End Mill Suggestions

[Grimracer]

MIKEY.. this has to work for you.. if you need the speed and quality that MSC provides then thats cool.. if you are a weekend warrior and are learning the craft.. then maybe time and cost is a concern.

I by most of mine from Shars and McMaster.. I never sharpen as for the money.. I dont care... toss and go.. If I use up 3 end mills a year in this hobby then that was a lot.

Grim

 

[dwilfong]

E Bay china junk will work just fine on aluminum or brass. can't beat a $8 end mill......https://www.ebay.com/itm/11mm-x-12mm-x-40mm-x-95mm-4-Flutes-Straight-Shank-HSS-End-Mill-Milling-Cutter/352621762126?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
This set will keep you busy for hours of fun all for the low low price of $15 https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-HSS-4-Flute-End-Mill-Cutter-CNC-Milling-Machine-Straight-Shank-Bit-2-0-12mm/352732198320?_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=1&asc=40719&meid=32da8b11772042eda128583a8c32480f&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=12&mehot=co&sd=352621762126&itm=352732198320&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851
Use this stuff all the time worth every penny.....

 

[SayMikey]

Thanks guys been using Shars just getting started so im not looking for bank braking results

 

[Terry Keeley]

No need for carbide if you're mostly working with aluminum, brass etc.

HSS actually cuts better!

 

[steve wood]

maritool.com , or msc accupro
i only use carbide,more bang for the buck. will last forever at home
for aluminum buy zirconimum coated (zrn), they are unbelievable, will run way faster than whatever machine you have is capable of, and aluminum won't stick to flutes and finish like you bought it, not made it ( wd-40 is the shiznit for aluminum)

 

[Jeff Lutz]

Thanks guys been using Shars just getting started so im not looking for bank braking results

Another thing to consider for some aluminum jobs is High Helix endmills, regardless of brands. Jeff Lutz

 

[steve wood]

forgot to say 3 flute for aluminum

 

[Steve Seebold]

The only time I will buy from MSC is when no one else has it and I don’t have time to wait for someone else to get it.

if you’re cutting aluminum, YG-1 makes a really good 3 flute end mill they call the Alu-Power.

 

[Sonny Fricia]

Late to the party, but I am a CNC machinist so I have a bit of relevant experience here.

If you are using end mills on a standard type bridgeport manual mill, HSS would work fine for you since you don't really have the RPM to justify carbide. Maritool has great prices on their carbide tools and play middle man dispensing HTC tooling (which is pretty good). 3 flute for aluminum profiling. If slotting or using end mills 1/8" and less use a 2 flute to reduce the chance of chip build up. 4 or 5 flute for steel.

YG is another good cheap carbide tooling option, and if you prefer ebay, look into RogueSystemsInc. They have great tooling for the price as well.

https://www.ebay.com/str/carbidetoolsource
Any machining questions including feeds/speeds, let me know.

If you just need HSS, there is good quality HSS tooling all over ebay.

 

[Bill Gibson]

MSC, Mcmaster Carr, Enco are all good sources........I use 4 flute Tcin coated bits a lot........

 

[TomGracey]

https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_category.php?category=-1180321415&First=E&Last=E

 

[MikeReed]

I've actually been getting a lot of my tooling from Amazon from Titan and Monster tool. Both Carbide and HSS. Especially for custom sizes like reamers. They sell both on eBay and Amazon but I always check Amazon first as they tend to be cheaper there.

 

[MikeStewart]

2 flute on aluminum

 

[DougSick]

You might check "travers.com". For Canadians, try "traverscanada.com".
They have a good selection at reasonable cost, especially for Canadians as they ship from a Canadian warehouse and you don't have to deal with import issues like MSC. Sign up for their monthly catalog of sale items.
I've also had good luck with Amazon suppliers. The only problems I've had were with ordering indexable cutter inserts and trying to figure out which ones fit my tools, due to a great lack of info on their descriptions. Got one item wrong on an order with FINCOS and returned one set I made a mistake with. They refunded my whole order and despite my attempts to get it straight, they said have a good day and wrote it off.

 

[Matt Krieger]

Tom,

MSC's prices may be a bit higher than some others, nut their value is pretty much unmatched. You'll pay a bit more for an SGS end mill or an OSG tap, but you'll realize the value in the long run.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

SGS and OSG are great companies, have been to their facilities many times over the years for machine installs and training. Great people.

 

[MikeReed]

You might check "travers.com". For Canadians, try "traverscanada.com".
They have a good selection at reasonable cost, especially for Canadians as they ship from a Canadian warehouse and you don't have to deal with import issues like MSC. Sign up for their monthly catalog of sale items.
I've also had good luck with Amazon suppliers. The only problems I've had were with ordering indexable cutter inserts and trying to figure out which ones fit my tools, due to a great lack of info on their descriptions. Got one item wrong on an order with FINCOS and returned one set I made a mistake with. They refunded my whole order and despite my attempts to get it straight, they said have a good day and wrote it off.

Once you figure out the description codes you should never have to worry about getting the wrong ones unless they put the wrong ones in the box.

Here's a page I like to use for quick reference - Insert Designation Chart - provides ANSI and ISO designation code definitions for carbide insert shapes, relief angles, tolerances, chipbreaker codes, hole types, size values, thickness values, radius values, wiper lead angle, wiper clearance angle, cutti
Another quick ref guide. Not as in depth but still useful - Technical Resources – Ultra-Dex USA

Mike