End Mills for CNC

[Sheldon]

I do 90% of my cutting with .050 and sometimes .0625 cutters.
I do cleanup on pockets with .020 and sometimes .015. I used to use the .031 a lot more than I do now... as you learn to make better, more efficient tool paths, you'll find the intermediate sizes less and less useful.

The .050 cutters are pretty stout, and work great for roughing pockets, and cutting all your male parts. Stock up on those for sure.
The .020s are nice because you can get them with a pretty deep loc still. I like to cut pockets an eighth inch deep, and if they are pointy anyplace but the very tip, it's nice to have the extra depth. I prefer the 2-flute cutters, they seem to be just a little bit stronger, and don't break as easy. In certain materials, they don't seem to gum up as easy, either. You've probably seen this, but it's worth a look if anyone hasn't...
http://www.precisebits.com/tutorials.htm some great info there!

 

[CdnQmkr]

Thanks for the feedback. I will give them a call and thanks for your insights Sheldon. I had viewed the tutorials previously, all great info.
Garry

 

[TDA]

I'm just starting out with doing CNC work and am looking to put together an initial order from PreciseBits. I've read through the info on their site and have been reading these forums for awhile. So far I'm thinking that 1/8", 1/16", 1/32" & 0.020" are common sizes used. DOC sb atleast 0.125". Some questions are, 2 or 3 flute??, coated??, UltraBits?? What works for you?
Any info your experience and expertise can supply would be greatly appreciated!

Here's to a Very Merry Christmas
Garry

Hey Garry,

I'm not a cue maker but thought I might be able to help a little with tool selection.

Size:
I would side with the others here and say stay away from cutters under .0313" until you have some more experience. I also wouldn't go over .0625" as I know of very few cue makers that are using them. One other thing to consider is DOC. Make sure you get tooling with the depth of cut you need but don't go overboard. The longer the flutes on a tool the weaker it becomes.

2 vs 3 flute cutters:
3 flute cutters are stronger tools as they have no weak direction. A good way to illustrate this is to look down the tool and draw a box around the cutter. You will end up with a rectangle on the 2 flutes (weak in the small direction) and a square on the 3 flutes. Now there is a exception to this rule. Anytime you have a material that is oily or gummy you are more likely to pack the flutes on the 3 flute cutter. So in the case of oily or gummy material you are better off with a 2 flute cutter since it can store and extract more material without breaking.

Coating:
I would never recommend getting coated tools while learning. They are more expensive and you WILL break tools in the learning process. After that it can be beneficial depending on the material your cutting and your CNC setup.

Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with.

 

[CdnQmkr]

Thanks for the info John. Phoned and talked to Ron the other day and discussed much of the same. Your guidance is much appreciated. Will be placing an order shortly.

Happy New Year
Garry