[How do I?] Estimate Life Of A Roughing End Mill

[JimDawson]

On a worst day, may get 10 pieces per endmill. On a good day, maybe 30 pieces. Also depends on how dull you want to make them before changing out. Or how often you break off one. Shame you couldn't run a 3/4 rougher! Be much stiffer less likely to break off....

I wish I could run a 3/4 or even 1 inch. I thought about running them vertically and using a radiused nose, But I couldn't figure out a way to locate them properly.

He is going to run a corncobb, but he has to contend with a 2"+ flute length to do the part in one pass. I might point out that the feedrate will need to change as you cut through the full 2" wall at the terminus of the cut. Might make a performance difference starting on the side vs starting on the end. Have to think about that.

I think I'd order 10 end mills, or wherever I could get a price break and do some metrics on tool life. I assume you have ready access to end mills?

I am going to have to run a few parts to figure out the best feed rate. I very well may change the feed rate through the full wall. The only end mills in that flute length are Interstate from Enco. I would rather have Hertel or OSG but they are not available in that length.

 

[dave2176]

Jim,
I'm just an amatuer but I've run the 1/2" version of the Interstate rougher with 2" flutes for hours cutting A2 steel manually and haven't worn through the TiN coating yet. I've broken one when a piece slipped but I am real pleased with them. I run up to .75 doc and .4 wide cuts repeatedly. I hope you have the same good experience.
Dave

 

[Tony Wells]

See if you can source some Hanita end mills. They are a premium end mill, but they are justifiable if you take advantage of their superior performance.

Oh, and A36 is a soft, gummy carbon steel. Not very abrasive except where it has been burned, but that is the case with most steels. It doesn't tap well, in my experience, but normal cutting operations are straightforward. Pretty forgiving.

 

[JimDawson]

I looked through the Hanita literature and it seems that going 3.2 diameters deep is not the best practice 1 D is recommended for the shorter tools. Looks like I'll just slow the feed down a bit down a bit to get through the wall, but fast enough to minimize rubbing. This is going to be a learning experience.