Sherline 5000 Mill General Manual

CUTTING TOOLS AND STANDARD ACCESSORIES
END MILLS
End mills are the standard vertical mill cutting tools. We recommend 3/8" shank end
mills held in the 3/8" end mill holder P/N 3079. One of the benefits of 3/8" end mills is
they are available in a large range of sizes. The end mill is held with a set screw on its flat
surface and it can be easily changed. They are also lower in price than miniature cutters
because of their popularity. You can also use miniature series end mills having 3/16" or
1/4" shank sizes which should be held in collets. (End mills held in collets must be single
ended, while end mills held in our end mill holders may be double ended.) We
recommend using 2-flute, high-speed steel end mills for aluminum because the flutes are
less prone to clog with chips. Use 4-flute cutters for cutting steels with lower RPM. The
solid carbide tools are not suggested since they are very expensive and the cutting edges
will chip unless used with heavy duty production equipment.
FIGURE 12-A typical end mill
As a convenience to our customers, SHERLINE keeps in inventory many of the popular
sizes of end mills which are appropriate for use on our machines. See tooling price list for
selection. End mills may also be purchased from your local industrial machine shop
supply outlet (see yellow pages under "Machine Shop Supplies") or from mail order
industrial suppliers.
Because small diameter cutters (less than 1/8") are quite fragile, the largest diameter
cutter possible for the job requirements should be employed. Be certain that the RPM is
appropriate before attempting to remove any metal. An end mill can be instantly damaged
if a cut is attempted at excessive RPM. Like all cutting tools, end mills will have a short
lifespan when used for machining steel or other exotic materials. Save new cutters for
finish work. Do not use small diameter end mills with long flutes unless absolutely
necessary because of excessive cutter deflection (bending).
RESHARPENING END MILLS
End mills can be resharpened by your local tool and cutter grinding shop. End mills lose
their cutting edge clearance after a couple of sharpenings and should no longer be reused.