Signs of a Dying End Mill

[@RVJimD]

Russ, I've been watching your videos for years now , not sure I have ever left a comment? Thanks for all the video content! I have chewed up a plastic gear on my 0704 after years of use so now I'm going thru videos trying to decide how to do my belt drive conversion. Jim

[@russtuff]

Thanks for watching! I would lean towards the method which retains quill functionality. I didn't do it that way and every so often I find a reason I wish I had kept the quill. I fully intend to rebuild mine at some point and I expect to go to that method.

[@DZ-sv2ki]

russtuff for what applications do you wish to have kept the quill?

[@russtuff]

Using the mill like a drill press, or quickly setting the Z axis position.

[@joell439]

More like..... signs of killing an endmill. LOL. 🤣. Great to see you back at it. Hope all is well!

[@russtuff]

It was in bad shape, but yeah this certainly finished it off.

[@stefanwossner2007]

I found milling with tabs to be the roughest on end mills while slotting. When it reached the final ramp depth the end mill rapids down into full material behind the tabs and continues with max cutting speed. Killed several €50 end mills in titanium lately until I found a different strategy...

[@russtuff]

I really hate tabs too. I should have decked one side then used the super glue and painters tape method.

[@ADBBuild]

That's a pretty high chip load for that cutter. Dial it back a bit and you'll see an improvement. Also, slot milling like that is the pretty much the hardest you can be on an endmill. Instead, try sticking your stock up out of the vice so the bottom of your part is above the jaws. Then use something like a face mill to rough all the extra material away around your part, then finish with the 1/4". You could even use a fancy continuous engagement tool path to rough the outside with the 1/4" if you don't have a face mill. Fusion360 has this ability.

[@BGBTech]

Saw that, was kinda expecting to see an exploding endmill. Around here, have had 1/4" endmills explode while taking far less aggressive cuts than this (ex: 0.010" in steel, or 0.030" in aluminum). But, then again, got 20 of these endmills for around $40 off of AliExpress, so FWIW...

[@DCT_Aaron_Engineering]

Good to see you spinning bits and ripping chips mate. Yes, I think that end mill has seen better days. Cheers Rus, Aaron ;-)

[@russtuff]

Thanks Aaron!

[@darkobul1]

You got to upgrade those stepper motors to closed loop if you can. They are so silent and fast on rapids. Lot more power as well as efficiency. I got 2000mm/min on x and 1000mm/min on z and y. Now i get retract rapids much faster and drilling and lead ins and outs are a breeze. I tried servos but they are too fast and jerky as there is no enough rigidity. Closed loop steppers are to go I think.

[@russtuff]

I've considered it, but it won't be anytime soon.

[@MrBuddysAdventures]

What type of end mills are you favoring these days? 1/4" 4-flute carbides? I have a RF30 that I converted to CNC last year...still searching for good end-mills for alum/plastics and for general steel. My spindle tops out at 2500 RPMs so I haven't tried carbide.

[@russtuff]

Lately I've been buying carbide from these guys out of Oregon, check seller roguesystemsinc on ebay. I haven't bought any HSS in a while but when I do, YG is still my go to brand.

[@MrBuddysAdventures]

@@russtuff Thanks, I was more interested in your preference for the diameter and the no of flutes for alum and steel. My spindle maxes out at about 2700 max.

[@russtuff]

@@MrBuddysAdventures Ah, I get you. 1/4" is still my bread and butter. 4FL for steel and 3FL for everything else. I have some 3/8" 2FL cutters for deeper pockets, and I don't buy 1/2" anymore.

[@MrBuddysAdventures]

@@russtuff cool, thanks!

[@coy3570]

run the program backwards first with diamond lapping paste,now your endmill is sharp again!

[@deweys]

Now you have a friction stirrer!

[@russtuff]

lol it's almost there.

[@xorfive]

Still cuts air like a champ ;)

[@russtuff]

ha! I think i'll probably retire it anyway.

[@RobertJLessard]

Using the special friction cutting end mills i see.

[@russtuff]

It works every time!

[@williamhardin5254]

Boy Howdie, that was hard to watch.

[@darkobul1]

What rpm you have run spindle on this cuts? That motor is a beast.

[@russtuff]

That was 5kRPM, and .002" chip per tooth.

[@michaelalcocer6778]

Did you get the mill scale off the A36 steel. My experience is that scale is rough on cutters entering via a ramp or plunge.

[@russtuff]

Yeah I did, I learned that lesson a couple years ago :)

[@SmallShopConcepts]

plenty of life left!

[@russtuff]

lol, I think I'll send it to the great mill in the sky.

[@ApacheHavoc25]

to me it looks like it's melting its way through the steel !! :D

[@swatcat7928]

Maybe is the chip evacuation? :))

[@بحرالهادئ-ذ2ب]

👏👏👏