SCORE!

Nice! I'd love to get one of those all in one cnc sharpeners for the shop.

I think you're enjoying this too much.

On second thought, congrats and carry on.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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YES... no more dull bits!

LLoyd

Actually, endmills sharpened on a Darex are nowhere near the quality of those sharpened on better equipment and also, the machine is woefully inadequate for reconditioning ends.

Still, MUCH better than nothing...

FWIW : you might want to get a white wheel from Darex ( 80 / 100 grit or so ) for roughing etc of HSS because although the borazon does produce better finished work, it is painfully slow where you have any kind of substantial amount of metal that needs to be removed.

If I was to do it all over, I would probably go with a cuttermaster instead, or better yet, a weldon air bar and a #2 Cincy or KO Lee

"PrecisionmachinisT" fired this volley in news:5PSdndv_EPr9EjjSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@scnresearch.com:

80-grit white wheel comes with.

Most of my cutters only need "tuning". I seldom chip one, and never let them get dull to the point of gumming up.

Lloyd

Wow, you bought it just 4 hours after it was listed!

Congrats,

i

I have a cinci #2 for sale

Ignoramus18788 fired this volley in news:IoSdna0nF6UKNTjSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

I promised myself if I could find one under $1500, and with all the toys, I would get it.

Just on a lark, I checked to day, and it had a BIN price. Bingo!

LLoyd

I sold a very nice Cuttermaster for $750 or so half a year ago...

i

Ignoramus18788 fired this volley in news:wJydnUfjWrRWKDjSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Cuttermasters are nice, too. Was that a Cuttermaster Pro, or the "small" version? How new? How many collets? Stand? The E90 I got is virtually virgin, and everything's in the kit.

Despite PM's post, I have it on authority from a couple of other regular users that a _skilled_ user of an E90 can make very close to factory-new edges AND ends on milling cutters. Only, like so many things, it takes some skill. PM probably hasn't spent the time to learn. I'm retired. I'll find the time.

So... Ok... I ruin a dozen junked bits that are useless anyway. I'm an apt student. Bet I either figure out how to make it work to snuff, or figure out why it can't -- and fix it!

These things are not complicated, but they are expensive in terms of time to build from scratch. Even a ready-made machine that doesn't work _quite_ right would be easier to fix than making one myself, and I can guarantee that the $1400 I paid was less expensive than the cost of the 'normal' fully-equipped jig Plus a Cincy #2.

I just signed a new, large 8-month contract for machines Friday. I need time and sharp bits. I don't need to make the machine to sharpen them.

LLoyd

Lloyd, I am very interested, myself, as to

1) Whether one can do a good job sharpening dull end mills 2) How long does it take.

Keep us updated.

i

Ignoramus18788 fired this volley in news:EcudnXDG4dUuWDjSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Well, I committed to the payment, so I guess I'll be learning to do it!

I'll keep you informed.

From one friend, he estimates less than five minutes to 'tune up' a slightly-dulled 3/4" 4-flute bit that is not chipped. I will find out.

I will have to invest in a measuring device to handle 3-flute bits, or I'll have to work up the math to figure the new o.d. with a micrometer after the flutes have been ground.

LLoyd

Keep us posted. End mills seem to be very cheap at Enco. Say, a 2 flute 1/2 end mill is $9.99, double ended. With carbide, though, economies would be substantial.

Ignoramus18788 fired this volley in news:NbmdnVNt6M6LSDjSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Ig, one thing I have found is that it's worth the money to go with premium US-made endmills, even when you're talking about HSS.

I have several 3/4" and larger milling cutters 4" long. They are immensely expensive (per pound), and the Chicom cutters just don't keep cutting cleanly for about 1/4 of the time the good US cutters do.

It might be the grinding. If so, I'm about to learn an expensive lesson (one way or the other). But since these E-90 machines sell all day long (used) for more than $1600, I figure I'm pretty safe.

LLoyd

[ ... ]

That means that you will want a V-anvil micrometer. Note that there are two styles with different V-angles. One for 3-flute, and the other for 5-flute.

And likely need a diamond wheel to sharpen them.

Good Luck, DoN.

Dude...

I've been a machinist for nearly 35 years now, pretty much my entire working life...

14 years of that time was at Boeing, where I spent quite a bit of time grinding tools and parts of all sorts and I've been supporting my family by running my own shop ever since ~1997 when I quit Boeing and beings as I've actually been using my own Darex E90 for about 16 years now, I'm here to tell you that there's simply no way in hell that you are EVER going to get the thing to produce edges that are anyrthing near to "factory new"....

Sorry, but it just ain't gonna happen no way no how....

Yhe machine is seriously lacking in mass for one thing, and you are NEVER going to get the wheel head to run even close to balanced and even if you did, the residual vibration is still going to give you a crappy micro-finish...you *might do a little better if you ditch that flimsy little bedframe steel stand and set it onto a sturdy cabinet or a granite plate but...

At this point, I'm pretty well convinced that your "couple of regular users" are either pulling your leg, have never used better equipment, and/or seldom purchase new endmills or more likely some combination of the above.

That said, they are what they are, mine has probably saved me nearly 100 grand over the years, but there are a handful of jobs that I run here where I really do need a high quality grind, and those tools I send out, mostly because I do not have the floor space for another grinder.

"PrecisionmachinisT" fired this volley in news:TsKdndzOH4OXuTvSnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@scnresearch.com:

Maybe from your elevated perch of actually doing the machining itself for a living, you don't see things from the perspective of 'normal' people who build stuff for a living, and only do machining as an expedient to getting stuff built.

If you - as a 35-year veteran PRECISION machinist - have only a 'handful' of jobs needing a better-ground cutter than the Darex can produce, then you've just admitted it will do one hell of a good job. Either that, or folks don't trust your skills enough to give you more than a handful of jobs requiring good finish. I would hope it's the former and not the latter.

I have a spare granite plate occupying the same spot now that the E90 would fit nicely into. That's a good idea.

Lloyd

LLoyd

Did you keep that Monoset you had a while back? I have one, its far more versatile for making custom tools. IMHO, custom cutters is the reason to have tool grinding abilty.

I've done a whole bunch of end mill re-sharp. its slow work, no way around that. I'm a cheap skate, but i don't work that cheap. For standard end mills, just watch fleabay for deals. As my son says, there must be thousands of machinists walking top quality stuff home from their job and taking what they can get.

Karl

I sold that Monoset for $2,500.

The buyer showed up in a full suit, with a hat that had a feather in it.

In addition, he has two smoking hot daughters with him, who helped with loading of this monoset.

Regarding end mills, I agree with you, more or less. It is cheaper to buy new end mills, or buy them at auctions, for cash, or have Bob sharpen my endmills.

Bob is the guy who does T&C grinding and who sold me my warehouse building. He could not own this building due to real estate taxes. His

2011 tax was raised to $49,000 PER YEAR, and the only thing he could do is sell the building for whatever he could get. He sold it to me, and due to purchase price, my real estate tax was lowered to $21k per year.

He was already behind on taxes and could do nothing.

I strongly feel that it is unfair, but at least I am on the better side of this unfairness.

i

[snip]

Sounds like there is an interesting story here. Why couldn't Bob get the reduction without selling?

Joe Gwinn