End mill question

weo

weo

Basic Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2014
Messages
3,027
Hello again, all. I'm looking to do something like this in ebony for some kitchen knives.
bolter pic.jpg
I don't have a milling machine, so could I use a drill press to mill out the slot in the ebony?
When reading the description of the end mills at McMaster Carr, they mention that:
"Their extreme hardness means they are brittle, so a highly rigid setup, such as a CNC machine, is necessary to prevent the end mill from breaking."
Because I'm using these for wood and not metal, is this still a concern?

Oh, and I'm looking at a 0.055" slot.

Thanks and stay safe
 
Carbide is what they are referring to. You'd want to use HSS in your press if just milling slots in wood.
 
Thanks, Jason. I was wondering 'bout that.
Unfortunately McMaster-Carr doesn't have any HSS that small.
 
It looks like you're trying to make a through slot in the ebony, so I'd make a jig and use a thin kerf 7-1/4" circular saw blade in a table saw. Or if you must use a drill press, I'd try a slitting saw blade before an end mill. If you are going to use an end mill, don't bother with carbide. It'll be far too brittle in those sizes and with so little rigidity. Make the most rigid jig you can and then feed it slowly into a two flute HSS end mill running as fast as the drill press will go.
 
Will the drill press take the lateral forces with no ill effects?
 
DanF said:
Will the drill press take the lateral forces with no ill effects?
Click to expand...

No. Every time you do something like this you put undue wear on the spindle bearings and you risk the chuck popping off of its taper. I'll freely admit that I've milled 1/16" slots in wood with mine a couple times, but it's always a gamble and it is not something I take on lightly especially when there are other ways to do the job.
 
DanF said:
Will the drill press take the lateral forces with no ill effects?
Click to expand...

They're really not designed for lateral loads, though if you're taking very light passes, you'll likely be ok, especially with a smaller endmill. I wouldn't make a habit out of milling with a drill press though.
 
DanF said:
Will the drill press take the lateral forces with no ill effects?
Click to expand...
In this case of WEO , YES ! Many use drill press with sanding drums ,that apply 100 x more lateral force then that thin end mill ;)
 
Natlek said:
In this case of WEO , YES ! Many use drill press with sanding drums ,that apply 100 x more lateral force then that thin end mill ;)
Click to expand...

The problem isn't just the lateral force, it's the lateral force combined with the vibration of the cut. In the same way, you can take a 3 HP cut with a 1/2" end mill in an R8 collet just fine, but if the tool chatters in the cut it can pull out. The bearings won't like it but they'll survive if it's just a light cut occasionally. The real risk is that your cut unseats the chuck from the arbor. At best that drops a two pound chuck spinning at 3000 rpm onto your work, at worst it gets thrown at you and/or your hands. Tapered drill chuck arbors are not designed for lateral loads or vibration and are not very robust attachment mechanisms under those parameters. Proceed at your own risk.
 
William - is there a reason you want to go to a 0.055" slot? That seems awfully thin for a tang (I presume this is a Wa handle mount)? On my Wa handles, I have pretty much settled (for a number of reasons) on a 1/8" slot at the front of the bolster. With a little graphite powder mixed into the epoxy, it pretty effectively masks any gap between the tang and the bolster material.

Oh .... I now have a mini mill. tried it on that most recent Wa handle made from your damascus - it was really, really cool, and easy, and clean, to mill out that slot at the front of the bolster! So, if you would like some help......
 
CallumRD1 said:
The problem isn't just the lateral force, it's the lateral force combined with the vibration of the cut. In the same way, you can take a 3 HP cut with a 1/2" end mill in an R8 collet just fine, but if the tool chatters in the cut it can pull out. The bearings won't like it but they'll survive if it's just a light cut occasionally. The real risk is that your cut unseats the chuck from the arbor. At best that drops a two pound chuck spinning at 3000 rpm onto your work, at worst it gets thrown at you and/or your hands. Tapered drill chuck arbors are not designed for lateral loads or vibration and are not very robust attachment mechanisms under those parameters. Proceed at your own risk.
Click to expand...
Come on my friend , here we talk about 0.05 end mill ...we use 10 X more lateral force when we tighten drill bits in chuck :D
 
Cushing H. said:
William - is there a reason you want to go to a 0.055" slot?
Click to expand...
Of course there's a reason...;) I've got a thin nakiri that I'm doing the above on.
Here's what I did with an X-Acto knife:
20201221_151600.jpg

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not willing to wait for the mail. I've been sitting on this one long enough.

I think what I really need to do is start making thicker blades.
 
weo said:
Of course there's a reason...;) I've got a thin nakiri that I'm doing the above on.
Here's what I did with an X-Acto knife:
View attachment 1477668

Thanks for the offer, but I'm not willing to wait for the mail. I've been sitting on this one long enough.

I think what I really need to do is start making thicker blades.
Click to expand...
Come on weo.........you complain about that :eek: look at this .............about two inch deep for 1.5mm 1.2519 steel ,don t ask me how I do that :mad:

MQPhF2v.jpg
 
Ouch. I have a better view now of what you are trying to do. Not easy. Could you maybe use a razor saw to establish the cut, then use a micro file(with serrations on edge ground off) to carefully widen to your target width?
 
  • Like
Reactions: weo
Cushing H. said:
Could you maybe use a razor saw to establish the cut,
Click to expand...
That thought was drifting around in my mind somewhere. I have a few, but controlling the depth of cut is what stopped me from trying.

Thanks for the link, John. I wonder what the kerf is (time for google-fu to do some magic).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top