Can you sharpen end mill bits?

chiroone

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Now that I’ve been using my mI’ll, I see how the razor sharp edges of the end mill bits seem to dull relatively quickly. Is there any way to sharpen them?
 
There are places that resharpen end mills, or it's possible to do it yourself with a tool & cutter grinder.

Here is one Google hit in Orlando, I'm sure there are a number of others also. http://bowenssharpening.com/
 
The answer is yes, but it takes a grinding machine to do it, and they are not cheap; if your end mills are dulling quickly, it could either be that you are over speeding them or they are of poor quality, they should hold up for a good while, also cutting steel without coolant or cutting oil will quickly dull a mill, brass or bronze, and cast iron can be cut dry, and aluminum should be lubed with kerosene or Tap Free or similar product.
 
Many of the EM's manufacturers, like Guhring, offer a reconditioning service. Niagara may offer the same thing. Re coating of tools also.
I can't imagine that it would be too expensive, but you may have to send in many cutters, not sure.

I wouldn't mind finding a place that sharpens only a few tools, especially reamers.
 
Reamers are about the simplest cutting tool to sharpen, in the case of machine reamers at least, only the 45 degree chamfer is ground. This could be easily be done on a lathe with a tool post grinder. but I do not like to do any grinding on a lathe if I can help it; I have a T&C grinder that most all of my cutter grinding tasks are performed on.
If a reamer is dulled on its cylindrical section, probably best to buy a new one. However, they can be ground undersize for odd diameters.
I once was given a whole set of shell reamers that looked like they were tumbled in a cement mixer, an awful sight! I cylindrical ground each of them to a smaller size, relieved them, and reground the end chamfer (cutting edge) and ended up with a whole set of reamers from about 1" to over two inches by 1/16ths or 1 /32ndths in some cases; it was some work, but a better investment than buying them new.
 
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