for tough materials but that does not make sense to me because the prolonged cut entry of conventional milling I would expect to be more difficult with something that was tough.

I cannot think of any reason to not use climb milling if the machine is capable of it.

[Andre' B]

On materials with a hard skin like iron castings or case harded parts.
The cutting edge last longer with conventional milling on the first pass.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Andre' B On materials with a hard skin like iron castings or case harded parts. The cutting edge last longer with conventional milling on the first pass.

Yes. So the exception count is now 1.

[fatboy55]

Originally Posted by Geof Yes. So the exception count is now 1.

I knew there would be, always is!

Fatboy55