4 flute carbide end mill suggestions?

[WilliamR]

Searched but couldn't find anything related. Looking for suggestions on good value 4 flute carbide endmills? I had one 2 1/2"X3/8" that seemed to work well for my use. Lasted forever until the small the toolmaker vise that doesn't like to tighten let work slip and broke it. Could see 3" length working well also.

Suggestions on decent value brands and which to avoid? I won't be resharpening for a while, maybe in the distant future. Thanks.

 

[Arbutus]

KBC tools carries a line of 'KBC brand' solid carbide end mills. The quality is good and the price is reasonable.

If you don't mind spending a few more $$, I strongly recommend the new SECO 5 flute end mills - ST5551 series, they cut through 4140 like they are cutting butter.

 

[phaxtris]

The x can stuff on ali has served me well

 

[PeterT]

Ditto for me AliExpress stores: X-Can, BB, others I forgot. Carbides are excellent value. HSS can be a bit hit & miss. Be aware they will be metric shank if that's an issue toolholder wise. Nothing a collet system can't deal with.

 

[YotaBota]

Have you looked at Skookum Tools? Solid carbide and Canadian made.

Skookum End Mills

I have a couple for me they work well.

 

[WilliamR]

Thanks Arbutus, will check out KBC. I bet the higher end stuff cuts well and lasts a lot longer. I think the weak link would be me dropping or banging it into something. Maybe I'll pick one up for special occasions.

Thanks Phaxtris and Peter, was leaning towards something from China in multiples. Can-X sounds good. Never thought about metric sizing, I have SAE ER collets, not sure if 14mm and 3/8" is close enough? See some of the Travers (says made in usa?) on sale from time to time but convert to CDN$ plus shipping it adds up.

I'm basically just making surfaces flat. Nothing exotic, but man I don't know how I ever lived without it. Boy it's handy.

 

[WilliamR]

Have you looked at Skookum Tools? Solid carbide and Canadian made.

Skookum End Mills

I have a couple for me they work well.

Thanks for link, will have a look.

 

[PeterT]

Never thought about metric sizing, I have SAE ER collets, not sure if 14mm and 3/8" is close enough?

14mm = 0.551, do you mean close to 1/2" because 3/8" = 0.375" which is a long ways off
Anyways with a typical progressive ER collet set in IMP I'm confident set you will find a match that clamps metric shanks just fine.

 

[jorogi]

Have you looked at Skookum Tools? Solid carbide and Canadian made.

Skookum End Mills

I have a couple for me they work well.

Ditto, I don't have any myself, yet.

 

[phaxtris]

Thanks Arbutus, will check out KBC. I bet the higher end stuff cuts well and lasts a lot longer. I think the weak link would be me dropping or banging it into something. Maybe I'll pick one up for special occasions.

Thanks Phaxtris and Peter, was leaning towards something from China in multiples. Can-X sounds good. Never thought about metric sizing, I have SAE ER collets, not sure if 14mm and 3/8" is close enough? See some of the Travers (says made in usa?) on sale from time to time but convert to CDN$ plus shipping it adds up.

I'm basically just making surfaces flat. Nothing exotic, but man I don't know how I ever lived without it. Boy it's handy.

X-can, and like Peter said bb

3/8 is close to 9mm, 14mm is closer to 9/16, er collets have a pretty wide grip range, if you have a full set of sae you will be able to grab metric, r8 collets on the other hand pretty much needs to be size on

 

[WilliamR]

X-can, and like Peter said bb

3/8 is close to 9mm, 14mm is closer to 9/16, er collets have a pretty wide grip range, if you have a full set of sae you will be able to grab metric, r8 collets on the other hand pretty much needs to be size on

I knew that, really haha. It's hot and muggy today, I'm trying to hang a large barn door and it's brutal. Apparently brain went home after first coffee. I was spelling X-can wrong and couldn't find it. Will try bb also. That is some overwhelming selection on Ali, really appreciate you guys narrowing it down.

 

[Chipper5783]

I vouch for Skookum. In my application (9/16” ball nose on 4140), it was same price as from Ali (perhaps a dollar cheaper, fast delivery - even free shipping because I added items to get over $100) and performed very well.

Certainly the correctly selected Kennametal EMs are very good, but pretty pricey. I like the YG products and stocked up on them (from Korea). The V7 line is good, they last well and are priced better than the Kennys. I’ll replace the YGs with Skookum product when current stock runs low.

 

[Chipper5783]

Searched but couldn't find anything related. Looking for suggestions on good value 4 flute carbide endmills? I had one 2 1/2"X3/8" that seemed to work well for my use. Lasted forever until the small the toolmaker vise that doesn't like to tighten let work slip and broke it. Could see 3" length working well also.

Suggestions on decent value brands and which to avoid? I won't be resharpening for a while, maybe in the distant future. Thanks.

I’m almost exclusively on carbide EMs now - when cared for, they last a long time. The carbide specific for aluminum are good for a number of soft materials. You didn’t say, but I assume your application is carbon steel?

A good point was made about using metric EMs (ER collets can work with quite a range, not a great practice - prefer to use metric collets, but ER is rated for full coverage). Metric EMs can be handy when you want an odd size - gives you additional options. I keep one each of the common metric sizes. For example 6mm EM is great for cutting a 1/4” keyway, 12mm for 1/2” (that few thousands smaller lets you clean up each side and makes sure you don’t go over.

I like the little tool maker vises, but they just don’t hold like a real vise - every tool has its’ place and limitations. Yeah, education costs money.