Thread: Shell cutting End-mills
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19-06-2014 #1
Hello all,
I'm tooling-up to run a couple of profiling/pocketing tests on some mother of pearl - think intricate inlays that you find on custom guitar fret-boards. Here's an example of the kind of shapes I'm hoping to cut - in the clip I'm using a 0.2mm 2-flute end-mill and the material is perspex:
And the circled area in the pic below should give you an idea about the pocketing that the 0.2mm end-mill will have to do:
Clearly, the feed-rates I'll use cutting the mother of pearl will be a lot slower than what you see in the clip above - what concerns me most is the longevity of the end-mill and I'd just like to see what your opinions are on the options I have.
1. The 0.2mm end-mill I used in the clip above didn't last long - it could well have been feed-rates, the perspex packing into the flutes etc etc. but it was also a cheap piece of tooling (£7). Maybe try it again at lower feeds actually in mother of pearl..?
2. What I'd really like to try is one of these:
http://www.precisebits.com/products/...bits/shell.asp
3. I contacted the supplier I usually go to for my tools and they suggested 2-flute blue coated carbide at around £30+VAT a-piece, but as far as I can tell, this would just be a generic 2-flute for harder materials, but none of the features (ie. fishtail) of the cutter available from the States.
So what do you reckon? Persevere with the cheap-o cutters? Try the expensive conventional cutter, or just buy a few of the end-mills designed for this type of work from the US..?
Thanks for your thoughts/advice.
Wal.
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20-06-2014 #2
Wal, it might be worth checking out the carbide endmills used for pcb work. I use cutters down 0.4mm and they only cost about £2.50. Still break a few, but cheap to replace. G.
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22-06-2014 #3
Cheers Geoffrey.
I found these over on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...pf_rd_i=468294
Very cheap - too cheap, probably. Can't see 'em lasting all that long, though..! Maybe worth a punt - even just for curiosities sake.
Thanks for the tip.
Wal.
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