Please help with indexable carbide end mill

I've been looking for a tool with carbide to cut "V" shaped grooves into D-2. The parts are 8" dia. x 3/4" thick with a 4" hole in the center. I stack 5 of these up on a spindle with a gear and a pawl for indexing. I then mill a hundred or so groves about 1/16" wide and deep. The cutter and part is like this: " O< " These parts are rotary knives for cutting tempered steel wire. The grooves act to feed the wire and control the cut rate. I have always used a 3" HSS 45 deg. cutter for about $20 ea. but I end up burning up 4 or 5 of them even at reasonably slow speed and feed and flood coolant.

I can't seem to find a cutter that will hold inserts like this: " " I believe that carbide will be cheaper and much faster, it's like watching grass grow. Any ideas?

Reply to
Tom Gardner
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Are you roughing out the slot first with a regular end mill?

Also, you *could* set the parts up on a 45° and use a regular end mill if the included angle is 90°.

Another approach is to use a horizontal arbor setup with a V cutter.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

********** There are 120 slots. I'd prefer to only habve to hit 'em once. **********
********** That might work but I have space limitations with the jig that holds these knives. **********
********* I haven't found a "V" cutter in carbide. The HSS just cut so many feet of groove and die no matter what I lube with or speed I run them. The tips are just too unsubstantial. Would it make a difference if I cut on the top with a horizontal arbor or on the side with a vertical arbor?
Reply to
Tom Gardner

"Tom Gardner" wrote in news:fJd5e.16102$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com:

Order a catalog from Misumi America. They carry carbide 45° cutters. Might try McMaster and/or MSC also.

Reply to
Anthony

No matter how clear you write the description, some idiot does not quite understand. My question is how close are the grooves to each other. In other words could you use a thread milling cutter? J & L sells inserts for thread milling from 32 threads / inch to 6 threads / inch. Not that you are going to like the prices 8-(.

Dan

Tom Gardner (nospam) wrote:

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Reply to
dcaster

If I was making these parts I would cut the parts with a regular carbide endmill. Using the corner where the face meets the side as the bottom of the vee groove. This means that the groove would be at the

1:30 or 10:30 position. If you need the exact same finish on both sides of the groove then mill all the grooves at the 10:30 position first and then bring the cutter around to the other side of the spindle and clean up the groove at the 1:30 position. If the drawing allows then putting a small radius on the corners of the endmill will really increase tool life. Even a .005 radius will make a big difference in the edge strength. Eric R Snow, E T Precision Machine
Reply to
Eric R Snow

...

Since the grooves are guiding round wires, seems like a radius would be ok.

Tom said he stacks up five 8" dia. x 3/4" parts (rotary knives for cutting tempered steel wire) and indexes with a gear and a pawl while cutting 120 slots (1/16" wide and deep) in the stack. My interpretation is that with 24 slots per wheel the grooves don't go clear around the wheel, but are interrupted by ridges that cut off the wires. Perhaps it would be better to put an 8"x3/4" blank on a lathe, cut some grooves clear around, then cut several slots across and braze in HSS or carbide knives.

Reply to
James Waldby

That sounds good when I slip off my blinders. I think I need a Geometry 101 refresher.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

There's about 1/8"-5/32" land between the grooves. It's not critical and if the blade is too agressive I grind the OD a bit. The 2 blades overlap by

1/4" or so and that's not critical either. This is the second machine I ever built, I was 18. It has 4" dia. shafts and 10 hp. The only thing I have had to replace in 30 years is the drive chain, and it gets 8 hrs. a day use.
Reply to
Tom Gardner

Tom, have you considered having them form ground? It may be cheaper and faster.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

Reply to
Gunner

James, the grooves are across the 3/4" face...like teeth on a gear.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

"Tom Gardner" wrote in news:d0d5e.16089$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com:

There are several different kinds available. I like the one that P.H. Horn makes. I know that it's not what you were envisioning but these work better than the Chamfer mill type with two inserts.

Look at page A22. Iscar also has what you are looking for. I used to have a two insert chamfer mill that I think came from Valenite.

Reply to
D Murphy

Thanks Dan!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

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