Woohoo! My vise is here!

[jrhart50]

Nice mill and vice. I got a HF mill but the vise is a s**t and so i just ordered a vice that puts down presure on the part when clamping up and i hope this helps.
Have fun i know i have.
Happy New Year and best wishes Pat.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Thanks JRH, a Happy New year full of good things and lots of good health to you and your family.
Sadly the play money is gone for a while with this latest purchase so I will try and make this one work first. I'll keep that in mind for a later purchase though.

And I'll have to decline on the video. There is enough funny stuff on youtube.

Patrice

 

[Leu Custom]

And I'll have to decline on the video. There is enough funny stuff on youtube.

Patrice

boohoo to you Patrice !

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Here is the latest. The jaws are drilled and in place.
I started to take a little off the top since I am pretty sure they are too high. I'll wait to hear from you guys before taking off more.

One thing I am having a hard time with is understanding the face cutter geometry. It seems that one side is always climb cutting. Is there I way to make it cut just the conventional way that I am not seeing. Climb cutting is no fun.

Here are the pics.

Thanks again.

Patrice

 

[drewfacehotm]

to make only conventional cuts, make your cuts with only half the cutter, with the rotation going in to the work. if you cutting with the whole cutter on side will always climb, and one will always be conventional.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

When you say half the cutter do you mean only 2 of the 4 tool bits? Do I just retract the other 2?

Thanks

Patrice

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Ok a little progress. Working on the spider/speed handle for the vise.
Anyone understand that darn surface cutter. No matter how I try and visualize it in my head (which I grant you ain't no rocket scientist melon) I still have a hard time with the climb/conventional cutting combo. I think a fly cutter would be simpler. If so I'll order one right away.

Patrice

 

[Mike Quesenberry]

Patrice, does the face mill have the throw away carbide inserts, sometimes shaped like triangles? If so I run mine almost full speed 2000- 2500 when cutting steel. Carbide likes to be run at high speed. This applies to carbide end mills as well.

 

[balibalistic]

Patrice, dont use the indexable cutter to take deep cuts. get yourself a big roughing endmill to remove the bulk of steel, then smooth it out with the face cutter. thats how i do it anyway. i use a fly cutter aswell, but only ever take .005" depth cuts with it. even a 3/4" or 1" cobalt course rougher will chew through aluminum for a long time.

 

[drewfacehotm]

When you say half the cutter do you mean only 2 of the 4 tool bits? Do I just retract the other 2?

Thanks

Patrice

half the diameter, if your tool is 1" make your cut no more .5.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Ok I think I will go the roughing endmill way. The facecutter has some brazed on toolbits that I am guessing are carbide as you say. I would hate to run it that fast, it would just sends chips EVERYWHERE! Maybe for a very small finishing cut as Shawn said.
Half the cutter or 1.5" is just not enough to be practical.

Thanks again for your continued help.

Patrice

 

[Mike Quesenberry]

I know it sounds freaky, but if you don't you'll end up with broken tooling. For example, I use a 1/8" carbide end mill to slot my guards. I've been using the same one for the last two years. I also use the plunge method to slot with the mill cranked all the way up. Almost all my guards are SS.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Ok Mike, as scary as it sounds I'll give it a try.

Patrice

 

[Mike Quesenberry]

The cobalt corncob cutters like Bali suggested I highly recommend as well. When I use my face mill I use the whole thing taking about a .01- .015 cut.
The chips flying is something your gonna have to get used to along with the pain when those hot chips stick to your skin. If you come up with something to contain them I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

...along with the pain when those hot chips stick to your skin. If you come up with something to contain them I'd love to hear about it.

Oh yeah, I've experienced that. Not fun at all!

I will try and find something to remedy that.

Patrice

 

[jrhart50]

Pat just gut it up and use the surface cutter and let it rip.
Years past i worked in a tool shop and the experts told me to crank it up until the chips turned gold in color (steel) that is about corect and if they are turning red that is to fast or to deep of cut.
I once had to put gloves on and button my my shirt.
I am thinking of using plexaglass and a mag base to help in this problem.
Have a good N year and have fun. J R H

 

[sunshadow]

I use a compressed air jet sometimes to cool the cut and direct chips away

-Page

 

[drewfacehotm]

you can make some sheilds out of sheet metal to fit around the vise and stick em in the t-slots, that will keep the chips pretty well contained and off your skin. a carbide face mill usually cuts best at about 800-1500rpm.

also lock the table of the axis that isn;t moving when your cutting so the table won't shift on you and break your tool.

 

[SteelSlaver]

Patrice. Know you are having fun with the mill. Just thought of a simple helpful trick my cousin showed me. Get a few pieces of steel banding. Bend them in a U and use them to hold your parallels against the jaws of your vice. No more fumbling around trying to hold those in pace while setting your work on them.

 

[Patrice Lemée]

Thanks guys. I finished the spider handle and a little cover thingy for the vise. The handle is a BIG improvement over the long one that is included.
The chip guard will be the next thing I do. Then I can try the cutter at high speed like suggested.
I will make a couple of those springy parallel holders Jim, thanks.

Onward we go!

Patrice