I'm just getting into machining and purchased a lot of 55 brand new and still sealed in boxes 4 flute end mills from a Old Timer and friend. They are Cobalt H.S. from a company E.C. Nippon Tool Works and are from Japan. They range from 5/16th up to 1 inch and some being double ended. It worked out to being less than $5 per end mill but still cost me $250 for the whole lot. Money I did not plan on spending but at less than $5 each I figured it was an investment as they will only keep getting more expensive as time goes on. Now the question I have is are they any good? I think even if they are the cheap ones I did good but this guy does not buy cheap. I really could not find anyone selling these end mills. I found out the company was started in the 30s and focused milling tools. Does anyone know of this company and the quality of these end mills?
If you feel like you got taken I will save you by taking all of them off your hands for what you paid for them. I will even pay the shipping. PM me if you want to be saved.
I don't think you got taken but very few shops use hss or cobalt endmills anymore. Most everyone uses carbide or better. Thus making the inferior ones pretty cheap to buy new. The foreign endmills are pretty good quality now if you can stomach buying them and using them in an american tool shop. You have to do things you don't want to sometimes to be able to compete these days.
Just dont run them too fast i.e feeds and speeds!And purchase a Universal cutter/grinder out of the Northern tool & equipment catalog to resharpen the endmills when they get dull.
Most use carbide these days but nothing wrong with HHS. Just keep the feed and speed within reason. Just remember your cutter should be tougher than what your cutting. Frank
What he said. For use in manual mills, HSS is just fine. Even in small production shops they have good uses. I've bought loads of off-brand end mills on close-out deals and they worked fine, I still have a bunch of them. Keep in mind that 4-flute endmills are best used on steel, they don't have enough chip clearance to be used on aluminum efficiently. Bob
In many short run applications the cost of carbide cutting tools is not justified. High speed steel tools can perform economically provided its worst enemies are avoided those being excessive cutting speed (too high RPM) and overheating (lack of coolant). Your money was well spent provided you use correct cutting parameters.
thanks for the info guys, I definitely know i didnt get taken because it was surely cheaper then the inexpensive chinese end mills. I just wasnt sure if they are high quality mills. For the stuff I would be doing i think Cobalt HS is the best I can't justify the expense of carbide on my machine, don't gasp to loud but I picked up a use higher end Smithy 3 in 1 for $500 buck to get me started throwing chips and learning. I WILL be upgrading in a few years to a separate lathe and bridgeport mill (drool) or sooner if I can find a kick *** deal. My friend always takes care of me, he sold me a new in box Brown and Sharpe Dial-Cal 599-579-5 for $25 and currently retails around the $150 range
I know lol but a little more digging and I found the history of the company. Not sure if they are the same one. The company started in 1933 and the look of the plastic packaging and the labels on what I purchased today and the laser etching on the end mills makes me think they were made late 80s to 90s. He use to own a modified stock race team and got out of the scene in the 90s
I found this additional information Nippon Tool Works was the first in Japan to make milling cutters in 1933. They developed into the leading manufacturer of cutting tools in Japan for more than 50 years. The brand name of the cutting tools Nippon manufacture is E.C. Cutting Tools. The E.C. stands for “Excellent Cutters”. E.C Cutting Tools are manufactured with the high quality “YSS” brand of Hitachi Tool Premium 8% Cobalt HSS Steels for better abrasion resistance, red hardness and toughness. They were shipped and supplied all over the world. They have a good reputation from all industrial users because of their superior cutting performance and durability. The chemical composition for the steel used in this hog mill is: · 8% Cobalt · 5.30% Tungsten · 6.30% Molybdenum · 4.00% Chromium · 1.70% Vanadium · 1.00% Carbon
my next question is even though these mills are 4 flute and are made for steel could I used them on aluminum or would the result just be to poor?
You can use them on aluminum, but take lighter cuts. Since the cutting speed of aluminum is so high as compared to steel, the chips are bigger and 4 flutes don't have enough space between the flutes to get the chip out of the way. So most of those are either 2 or 3 flute cutters. I've seen Nippon emd mills before and they were just fine. Bob
These end mills will work fine in aluminum. Just keep them lubricated to prevent "weld on". You have made a very good purchase as this brand has been known for quality and they will not disappoint you!
The problem with 4 flute end mills and aluminum is chip removal. You have to get the chips out of way or you can damage the cutter or get a less than perfect finish. Once you get the aluminum hot enough to become gummy it will stick to the tool and the finish will look smeared. Heat is your enemy with any cutting tool. Light cuts help and you can use a small brush to help get the chips out of the cutters path. Your Smithy is not set up for coolant but could be added. As others have said knowing the correct speed and feeds for the size of the cutter and the material being cut is very important. The cobalt in the alloy increases the amount of heat the cutter will take before it breaks down. If you are new to machining you will probably want to turn the rpm, speed, up too high.
For manual mills HSS is better than carbide. To get the most out of carbide, you have to push the feeds and speeds. The standard formula for RPM is: RPM = (CS x 4)/D. CS is the cutting speed (look it up), D is for the tool diameter. For a 1/2" end mill in steel: RPM = (100 x 4)/.5 = 800 RPMs. Bob
if your machining aluminum with high speed just use a little wd 40 spray or kerosene.Works wonders and keeps the chips from build up on the cutting edge.If you need to remove alot of stock find some roughing end mills with the serated flutes.There pretty cheap at auctions now that most shops tend to use inserted cutters to machine most things now days.
Whenever you make a cut in steel, aluminum or anything else you are creating heat. The chip helps carry the heat away from the tool and the material being cut. If you take tool light of a cut and basically just rub the tool against the metal you will build a lot of heat and there is nothing to take the heat away without coolant.
This the beauty of carbide, it takes away more heat than an HSS cutter in the form of the chip. Chip efficiency is measured in the color of the chip (in steel). Chips that are a golden brown are just right. Dab coolant for milling steel is okay for home use, you can also get a water soluble coolant that can be put in spray bottles. My Bridgeport had a coolant pump and I have a spray-mist attachment for it and it works great. Bob
I use the same coolant for milling that we use in our horizontal band saws. Just fill up a big spray bottle with it and keep soaking the cutter as you are milling. Don't use any kind of oil as it will gum the chips up and you'll end up with an afro around the cutter.
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