Router bits

[Bogstandard]

I remember reading somewhere that someone had rather good results cutting aluminium with tungsten router bits on their miller.
Has anyone on here come across this and if so what are the pitfalls.

John

 

[DICKEYBIRD]

John,

Frank Ford talks about using carbide router bits on aluminum here http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Machining/QuickTricks/RouterBit/routerbit.html

I used a modified HSS 1/2" radius roundover bit as a form tool in the tailstock chuck for some special venturis for NovaRossi .15 model airplane engines a while back. It was an old bit that was black with burned on pine rosin and nicked up. I had to remove the bearing, grind the end down to fit, re-profiled the end and sharpened up the cutting edges. With the lathe running slow and a little lube, the thing plunged straight in and made a beautiful, chatter-free finish! The only form tool I've ever had that worked well.

 

[shred]

I tried it after reading that article on some scrap and it works pretty well within reason. Router bits don't have good chip removal so deep slotting and heavy cuts are out, the rake angles are probably all wrong, and speeds and feeds are mostly guesswork, but they do the job and are a lot easier to come by than big end mills.

 

[lugnut]

I tried one of my carbide round over bits like the one in the photo. It worked but like shred said it's limited. Of course my mini mill is a little weak and limber and the bit wanted to load up. but it worked for the job at hand and I didn't have buy a another bilt.
Mel

 

[Bogstandard]

Many thanks lads,
My local supermarket had a set on offer for £5 ($10).
12 bits, 6 of them raced. I bought them just to take off the races for use in my engines, but now I can use the bits as well (with care), as a standby for those elusive shapes.

Just like Steve and his planset, two for the price of one (three if you include the well made box), cheapskate extraordinaire.

John

 

[Tin Falcon]

Guys as far as special shapes on the mill do not forget the humble fly cutter. That bit can be ground to any needed shape for forming radii or gear teeth or whatever. With multiple cutters and pases you can come up with some interesting cross sections.
Tin

 

[mklotz]

Guys as far as special shapes on the mill do not forget the humble fly cutter. That bit can be ground to any needed shape for forming radii or gear teeth or whatever. With multiple cutters and pases you can come up with some interesting cross sections.
Tin

Indeed. With a 60 degree point tool mounted in a homemade adaptor in the horizontal hole in my boring bar, I've successfully "knurled" flat surfaces. A tedious process but sometimes one has to endure a bit of boredom to get the job done.

 

[tattoomike68]

I used to mill pocket .250" deap in aluminum with a router and 3/4" router bit.

I think the 29,000 RPM helped keep the chips from welding to the cutter. I used a little WD40 but not much.

In sure you can run it full blast rpm on the mill. :wink:

 

[Bogstandard]

The reason I asked about doing this was because I had already stripped the races off the cutters for my modelling, cheap bearings. So nothing has been lost because I can now use them for hacking bits off aluminium as well.
A total win, win situation, for $10.

John

 

[gilessim]

funnily enough, this morning I went to a small factory, here in Italy, where they make ally doors and windows and noticed that that they seemed to be using normal wood router bits to cut the slots for the locks etc., after asking, they assured me that that's exactly what they were! (but obviously good quality TCT),I would just be a little wary of taking too deep cuts with the cheaper ones, as the shanks tend to shear (low quality steel?) this is my experience with wood anyway, one bonus is ,at least, that when they do shear, they don't go flying around the shop or embed themselves in your chest!, they seem to just stop dead in or on the workpiece...Giles

 

[Bogstandard]

I was very surprised at the quality of this set, they are in fact TCT, not just shaped HSS.
Chinese again, flooding the market to kill off the opposition.

John

 

[compound driver]

Many years ago I had a job machining sand cast aluminum that had a lot of sand inclusion. Went through a lot of tips for an indexable milling cutter. A friend said try using router bits. Problem solved and if memory serves i only had to buy one router bit for the entire job. That said it was small cuts and 6,000 plus RPM.

Cheers

 

[compound driver]

Sorry should have added if your using them in a Jacobs make sure the chucks drawbar'd into the quil.

cheers