Where to buy long ball nose mill for foam cutting?

[jamezwarner]

I'm after a reasonably priced ball nose mill suitable for cutting foam with a cutting length of at least 175mm in the UK

The only ones I have found are the tools from Frog from the US

(http://3dcutting.com/products/frogtools)

Anyone know any good sources in the UK?

Thanks,
James

[jamezwarner]

Thanks chip,

Those cutters are close, but still about half the length I need, have enquired on the custom option...

I have searched for that thread, but can't seem to see it, can anyone point me to it?

Thanks,
James

[Jonathan]

I remember seeing some on eBay some time ago...

What diameter do you need? Perhaps extending an existing cutter is an option. When I needed a long 1/2" ballnose cutter for MDF I just used a cheap router cutter with a 1/4" shank and made an extension with it using 12mm steel bar. Then hardened it for good measure. I chose 12mm steel bar as being a slightly lower diameter than the cutter the extension cannot interfere with what you're cutting.

[AlanDibley]

I use long 6mm or 8mm twist drills reground (by eye/hand) to a round end. Works for me.

Alan D.

[GMCNC]

High Density Foam? Best result I had was with a Burr bit :s or maybe I just got the whole spindle speed/feed rate wrong :)

[AlanDibley]

Aha, spindle speed? I don't know - I use a cheap 240volt router run at 100volts. It lasts for ever in that mode. A slow(ish) speed sometimes helps prevent the foam sticking to the bit with heat if you are cutting deep. That varies with the foam density and composition, of course.

Alan D.