Vertical Mill Tutorial 4 : Basic Milling Operations

This is Mill Skills, a multi-part series to help you learn basic machine shop work. Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!
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[@bobaloo2012]

Excellent video. One of my most common uses for a center cutting endmill is when I have to drill a hole on an angled surface. Plunge the endmill to cut a flat spot, then drill.

[@Blondihacks]

Yes, totally! I should have called that out.

[@steveclark..]

I were told that the four flute end mills were better for drilling holes especially in those situations. I dunno, I could only afford to buy one set of end mills at the time.

[@walterjoncas12]

You are a master at inserting well time bits of levity. This can only be pulled off successfully when the teacher knows and understands the subject matter. Well done. Excellent video too.

[@Blondihacks]

Thank you very much! ☺️ I really appreciate that.

[@jordanhartmann1745]

Your videos have to be the best explained thing I've maybe ever watched. You go into just enough deep detail without making it too slow, just enough humor without being obnoxious. Just absolutely so well done. I just got my first mini mill, thanks for the great tutorials.

[@lyndone.2682]

You've explained climb vs. conventional milling better than just about anyone! Very articulate! Outstanding Video!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Carbohydrate foam, ha! I appreciate your sense of ha-ha as much as I appreciate the useful lessons you've taken so much time to share with us.

[@markwatkins5416]

This should be shown in every machine shop class. Excellent instruction.

[@Blondihacks]

☺️

[@jackparkinson5683]

Just want to say thank you. I just rewatched this and wanted let you know that I put parts on mars and your videos helped me make that happen.

[@typrus6377]

"In one direction it howls like a banshee, in the other direction it tries to kill you" 😂 Darn tree carcasses haha Love the series, thanks for another good one!

[@schm4704]

Totally accurate description of my plunge router 😁.

[@Blondihacks]

Plunge routers are way more dangerous than any machine tool, if you ask me. 😁

[@schm4704]

@@Blondihacks I have no idea about machining (don't have the shop space), but yeah, I guess so.

[@marcmckenzie5110]

Yesterday I finally, after years of wishing, purchased my first plunge router. Holy Moses! It almost took my pinky in the first 10 seconds, and I was being really cautious. Setup, plug-in, cut with immense caution, immediately unplug, return to bench. Breath deeply. Count fingers. OK

[@Blondihacks]

@@marcmckenzie5110 You said it! They are incredibly useful tools, but two of my three closest calls with power tools were both with a plunge router. The third (and scariest) was with a radial arm saw. No wonder those things fell out of fashion. Hard to imagine something more dangerous than a table saw, but there it is.

[@steved8038]

Congratulations. You took what in the hands of a" professional" is a technical and difficult subject to explain and turned it into a purring fluffy pussycat that we can understand and shouldn't bit us! THANK you please keep up this great series.

[@cannbudo]

I'm a beginner home gamer. I've watched many instructional videos on machining. Yo urs are among the best. Thank You.

[@toddoverby5538]

I've watched a ton of milling videos over the course of the last 6 years. I think I've learned more from the 4 of yours that I've watched than maybe all the others. I'm not a pro and you explain it so I can understand it. Thanks LittleO

[@amjadmohmood6391]

Best explanation I've found so far.

[@victoryvisiontour]

Thank you for this series of videos. I appreciate that you clearly explain everything and don't gloss over details. You are a very good teacher.

[@AstroCharlie]

I'm teaching some student engineers how to run a mill to make rocket parts and this video just saved me 20 minutes of talking, and conveyed the information much more effectively, thank you! Now we get to go make chips!

[@Blondihacks]

Awesome! Go make rockets 🚀😁

[@Blondihacks]

(But a warning to your students- real shell mills almost never have actual jelly in them)

[@butchdodds4530]

"Sometimes filled with jelly." Great line!

[@vicmiller7191]

Oh and by the way you can heat a house with that very dangerous material. Lol. Very nice video. And Girl you need to teach. Your commentary and explanations are both entertaining and enjoyable. Thanks for sharing...Vic

[@Tinker001]

I thought she WAS teaching... Damn! Guess I better stop learning.

[@TyrellKnifeworks]

I'm considering buying a mill and these videos were perfect timing! Super helpful, I've learned a ton. Thanks!!

[@Blondihacks]

Awesome! Glad I could help! 😁

[@tintexpert5423]

To understand better all those tricks and tips you need to merry this girl.

[@ninthm00n]

Always a treat to watch another Blondihacks video . Thanks Quinn

[@loisleonard3055]

Hi quinn i love the way u explain things, please continue to provide eccellent info to novice apprentices like me who have no clue on these subjects

[@nastycanasta4571]

As a beginner in late and vertical milling techniques, your videos have been a treasure of information.

[@Mcduggies]

I just ordered a mill online. This series is great im learning so much.

[@whitehedr]

You are such a great teacher. I so enjoy watching and “listening “ to your wonderful content.

[@zblprojects9753]

Your mill/lathe skills videos are great, especially for people just getting started. I plan on adding a small manual mill within the next year, mainly to face off pieces (or otherwise pre-process) to use on my CNC. To get around not having a mill I've been using a lot of ATP/MIC6 but there are so many good uses for a manual mill that it's inevitable that I will get one.

[@ricardomourita1823]

"Flat bottomed holes you make the rockin' world go round." 🎶🎶

[@larryshaw796]

We're you a school teacher in another life and then swayed by the machine, because it really works you teach me something new every time I watch thanks again.

[@victorldunn9638]

Very informative - thank you. I was using a router to put a curved edge on some timber yesterday where the results were better when the mill was climb cutting, and gave a rougher finish when going in the other “conventional” direction. 😊 Great to get this so clearly explained when I then later watched your video.

[@hootinouts]

Excellent video. I was in the tool and die trade and you have my respect. When climb milling in the Bridgeport without a power table feed, I always snug up on the table lock just enough to prevent shudder from leadscrew backlash as I carefully crank away.

[@davecook5068]

Hi Quinn , I just started watching your videos tonite starting with the lathes and now the mills. You have a unique method of teaching that covers all the bases extremely well . I started building target rifles and have had to send all of my machine work off to be done because I don't have the lathe or mill . And truthfully don't know how to operate these machines , BUT after going to your school of knowledge on setting them up I intend to start shopping for some . Can't wait to view more of your videos , keep up the good work !!! Dave Cook

[@clydedecker765]

👍Outstanding coverage of mills and the cutting edges!👍👍

[@hairyfro]

Nice video once again. It's really useful to see all this information presented coherently in one place.

[@grymgaming5541]

really like your vids, i got inta a machinist school, for pre apprenticeship, we just got on the machines about a month ago, i have been having trouble with conventional and climb milling, people explain it, i get what they are saying, but now thanks to you i totally get it, lol i know what is what.

[@kylemichael2175]

Of course I collect my fingernail clippings, everyone my age collects their fingernail clippings, it’s the coolest! I like the humor you’ve been throwing into your videos Quinn. Great job once again.

[@TheObersalzburg]

When you get old (like me) your toenail clippings approach the hardness of mild steel chips. Now there's an idea for a video: Using a milling machine for elderly pedicures.

[@1ton4god]

Of course everybody collects their own clippings! But what to do with the clippings of your victims.... Brew Ha ha ha ha😱😱

[@garyhardman8369]

I don't have a milling machine - just a small 'Z' slide that attaches to my lathe tool post. Always struggled with the concepts of conventional versus climb milling. Thanks to your excellent video, I now understand them properly. Thank you Quinn.

[@Mars5826]

you're an excellent tutor you use the correct words and physically show logic. great videos'

[@kevinzucco8358]

Thanks for your latest video, very informative and you hit on all the fundamentals of machining.

[@richards6452]

Excellent video . May I just point out an aspect of climb milling that is significant. Climb milling has the tendency to accelerate the work piece in the direction of the leadscrew backlash! If this happens the table jolts forward to accomodate the backlash and as you mentioned the deep initial engagement of the cutter remain deep to the end of the cut. This applies a horizontal force to the cutter and at times may break the tool. This phenonemon raises its ugly head when there is excessive backlash in the lead screw. It can be avoided by having expensive, but desirable ball screws or applying some drag, using the appropriate table lock to resist the forward inpulse imparted by the cutter. Keep up the GREAT work, Richard

[@marcmckenzie5110]

As always, your basics segments are excellent for those of us who have no mentor, can't take a local class, and rely on books and videos. Touché! By the way I ordered a roughing and finishing shell mill each the route you suggested - they look awesome. Can't wait to use them this week! Before your channel, I thought shell mills were built next to seaside streams to extract calcium carbonate from what appears on the tide 😜

[@Conno9220]

Great video! I was waiting for you to talk a little about backlash when going over conventional vs climb milling.

[@lyleturner6964]

Ur beer is all but paid for. U r a great teacher

[@pawel198804]

Really great video. I love the way you explain everything from the basics but there's one thing... MORE, WE NEED MORE! Thanks again ;)

[@0xDEADBEEF666]

As an AvE fanboy who just bought a mill and is overly eager to break some bits, thank you! This sort of quality content is hard to come by.

[@LCOOTS]

Quinn, i really love your tutorials of the cutting angles of end mills and lathe tools. please don't ever stop thanks. L.C.

[@bostedtap8399]

Love the screen image inset, very clever 😜. Excellent treatise on standard milling, centre cutting cutters do have aysmetric flats, used for pocketing. A trick to use climb milling (side cutting), on all manual machines, is to apply pressure on the relevant traverse axis lock, ie, try to prevent the table or slide being pulled by the cutting action, bigger milling machines have "Climb Milling" settings, normally a lever on the X axis. Do not use this technique when power feeding, or you will burn out your feed motor. You also experience climb milling when cutting a slot, especially on grabby materials/sharp cutters. The reason for problems on climb milling is that axis have a standard leadscrew on nut, these have backlash!, Where CNC machines have both ballscrews and servo motors that have zero backlash, and position control. Again, great milling knowledge Quinn, and best regards from the UK.

[@charliemacrae1045]

I really enjoy your videos. You are a great teacher and I love you humor. Thank you.

[@dointh4198]

This series is so helpful. Thank you al lot, Quinn!

[@bencesarosi7718]

Brilliant material again. In fact, your videos seem to get even better with each upload. Thanks for sharing your insight!

[@Blondihacks]

Thank you! I hope the KZbin algorithm agrees with you so that more people will see them. 😁

[@EngineersWorkshop]

Excellent tutorial! I enjoy all the how-to's as I'm setting up to make my own chips soon.

[@StevenStyczinski-sy8cj]

I must congratulate you on the quality of your audio. I have heard several quality utubers say that the audio is harder to get right than the video. Omnidirectional microphones pickup five to six times more sounds than the cameras field of view and listening to the neighbors dog taking a dump in my front yard is not why I am watching a video. Keep up the good work!

[@richardmeyer418]

Thank you, again. Another great series. I'm learning a lot.

[@tflatter8912]

Wow it’s hard to find good manual machine operators let alone a woman with the knowledge and skill you have great work keep it up I shall subscribe

[@cjcuk]

Excellent video, answered all the questions I didn’t even know I had!

[@1ton4god]

Okay had to stop at 6:20.... You got to get some stickers with that climbing girl on it... That was funny. Or the other one the regular conventional Milling I would love to buy one of those stickers.

[@Blondihacks]

Good ideas for stickers! 😀

[@TheSloppyDingo]

Informative, entertaining and not 3 hours long. Thank you.

[@david9783]

Yes,I caught it...mnemonic.Love your diction and vocabulary!

[@danedewaard8215]

Great video! Marvelously explained and demonstrated!!!!

[@paveloleynikov4715]

And more the cutting radius, the more dish effect you will have. After end effector series this remark shines in a new way:)

[@davemason6273]

Another enjoyable video Quinn. In my head, climb milling is the enemy of backlash, was waiting for it as part of the explanation!

[@markengineeringSA]

another great video,jam packed with milling goodness .

[@johnpintarich8174]

Commentary is GOLD were you a comedian in a former life? love it keep it up.

[@traviskleckner]

Great video. You've quickly become one of my favorite machining channels. You have a great combo of useful info (who doesn't love Abom but I'm not really making 1/4" cuts on hard steel), actual solid knowledge and I love the jokes. Keep it up!

[@Blondihacks]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching! ☺️

[@loisleonard3055]

Bless ya Quinn

[@2whl4re]

21:24 to 21:36 I've gone back, re-watched this a couple of times. I'm usually on to the subtle stuff, but this one has eluded me.

[@MaxWattage]

Well, I learned something new! I hadn't previously appreciated that end-mills had a cone-angle, so that when touching-off the tool-height and then plunge milling by a given amount, the resulting hole isn't going to have the expected depth, or even a flat bottom. That's certainly going to complicate making genuinely flat-bottom holes with a manual machine that can't (easily) do interpolation milling of holes with a smaller end-mill than the hole diameter (I could use a rotary table to do this I suppose.). To achieve this with a boring head for small holes (< 1/2"), I would need either buy a (probably very expensive) miniature boring tool, or very carefully grind and harden my own.

[@akumamer]

I really appreciate your excellent video and love to watch more about mini milling operation and technique and which mini milling machine is best for small jobs please upload.

[@s.ff.2923]

Another great video. I've been watching all the other 'usual suspects' youtube productions for years now since I've retired. You are the only one that has mentioned with detail solid shell mills for the smaller mills. I have a few of the insert type face mills and they just dont get along with my little mill. I have since ordered two solid shell mills. One HSS and other M42 cobalt w/o jelly thank you. Cheers!

[@Blondihacks]

Awesome! Glad I could help! You were right not to pay extra for jelly. It mixes with the cutting oil and makes a heck of a mess.

[@s.ff.2923]

@@Blondihacks Well, I tried my recently purchased 1 1/2 inch HSS shell mill on some aluminum yesterday and wow what a smoooooth finish and no seam lines like I got with the smaller end mills. Thanks again for the tip. And to you, our little sunhead, a sincere wakawakawakawaka!

[@alluringsmilemakeoversbyal6726]

great info. I use this conventional climb milling everyday cutting teeth.

[@wingedsword93]

Loving this video series. Very informative and isn’t boring like other channels. You got a sub from me! Keep it up!

[@Blondihacks]

Thanks for the sub! 😀

[@robertoswalt319]

Great video Quinn.

[@dvelez811]

These videos are great! Thanks for making them!

[@jackleg693]

Superb video! Thank you for sharing this!

[@Sugarkraft]

Your hands are exceptionally clean. 😍

[@Seed2Sapling]

Fantastic video, Thankyou Kindly

[@NialPowerCork]

Superb video, thank you.

[@DK-wr6mq]

Very well explained. Thank you!

[@mprater9782]

I love you. You answer every question i have!

[@TheSkipinatorVids]

"Just scratched the surface." I see what you did there!

[@Blondihacks]

😬 I wondered if anyone would catch that.

[@jamesdepaul3410]

Good info plus funny bits, bravo.

[@afnanahmed4632]

Excellent video 👍👍👍

[@henrydando]

Another note on climb vs conventional milling. climb milling will also push on your lead screw and mill will easily able to move the backslash of your lead screw. Our hobby machines or older machines use ACME/trapezoidal lead screw which have a fair bit of backlash compared to modern CNC machines which use ballscrews with very very little backlash. not sure if the backlash problem or rigidity problem are worse but thats why your still use conventional milling on a Bridgeport

[@jessestrum]

another uk fan thanks for the videos

[@jay7605]

A great lessons on milling. Thanks you.

[@cuttingtooldesigner]

Nice video Quinn. I'll be doing some up coming video's on cutting tools and their design. Keep up the good work my friend. PS: package will be shipping to you this coming week.

[@waynethomas3638]

I've found that the best rods for welding "that" material are timber craft!

[@marty3553]

Your videos are amazing 😻 thank you 🙏 so much

[@MattBerryCustom]

Very useful video. Thank you 😊👍🏻

[@skugs9720]

This is great, thank you!!!

[@jhbonarius]

Yummy! I've gottta find me some of those yello-filled shell mills!

[@can5projects563]

great video I love this classroom. I'm looking to get a milling machine anything to stay away from?? Home use

[@anthonykinrade8642]

Great tuition.....❤

[@paulmorrey733]

Thanks Quinn

[@ChrisR2517]

Thank you Great tutoring

[@incubatork]

Another good one, 👍. on the top of my wood routers i have a sticker, it looks like a donut, round the outside i have arrows going anticlockwise and inside clockwise so that i always remember which way to go.

[@Blondihacks]

That’s a great idea! 😁

[@michaeljohnson-li5nn]

Quinn, many years ago when I was serving my apprenticeship, the college lecturer always referred to conventional milling as ‘upcut’ milling. Not sure where this terminology originated from but I did come across it again when I first stated learning off-line CNC programming. The system was called GNC (graphic numerical control) this system was pretty much state of the art in the early eighties. To control the direction of the cutter on the display screen you could select the climb or upcut option. In conjunction with other commands the operator could control the direction the milling cutter took on the periphery of a part, thus giving conventional or climb milling. The GNC program required post-processing in order to produce the G & M codes to load to the CNC controller.

[@Blondihacks]

Interesting! I can see “upcut” as a good name if you look at how the tooth enters the material from below in that direction.

[@griplove]

Love your humor. Best description of wood I’ve heard since tree carcass. Just curious are you afraid we won’t hear you if you stop moving your hands? 🤣 Great video. Thanks for sharing -Joe

[@JamesKelly89]

She reminds me of Project Farm. He does a lot of close ups with a pointing tool like she does.

[@JBEWFoodMachine]

Nice video

[@LeicaCat]

Thank you.

[@jeffpalser4928]

I love your training videos. Can you recommend a good 2" shell mill and R8 arbor?

[@brucelindsey3432]

Thanks for the great info. Can’t find the link for the shell mill.

[@charlescamen5225]

Hi Quinn, it may be helpful; to consider the backlash in the table when discussing the benefits of conventional milling versus climb milling. In conventional milling the thrust of the cutter is pushing against the drive screw and so backlash is kept under tight control and so is not a problem. While climb milling the cutter is pulling away from the drive screw, that is moving the table forward, so a relatively light weight table may slap backwards and forward, between the limits of the table backlash, as the cutter cuts and releases as it turns. This is what I believe, causes the higher levels of vibration on light weight tables with loose dovetails. a more in-depth video on this aspect may well be of benefit to your viewers.

[@scollyer.tuition]

This is a fine series. Chapeau. One question though: you mentioned drilling most of a flat bottomed hole, then using a milling bit to finish. However, does that mean that you have to move the workpiece to a drill, or are standard drill bits available for mills, so that the whole job can be done on one machine? Also, when using a mill to make a slot in the middle of thin metal stock, is it necessary to drill a starter hole first, or can you get away with the appropriate milling bit to cut the initial hole, and the slot too?