First surfacing tool: advice on indexable endmill

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r-mm

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Hello

With the help of this forum I’ve got my Enco kneemill set up and have started making some parts. The next thing I’d like to try is a set of bench Vise jaws. To start I’ll likely make a set from aluminum and then I’ll go on to mild steel, perhaps others.

At the moment I do not have any surfacing tools and am shopping for a good general purpose start point, focusing on indexable end mills from Shars. I usually buy only from McMaster but things like this get very expensive over there and I’ve been happy with all my Shars purchases to date.

Things get confusing quickly with the setting angles (45, 75, 90) and insert types (SEHT, SPG, APKT, TPG (wiper). Milling machine tooling in general is overwhelming so I mostly take the approach of shopping for the project at hand, which in this case is plane vanilla surfacing with no shoulders, chamfers etc.

Any comment on following will be helpful. Price points are similar.

45 degree, 3 SEHT https://www.shars.com/2-45-degree-end-mill-r8-shank-seht-insert-2
75 degree, 3 SPG https://www.shars.com/r8-shank-2-carbide-indexable-face-mill
90 degree, 5 APKT https://www.shars.com/2-90-degree-r8-shank-indexable-end-mills-apkt-insert
90 degree, 3 TPG https://www.shars.com/3-4-shank-2-carbide-indexable-end-mill
 
If it is just a surface finish and not trying to remove a lot of stock try using a fly cutter. They are inexpensive and the high speed steel bit can be sharpened.
 
r-mm said:
Hello

With the help of this forum I’ve got my Enco kneemill set up and have started making some parts. The next thing I’d like to try is a set of bench Vise jaws. To start I’ll likely make a set from aluminum and then I’ll go on to mild steel, perhaps others.

At the moment I do not have any surfacing tools and am shopping for a good general purpose start point, focusing on indexable end mills from Shars. I usually buy only from McMaster but things like this get very expensive over there and I’ve been happy with all my Shars purchases to date.

Things get confusing quickly with the setting angles (45, 75, 90) and insert types (SEHT, SPG, APKT, TPG (wiper). Milling machine tooling in general is overwhelming so I mostly take the approach of shopping for the project at hand, which in this case is plane vanilla surfacing with no shoulders, chamfers etc.

Any comment on following will be helpful. Price points are similar.

45 degree, 3 SEHT https://www.shars.com/2-45-degree-end-mill-r8-shank-seht-insert-2
75 degree, 3 SPG https://www.shars.com/r8-shank-2-carbide-indexable-face-mill
90 degree, 5 APKT https://www.shars.com/2-90-degree-r8-shank-indexable-end-mills-apkt-insert
90 degree, 3 TPG https://www.shars.com/3-4-shank-2-carbide-indexable-end-mill
Click to expand...
Watch this:


Now this:

www.flickr.com

Haas 2" and 4" Face Mill Testing

Haas is now getting into the consumables business. I bought several of their face mill kits. Click photo for descriptions below.
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

More suggestions:

 
Thanks, both. I certainly considered a fly cutter. At the moment I do not have the skills to sharpen all the right angles onto a HSS blank. I realize I can and likely should learn this but I'm being realistic about my skills and want to keep this project moving, learning.

Appreciate that Shars video - will check your links.
 
r-mm said:
At the moment I do not have the skills to sharpen all the right angles onto a HSS blank.
Click to expand...
There's no set " right " angle for a fly cutter bit . Grind clearance on the cutting angles and cut away . No rocket science involved or needed . ;) If just starting out , learn the easy and cheap way before migrating into insert tooling . It gets expensive , although I see inserts for under a buck these days . Can't comment on their quality .
 
I'm using the Shars 2.5" SEHT/SEKT face mill and love it. Very nice surface finishes.
 
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Thanks for posting. I got my DRO from alibaba and it was inexpensive and excellent, likely the same stuff US vendors are marking up.

Are the inserts really swiss made? Impressed, for the price.
 
r-mm said:
Thanks for posting. I got my DRO from alibaba and it was inexpensive and excellent, likely the same stuff US vendors are marking up.

Are the inserts really swiss made? Impressed, for the price.
Click to expand...
Very unlikely that they are genuine, but they are genuinely good inserts. I tracked some of them down in the CCMT09 config for my lathe and fly-cutter. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225756576948

I also got my DRO off AE, it was less than $200 and has been excellent.
 
I bought a nearly identical face mill to the one MrWhoopee has and have similarly been really impressed. I went with the SEKT version after many folks claimed less than great results with the APKT style.

I don't recall the package markings on the inserts that came with mine, but I suspect they're Chinese knockoffs....and they work really well.
 
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