Making your own custom endmill profiles?

[saturnnights]

What is involved in cutting your own endmill profiles? I see lots of expensive equipment used to make precise angles on the cutting edges, but if that's what I'd need, I won't be doing this any time soon

I use small endmills and would love to be able to cut a 45-degree chamfer into a 1/8" endmill. I'd need the bottom to be flat however, so that I can clean out the bottom of a mold. That probably makes things even harder to do?

Anyway, I'm fairly sure that I can't just take a flat endmill and file a chamfer into the flutes.

How many of you cut your own endmill profiles and how do you do it?

Thanks,
Mark

[Karl_T]

You need a tool and cutter grinder. I use a Cincinnattii Monoset for custom cutters. Expensive machine with a long learning curve to run well. There are many other choices.

You want to learn to resharp standard endmills first. Here's a tutorial:
http://www.hanita.com/hanita_protect...info_start.htm



Karl

[BobWarfield]

Definitely a fascinating topic and one I need to learn more about.

Best,

BW

[saturnnights]

Originally Posted by Karl_T You need a tool and cutter grinder. I use a Cincinnattii Monoset for custom cutters. Expensive machine with a long learning curve to run well. There are many other choices. You want to learn to resharp standard endmills first. Here's a tutorial: http://www.hanita.com/hanita_protect...info_start.htm Karl

Wow! I think I need to take a few classes at my local trade school

I looked up what a Monoset is - BIG piece of equipment! And you're right about the cost - yikes!

Mark

[WhiteTiger]

There's a simple and cheap shortcut method: pick up a few single flute bits and grind the profile you want using a bench grinder or dremel style tool. It's only just a bit more complex than grinding a single point lathe tool; you just have to keep in mind that radial relief angles need to be progressive rather than linear.

As long as your profiles are obtrusive (convex) you can hand grind pretty much anything to very aceptable levels.


Tiger

[ctate2000]

I have ground my own off-hand before. Not on anything as small as .125. Check MSC they sell emills with corner radius, they might have chamfer on some.