Machining a Fly Cutter Arbor For The Mill - MSFN

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

HI!, and thanks for watching! As many viewers have noted....good project but not practical with that much stickout so I will make a one piece flycutter that goes in the spindle directly with a MT3 shank. But since I filmed it all and the lathe and mill work was worth watching I put up the video, hope you enjoy. Subscribe and don't forget the thumbs up if you liked the content....the mill is new and I am learning from my mistakes 😊 ~ Richard

[@anthonycash4609]

Poor little lathe , now that the mill has arrived it's been kicked to the curb. Lol. Good job Richard. Good to here from you.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hahah, almost spit out my beer! Thanks for checkin out my new vid! 😊

[@MaturePatriot]

You've got a milling machine make a V-Block until you can get a precision V-block. Very good work on the arbor!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks MP, I enjoy working on the lathe more than that little "mill" ~ Richard

[@csimeonides]

I have seen several of your videos including the one of the tool you made for your brother. I am a fan now. Keep up the good work.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Chuck! Just got into machining about 19 months ago, just trying to get better at it~Richard

[@stevecanny1583]

Hi Richard. I use a fly-cutter pretty much anywhere it will work. It satisfies my sense of frugality to use tooling that's so cheap to renew; If I dull the edge on some mill scale or whatever, all it takes is a quick grind to renew the cutting edge. It does take a while though, since there's only one cut per revolution. I usually rough with whatever depth of cut will let me crank through the pass as fast as I comfortably can; there are no points for surface finish in a roughing cut and that helps move things along more quickly. For finishing I only take a couple thou and increase the revs and slow the feed. Also a shot of WD-40 on Aluminum works wonders on the finishing cut. To improve your surface finish, I'd use a HSS bit with a healthy amount of positive rake, at least 10 degrees, maybe 15. That will reduce the cutting forces and thereby the deflection. The lever arm of the long tooling setup is working against you, so as soon as you can shorten that up I'm sure that will improve things a lot as well. Finer finish comes with more nose radius on the cutter, but that has other consequences as well since you probably don't want to bother swapping bits before your finishing pass; you'll just need to find a happy medium. Anyway, some of the things I've learned :) Thanks for the video!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hi Steve, thanks for the advice on the flycutter. I am always eager to get advice and learn from those more experienced. I have some HSS the right size for the cutter and will experiment with your suggestions soon. Thanks for Watching ~ Richard

[@stevecanny1583]

Tom's Techniques has a great fly cutting tool reference here: tomstechniques.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Fly-Cutting-Bit.pdf, that's where I started. It works really well, especially in aluminum. I ground the very outside edge at an angle, so I could cut up to a vertical feature, like a step or something, without hitting it with the end of the tool. Otherwise, mine is just as Tom pictured it. Tom also has a great video of fly-cutting, if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it :)

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I subscribe to Tom, wish he posted more content nowadays. Thanks for the link Steve, I appreciate ya

[@stephenwagar2663]

Very Nice Project !! I Like Your Video Style , Very Concise Calm Narrative ,Well Done !! I Am A Certified Subscriber And Avid Watcher

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Stephen! 😊

[@danvandertorre9280]

keep them coming I learn a lot form your video's I thought you were gone for a bit but I know things happen .

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Great to hear Dan, thanks for the kind words :) ~ Richard

[@userwl2850]

At 3.33 our European friends will never get it. 😲🤣 I hope you don't mind I call this pretty machining. Top quality. 👏👍

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I dont know what is at 3:33 but glad you liked the machining. My friend....thanks for stopping in to watch these little lathes doing their thing 😊 ~ Richard

[@userwl2850]

Makin Sumthin From Nuthin 45/64ths Euro will never get it. Damn I even had to work it out. Inch and feet work for me stuff mm that's for girls. Ha ha. Brilliant stuff you do here.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hahah, A customer of mine this week gave a drawing that was all metric....I wasnt happy :) Thanks for the kind words, I am just a newbie machinist trying to produce nice work

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I encourage anyone watching my video to please check out KZbinr USERWL2850's channel to see some AWESOME MACHINE WORK!! kzbin.info

[@grntitan1]

Nice job Richard. Looks like it will serve the purpose. I think you should have made yourself a new flycutter instead of the adapter. Its a great project and you can make it any size you desire. You will find out you will need that extra space between the spindle and table that your adapter used up..

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks, if I had some decent milling cutters I would have stopped mid-project and just made a fly cutter instead. You will see a fly cutter made here on the channel once I tool up for the mill...takes time

[@bcbloc02]

Good work on the concentricity, the irony is you don't need it for a fly cutter since it is single point, you could have tons of run out and it still would work the same.:-)

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

(facepalm) Well, at least I got in some good practice for making my slitting saw arbor 😊

[@bcbloc02]

Practice is always nice. :-)

[@FishmanEricRussell]

Great project. Nicely done.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Fishman 😊

[@danvandertorre9280]

good job Richard one thing I have seen on all your video's is the exhalant finish on your parts on the lathe and I see your using high speed steal too I just hope I can do as good one day soon .

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hopefully with experience I can get this mill to produce nice finishes....I am totally new to milling. Will do my best with this little mill but it's no Bridgeport!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I never use a file or sandpaper on the lathe parts anymore to achieve finishes...what you see is right off the lathe

[@danvandertorre9280]

we do with what we got that's what I like about you is you make do

[@flatheadronsgarage7345]

Nice video, well done. Just found your channel. I’m new to the world of machining at 59. Found a couple old machines and I’m hooked. I like the way you explain what you are doing. I’m going to check out your other videos also. Thank You.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks, I dont have that long under my belt either...15 months or so :)

[@SteveSummers]

Nice video Richard. Being able to clean up larger surfaces quickly is a good thing. You are getting good 👌. I always enjoy turning between centers.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hi Steve, I think I will find myself using the flycutter a lot once I experiment with it more and get it dialed in. Rigidity of this little mill presents an issue.....maybe I can help battle that with a nicely ground cutter. Yes, turning between centers is pretty cool 😎

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I saw your notification, gonna head over and watch your wife fix the phase converter 😊

[@beachcomberbob3496]

I have the same finish problems with fly cutting on my very similar mill. It seems to be a product of the head/column flexing away from the bed when under pressure. The flexion movement is even visible when I try to make moderately heavy cuts (+1thou). They just don't have enough mass and contact area between the base joint of the column and the X/Y bed. I can improve the finish with light spring passes at super high speed (with a sharp bit). Thanks for sharing.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Yeah, I am finding out quickly the limitations of the little guy. My X/Y base is from another machine and is stout but the grizzly portion of the mill is lacking. Its a decent starter mill....more suited for aluminum and brass me thinks 😊 Thanks for watching! ~ Richard

[@beachcomberbob3496]

I noticed the good old table - nice mod - still very little head room though. Wait 'til you get a keyless chuck (the first thing I got for my mill) it gets to be like your fly cutter setup. Lots of times I have to abandon the vise, and clamp directly to the table. Oh, for a Bridgeport!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Yup, I feel about the same as you. It makes a good drill press tho! LOL 😊

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Nice job Richard! You will have the mill mastered in no time. Steve

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Steve!, 1/2 way thru I wanted to just make a flycutter rather than an arbor which woulda been a nice challenge but my end mills weren't up to the task.....I have limited tooling for the mill since its new. I got some end mills with the mill but most are chowdered up

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Dont know about "Mastered" but trying my best with the few brain cells still wurkin 😊

[@SolidRockMachineShopInc]

Hi Richard, I have trained many people over the decades and know talent when I see it. I see all 3 levels of learning in your videos. Many never make it past the first and fewer past the second. Steve

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks for the kind words Steve. I try and think things thru before I get started on something. The hardest part for me is trying to get what I am thinking to come out on film coherently without putting my viewers to sleep with me babbling on and on...LOL. It sure would be nice to spend some time around seasoned machinists such as yourself, I never operated a lathe or a mill before buying my own, am grateful guys like yourself and others put out videos so guys like me can learn from y'alls experience. ~ Richard

[@danmoreton1788]

Nice continuity. I liked your video!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Dan

[@robertoswalt319]

Nice job. Thanks for sharing your journey with us,

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Robert, much appreciated

[@rayfalcone6897]

thank you for your reply

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Anytime Ray ~ Richard

[@ThunderDog]

Nice work, a fly cutter is on my list of things to make.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks TD, I really wanted to make a flycutter rather than the adapter to be honest, hope you liked the vid

[@ThunderDog]

...but having one already is never a bad thing.👊👊

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I used it on my lathe a few times 😊

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hows the new to you lathe coming along? Looked nice on Instagram

[@TomokosEnterprize]

I have built a number of these over the years and they have bailed me out of a bunch of situations. Well done fella.Next time you need to get some square hole(it fits the tools and you just silver solder it in place) and get a foot of it eh.It isn't expensive and you will use it over time.You can get it in 1/4,1/2 and 5/8. Just drill a hole and put it into the tool any angle ya want bud.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Was a fun project...4 hours of footage condensed to 16 min 😊

[@StephenMortimer]

This TE guy is a good example of the type of fine people you have collected Even if he is as I suspect a Canookian

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I believe he is talking about how I could have made the machined piece a flycutter rather than an adapter since I chose not to go that route due to my less than stellar end mill selection at my disposal. just drill a hole, drop in a square insert and mount the cutter in it, a good work around in a pinch

[@TomokosEnterprize]

LOL, right you are on the Canuck my friend and many thanks for the compliment.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

It is a round slug/insert with a square hole to fit various sized cutting tools. You just drill your bar at any angle,slip it in and silver solder or braze it in place Then just drill and tap for set screws. Great stuff.

[@jamiebuckley1769]

nice job richard glad you have a new mill. the mill and a lathe really compliment one another. really like your channel keep up the inspirering videos. thanks. ps. im also a hobby machinist with a 9x49 mill and a 14x40 metal lathe and most of the riggin to go with each.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Sounds like a good combo of equipment. I would like a "real mill".....maybe one day!

[@jamiebuckley1769]

Makin Sumthin From Nuthin I'm sure the little meal that you have now will get you buy until someday when you have a larger one keep up the good work and happy Milling

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thank You Jamie....I appreciate ya! :)

[@briangingras5886]

Hey Richard good job I have bought one time a central Machinery mini metal lathe and some aluminum round bar I was going to try to cut some optic holders for a laser I was building I didn't ever get to it though however but I learned how to use the dial indicator because I had a Four jaw Chuck. that I bought for it I forget why I 3-jaw didn't seem like there was something not working working well with the 3 jaw anyway seems like you know your stuff

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

With a 4-jaw chuck anything can be dialed in to run concentric...with a 3-jaw scroll chuck you are at the mercy of the chuck in some instances but not all. Thanks for the kind words....I am just a newbie machinist trying to do my best 😊

[@aubreymatthews1021]

Nice job, but that last clip of the cut looks polished or is it just my imagination. I can never get that reflection.😁

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I dont recall polishing it but I may have.....cant remember.....was a long time ago LOL

[@minskmade]

great job. another informative video

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks! I am gonna try and put out more videos this year than last

[@minskmade]

same here :P

[@robertburns2415]

you can use it to hold 3/4 inch endmills too.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Yep, I wont do be doing any more flycutting on that little mill....to hard on the machine. Nice part I made tho (biased opinion) LOL

[@rtkville]

Very nice Richard! Richard

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Much appreciated Rich

[@rtkville]

Well thanks to you for making these great videos. And you make interesting things, the kind I like!

[@csimeonides]

Why did you not turn down the 3/4" shank on the fly cutter to the 5/8" needed for the Mill?

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Is wanting to play on the lathe and test my skills a valid excuse? :-)

[@StephenMortimer]

Now bring on the BLOOPERS !!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

You may be waitin a long time my friend 😊😎

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I actually screwed up something big time today....but it wasnt machinist related so wasnt caught on film :)

[@StephenMortimer]

CONFESSION is good for the sole !!

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

But TERRIBLE for the analytics!!! LOL

[@StephenMortimer]

Why not include your "Little Chip Off the Ole Block" (grandson)

[@rescobar8572]

Dang Richard, that is very impressive! Didn't catch what you used for material, was it 1018 cr?

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

It was 1.5" A36 hot rolled, nothing special. At least thats what the receipt says...LOL

[@rayfalcone6897]

Richard What kind of mill do you have and what do you think of it, i have an encouraging 8'' by 28'' table, looking for a table top too for the basement......like I don't have enough tools already and 3 lathes,southbend 9'' southbend k10 and a small grizzly,,,I just like playing around with this stuff(retired machinist)

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I call it a Frankenstein Mill. The mill head came off a Grizzly "Lathe/Mill Combo Unit" and was married together with a sturdy X/Y table from an unknown origin. It needs work....as my Y travel is like 12" and the X travel is only 5-6" the way they assembled this thing together. Its backwards....the X should be the 12". The guy only used it as a drill press so never noticed the pitfalls of the way it was put together. Its useless for many things honestly if you need travel. I am kickin around some ideas on how to reconfigure it so its more useful. Is good for light milling

[@67cudaksa34]

I wanna be exactly like you when I grow up

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

You may wanna rethink that life strategy...LOL. Thanks for watching friend! 👍🏼

[@MyHeap]

Great Video Rich. Actually I enjoyed it. I am trying to absorb all the machining operations I can. So I have a dumb question. Why not remove the HSS tool bit from the fly cutter, chuck the cutter body in the 4 jaw and turn the shank down?

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Coulda done that...but the video woulda lasted about 45 seconds...LOL 😊

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Just playing with concentricity turning on the lathe and experimenting with the new lttle mill. I could have easily turned the shank but that woulda been boring :) In my pinned comment at the top I discuss the stickout issue....its not practical....but was a fun project

[@MyHeap]

Boring??? Don't you mean plain turning???? Haha. Sorry, a little lathe humor. Still was a good video buddy.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Looking forward to your next lathe vid Joe

[@MaturePatriot]

Very good work.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks, I appreciate ya! :)

[@rupertpowell]

As one of your other comments states, concentricity for a fly cutter is un-important. Is there a reason you didn't just turn down the fly-cutter shaft to 5/8"? Nice video work too! PS- I just subscribed :-)

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Hi Rupert.....Having never owned a mill , the honest answer is: I plead ignorance.....I didnt know concentricity wasn't a factor when flycutting. My experience with a lathe is concentricity is king...so when embarking on a mission to make a part for another machine I assumed concentricity was equally important. So I did my best to make it so. Brianbloc who is a regular poster on my channel pointed that out to me (doesnt matter) when the vid 1st came out, we had a chuckle about it. I coulda just turned down the shank, but that woulda deprived y'all of my quest for concentricity and an interesting video...LOL. Thanks for the sub 😊 ~ Richard

[@trevorparnell3735]

Mill would have to be the messiest machine to have

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I found that out real quick :-) Thx for watching Trevor

[@jfpinkston1]

Why not turn down the shaft of the flycutter instead? It would avoid the long stickout.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Fair question. Mainly I wanted to see how accurately I could machine a part on the lathe as I rarely turn between centers.....so that went pretty well. A viewer recently donated the lathe dog and I wanted an excuse to use it. Secondly, turning a shaft from 3/4 to 5/8 woulda made for a boring video and not worth doing...LOL Thirdly, I was giving myself practice on concentricity because the end goal is actually making an entire flycutter with a MT3 taper as an entire unit using my taper attachment which I have also never used. And last, to inspire others who may need to make something they need for their shop that to be precise and how to go about it....all in all it was a fun exercise but as you pointed not...not exactly "practical" but was a fun project nonetheless 😊 ~ Richard

[@rayfalcone6897]

hi Richard ......nice video, sweet.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Thanks Ray! :)

[@briangingras5886]

Now the mini metal lathe sits on the shelf and should be resold

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I would like to have a mini lathe....not all projects need to go on the big one

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Send it this way, will put that sukka to use...LOL

[@J800613]

why wouldn't you just reduce the shank diameter of the fly cutter???

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Just playing with concentricity turning on the lathe and experimenting with the new lttle mill. I could have easily turned the shank but that woulda been boring :) In my pinned comment at the top I discuss the stickout issue....its not practical....but was a fun project

[@trevorparnell3735]

Why wouldn't you just mill the slot across the bottom and add grub screws to the peice you made and turn that into your flycutter

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Didnt have the proper sized endmill for the slot, the mill is new

[@chrisnixon2179]

Why did you not just make a new fly cutter

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Didnt have the proper sized endmill for the slot, the mill is new

[@mcgam2000]

Consentricity makes little or no difference on a fly cutter....

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

LOL, found that out from a friend after the part was done...thats what I get for never having owned a mill....find out the hard way :) Thanks for Watching

[@derwissenskiosk8041]

Good but it sticks out wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much... :(

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Agree, I will make a one piece flycutter that goes in the spindle directly with a MT3 shank. But since I filmed it all and the lathe and mill work was worth watching I put up the video 😊

[@dimitar4y]

I find it heavily annoying you didn't pass the fly cutter completely across to check if the other side is level... SIGH

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

I hear ya, but ran out of travel on the X and that was far as I could go. I was pretty anxious to give it a go and didnt want to reposition the vise and tram it in at the time. I will be sure and do that next time tho as it is important. I was focused more on the part made than the flycutting operation itself....but to machininists like yourself I can see where you are coming from....next time! 😊

[@dimitar4y]

Could've mentioned that in the video. Also, since it's a part to help machining... You do need to test an entire operation. Also, that giant stack of adapters gives me the heebie jeebies.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

When I make a flycutter I already planned on turning it from a solid piece of stock and machining a MT3 right into it bypassing the collet altogether. That should make for a good project.

[@dimitar4y]

Can we rename Morse Taper 3 into Masterful Technology 3. It'd be more credit for completing it, I'd think. Jokes aside, goodluck with the MT3 flycutter piece. It should be easy to make it. Some other machinist on youtube ,not sure if AVE or TOT already made one such.

[@MakinSumthinFromNuthin]

Gives me an excuse to hook up my taper attachment :)