Homemade milling cutters for the machine

Thanks. I do not understand pictures #8, 9 and 10. Could you please explain?

I cannot imagine how to make sharp angled cuts in the cutter profile. I do not have such files or tools. All my files (and I have very many) have no sharp edges.

Possibly this passage tries to explain how to do it but I do not understand:

"...For work, it is also useful to grind off a small flat file at an angle of 45 degrees - it is convenient to use such a tool to make clear corners..."
"...Для работы полезно также сточить мелкий плоский надфиль под углом 45 градусов, - таким инструментом удобно делать четкие углы..."

Anyone could help?
 
Y.T. said:
Thanks. I do not understand pictures #8, 9 and 10. Could you please explain?

I cannot imagine how to make sharp angled cuts in the cutter profile. I do not have such files or tools. All my files (and I have very many) have no sharp edges.

Possibly this passage tries to explain how to do it but I do not understand:

"...For work, it is also useful to grind off a small flat file at an angle of 45 degrees - it is convenient to use such a tool to make clear corners..."
"...Для работы полезно также сточить мелкий плоский надфиль под углом 45 градусов, - таким инструментом удобно делать четкие углы..."

Anyone could help?
Click to expand...
I have no such experience, so I cannot answer your question. Unfortunately, I don't even have a milling machine yet. We have craftsmen in our country who do this. Therefore, I posted this link at the request of Jimski. I will try to find out.
 
Y.T. said:
Thanks Alexander! How to sharpen the edge on the diamond file? This is the main question.
Click to expand...
It's not difficult here. Leave one working edge, grind the rest. I used to grind down a broken file like that when I needed to grind pulleys in a 0.8 mm case. He left one working edge, the rest was grinded to the desired thickness. So it is here. There remains one working face, the rest is grinded to the desired profile and angle.
 
I believe softening the future cutter material by heating up to red color state and slowly cooling would also help? Then as they say in the article we would harden it back by heating to red color and dropping in cold water.
 
Y.T. said:
Thanks Alexander! How to sharpen the edge on the diamond file? This is the main question.
Click to expand...
I think it is a bit confusing and created a misconception... A diamond tool is a cutting tool with diamond grains\dust fixed on the functional parts of the tool via a bonding material or another method. They are much harder than steel. Grinding the diamond file would yield nothing more than regular steel.

Contrary, the cutting tools are made with special 'tool steel'. Tool steel refers to a variety of carbon steel and alloy steel that are particularly well-suited to be made into tools. Their suitability comes from their distinctive hardness, resistance to abrasion and deformation, and their ability to hold a cutting edge at elevated temperatures.

I wouldn't recommend using broken diamond files as the end mill. Instead, such a file can be used to sharpen the self-made endmill. For the most part, a simple nail with a suitable diameter will suffice processing wood. The nail can be shaped using many instruments including files and abrasive disks. Alternatively, you can buy round stock of a 'tool steel', shape with your tools, and then harden with oil or water.
 
Jimski, the article also says about this. Only the nail is suitable for soft woods. For example, for an oak or hornbeam, it is no longer suitable. So it is written in this article.
Any suitable blank can be used to make the cutter. A drill shank, an old file, a self-tapping screw for wood of sufficient length (part of it is used without cutting), and even a nail for small jobs on not very hard wood will do. In other words, you need an even cylinder of a suitable diameter and length.
 
A sharpened diamond file is just needed to sharpen the cutter itself, and not as the cutter itself
 
Jimsky said:
I wouldn't recommend using broken diamond files as the end mill.
Click to expand...
Hi Jimsky. I was not planning to do this and I was not asking about this. My question was exclusively on how to make a tool that is able to make a sharp inner angle profile on the home made cutter. I tried this with tools I have many times. Last time it was just yesterday and my inner corners on the profile were round. This is not acceptable for intended purpose. The ground diamond file does resolve this issue.
Alexander. Thanks for aa great tip.
 
Here I found the video from one of our members Andrey @KUDIN, he makes a fashioned endmill from a nail. All his videos are well worth watching and can be used as the primer for models shipbuilding. If you want to watch just the make of the endmill start from 8:40 position.


Have fun!
 
Y.T. said:
Hi Jimsky. I was not planning to do this and I was not asking about this. My question was exclusively on how to make a tool that is able to make a sharp inner angle profile on the home made cutter. I tried this with tools I have many times. Last time it was just yesterday and my inner corners on the profile were round. This is not acceptable for intended purpose. The ground diamond file does resolve this issue.
Alexander. Thanks for aa great tip.
Click to expand...
Glad I helped. Given the difficulties of translation, I understood you correctly.
 
Y.T. said:
Hi Jimsky. I was not planning to do this and I was not asking about this. My question was exclusively on how to make a tool that is able to make a sharp inner angle profile on the home made cutter. I tried this with tools I have many times. Last time it was just yesterday and my inner corners on the profile were round. This is not acceptable for intended purpose. The ground diamond file does resolve this issue.
Alexander. Thanks for aa great tip.
Click to expand...
Hy Y.T. no need to use a diamond file to sharpen the edges. Use cutting disks, shape them with a dressing stone (...any shape you want) :)
 
Y.T. said:
Hi Jimsky. I was not planning to do this and I was not asking about this. My question was exclusively on how to make a tool that is able to make a sharp inner angle profile on the home made cutter. I tried this with tools I have many times. Last time it was just yesterday and my inner corners on the profile were round. This is not acceptable for intended purpose. The ground diamond file does resolve this issue.
Alexander. Thanks for aa great tip.
Click to expand...
I think I know what you are referring to.
Machinist's use files, both standard and diamond, that have "safe" surfaces. They can be purchased, but most of us made our own by grinding off surfaces from an appropriately sized file, making "safe" faces, protecting surfaces that we do NOT want to cut. One example is files made for sharpening wood boring bits that have the flats smooth on one end and the edges smooth on the other end. Locksmiths also use files similar to that. Many have quite sharp corners on the edges, making for a nice square corner in the bottom of the notch you are filing.
IMG_0431.JPG

IMG_0429.JPG

IMG_0430.JPG
I make my own and use them for filing notches and such without disturbing the adjoining surfaces. One file made with a working edge and the flats smooth to file to depth without disturbing the width, another made with the edge smooth to protect the depth and the flats used to widen the notch without disturbing the depth. By making the grind at an angle or bevel, you can create notches with angled bottoms. I used regular 4" files for this for years, but I now use mostly hobby sized diamond files as they are affordable and I really like them for notching and filing thin wood as they seem to file smoother without "catching" the work and can be cleaned easily by burning off any wood, resin, plastic or paint/varnish residue with a little butane soldering torch. Carbide grit files can be used in this manner too, but are more expensive.
The same home made files can be used to file the faces on metal work as well, such as the mini router bits, special scrapers and chisels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top