Finishing the work

[chris123]

Hi

I am milling a cylinder type object on a 3-axis mill, I have to mill it length wise one side then turn it over and do the other side
Whats the best way to finish a curved object to get a smooth finish?
At the moment I'm running it parallel over each side of the cylinder with a 1/16" endmill at 1/160" steps

[awerby]

of a cylinder, but it gets spaced out further and further as the curve approaches the vertical. If you're having a hard time getting the whole thing smooth, try splitting the finishing cuts between parallel for the top and horizontal finishing (with a rather small vertical increment) for the sides.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

Hi

I am milling a cylinder type object on a 3-axis mill, I have to mill it length wise one side then turn it over and do the other side
Whats the best way to finish a curved object to get a smooth finish?
At the moment I'm running it parallel over each side of the cylinder with a 1/16" endmill at 1/160" steps

[chris123]

It leaves tiny groove lines with parallel and horizontal finishing

[awerby]

It leaves tiny groove lines with parallel and horizontal finishing

If not, that would explain it - you can't make a round surface with a square-ended tool. If so, is 1/16" the largest one you can use for this? The bigger the diameter of the ball is, the shallower the cuts it will make, so it will either be smoother with a bigger tool, or you could space the cuts further apart.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[chris123]

It is not a ball endmill it is square
I recently got some 1.5mm ball end mill, I shall try it with them