tooling advice for mill

Hi,

Last year i refurbished a Alexander Toolmaker mill with MT$ spindle but haven`t had much spare time since ,but im looking for some sort of facemill .

I didnt get much tooling with the mill ,a Clarkson autolock and 4 collets (up to 5/8" ) , 3 dedicated s20 collets 1/4.3/8 and 1/2" with spindle adapter. I  have also  ordered a  s20/ER 32  collet holder from german ebay only cause i have a full set of collets already.

I did get this in the photo which looks like a slitting saw /shell mill arbor.

What could i fit on the end of this or am i limited to old imperial HSS shell mills?

Im really looking for something of around 3 " or around 80mm which will give a good finish on soft steels and occasionally aluminium. I am thoroughly confused by the vast array of tc facemill and inserts . I will also occasionally be milling very hard woods which i assume a hss shell mill would be better than carbide.

Any suggestions !

thanks

This is all the tooling i got with the mill.

Edited By mark smith 20 on 06/09/2017 20:48:02

Hi Mark

Do you have an overarm for the horizontal function ? if so you need sde and face or face cutters with bore size to match the horizontal arbor in the picture, many cutter outside diameters are available, most need a lot of power if taking heavy cuts.

Emgee

Emgee, yes i have the overarm but im specifically interesting in the vertical milling at the moment as this is all ive done ,although on benchtop mills (chinese x2 variety and a tiny proxxon) . I need to fit a new bronze bush to the overarm bracket as its too worn to use.

But to use a face mill do i need to buy another arbor with the two locating prongs , most appear to be metric sizes like 22mm or 27mm etc... location diameters . I just need any advice on the types with carbide inserts ,dont really want to but one cheap on ebay to find out later that the inserts cost an arm and a leg.

For an insert type face mill I suggest one of two types: one using SE?? inserts and having a 45 deg. lead angle and/or one using APKT inserts having a 90 deg. lead angle. Inserts for both styles are available for steel or polished for aluminum. Both styles are pretty common and the inserts are reasonably priced. I recently purchased some APKT 1604 inserts from Banggood that were designed for aluminum. The finish they produced was beautiful. I got some SE?? inserts from Banggood designed for aluminum but have not tried them yet. ?? means I can't recall the last two letters of the insert code.

The arbor shown in your first photo appears to be a standard milling arbor that was shortened. It is suitable for slitting saws or narrow plain milling cutters.

I don't know if shell mill arbors are available to fit your spindle. If not, you could consider straight shank shell mill arbors held in a collet. You might also0 be able to modify the arbor shown in the first photo to add drive keys for a face mill.

Hi John ,Thanks thats the sort of info im looking for . Is Banggood reliable and can you use paypal for stuff??Never heard of it before now.

This is the sort of thing i think i need available from this German ebay seller.Ive just bought the er32,i assume most of the stuff is chinese being resold.

**LINK**

**LINK**

They also sell these which enable use of the tangless mt4 stuff as long as they have a M16 thread in the end.

**LINK**

Banggood stuff is cheap and cheerful - until you get something that is totally useless and then the trouble starts. They are a bloody minded lot re reimbursement for totally rubbish items. They just reply by robot and basically ignore the complaint.

Like do not buy anything expecting a true morse taper - you are likely to get a morse taper that only fits, metal to metal, contact at one end of the taper. Disposable/wearing items might be good enough, but not something that you might expect to last as a tool holder or similar.

How do I know? I have a morse taper that only touches at the small end. Wobbles at the working end when in work. Clear to see with marking fluid and also to feel when fitting by hand. Absolute carp.

NDIY, ok point taken , i dont want rubbish. But also dont want ultra expensive as im only a hobby machinist.

Regarding facemills, i see alot of nice looking brand facemills but can you only use the companies expensive own brand inserts or can you use cheaper other brands. Such as this one. I dont know whether the facemill is a bargain or a money pit.

**LINK**

Edited By mark smith 20 on 07/09/2017 11:43:53

Have you thought about using a fly cutter on your mill? You can buy fly cutters that take inserts or you can use a HSS tool bit. I get a great finish on my mill using one.

I bought some lathe tooling from Banggood. I had a problem with a tool holder for WNMG inserts. Apparently the maker had mis-labeled the packaging. I ordered a RH turning tool but got a left hand. It came with 10 inserts. I sent photos and Banggood sent me a replacement. Another LH tool in a box marked RH. It came with 10 more inserts. I considered the price I paid was reasonable for the 20 inserts and did not pursue it further.

I bought insert type threading tools, internal and external, from Banggood and am satisfied.

I bought a boring bar for WNMG from Banggood and am satisfied.

I bought inserts MGMN200, APMT1135, APKT1604, SEMT13 and am satisfied with all.

I bought insert type end mills for APMT1135 in 3 sizes. They listed them as boring tools. Each tool was about 8" long so I cut down the shanks to a more useful length. Except for the excess length I am satisfied with them.

I bought a USB microscope from Banggood that was junk.

That is my experience with Banggood.

I would not buy face mills I saw on their site because all I saw had aluminum bodies. If I found some with steel bodies I might consider buying them.