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End Mill Reconditioning In Calgary

ducdon

Super User
Premium Member
I have a a tool and Die grinder that is supposed to be able to do it. Trouble is, I need another year to recondition it. (I've had it 18 months - I need a round tuit right away!) Second, it does take some skill to use it well.

If anyone has donor broken or really dull HSS end mills that I can buy cheap, then let me know!

I have 3 I could donate to the cause. I try to be gentle with my cutting tools. I have to pay for them. Sometimes I think a light stone or hone would do the trick instead of a regrind. A honing fixture ....hmmm, sounds like a project!
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
I was thinking about sharpening endmills a few years ago and bought these. 2337DA3A-82D9-4712-ACE1-7AFF12501A02.jpeg EAA373DF-D0EC-456E-AC16-36F80A7DAC9C.jpeg
The shaft is suppose to float on a air cushion and needs the pin that rides in the flute for positioning ( sticking out the front ) then it rocks forward for one of the cuts. I still need to find some collets for it though. 40E3702E-4085-464B-877D-4A37758F9F8C.jpeg
This is the backside of the grinder with one tray and table off looking at the height-adaptability for a possible marriage of the two. The rotation is reversible.
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
Sooooo….. I take it... there is no such thing as a magical electric pencil sharpener (expensive) out there for end mills. Something some one would invest in and recover the cost for over time eventually turning a profit.

Still, I would like to have my 1", 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8" end mills tuned up. I don't consider the larger ones to be disposable.

Dabbler,

I have some small stuff to donate to your cause. Pretty messed up though. Got a drop box setup somewhere?
 
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RobinHood

Ultra Member
Premium Member
I was thinking about sharpening endmills a few years ago and bought these.
Hi Tom O that’s a nice piece of kit you have there. It looks like an air spindle that could be used on a Clarkson Tool & Cutter grinder. It for sure is used to sharpen the flutes of cutters.
 

Tom O

Ultra Member
It is a start I’d still have to mount it height wise and it would be nice to have it rotational so marked of in degrees with a feed system.
I’ll try to make a collet on the mill.
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I just lost a bid for a tool cutter grinder (without accessories) - it went for $1300 plus fees (I thought that $1400 or more for it plus fees is too much given that some people get these for like few hundred $ as they are mostly obsolete machine nowadays). It was British made, smaller model about 1000lbs.

On the other hand I only tried to sharpen an end-mill once in a fixture - so maybe spending under $2000 for a TCG was indeed a bad idea & I dodged a bullet.

They sell on kajiji in Ontario for between $1000 - $1500.
 

ducdon

Super User
Premium Member

Interesting DIY end mill sharpening fixture. He uses it on a horizontal mill but it could probably be adapted to a vertical mill (angle plate, or). And it only does the end and not the flutes. But for me a touch up on the flutes would probably extend the life of an end mill quite nicely.
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I have the same thing - it costs like 30 bucks and uses 5C collets. I used it once on the surface grinder. It takes time to do the end properly. I guess its better then nothing. I think these have been around for a while - well known guys on youtube show their use as well.
 

kylemp

Well-Known Member
Sooooo….. I take it... there is no such thing as a magical electric pencil sharpener (expensive) out there for end mills. Something some one would invest in and recover the cost for over time eventually turning a profit.

Still, I would like to have my 1", 3/4", 1/2" and 3/8" end mills tuned up. I don't consider the larger ones to be disposable.

Dabbler,

I have some small stuff to donate to your cause. Pretty messed up though. Got a drop box setup somewhere?
There is.. Darex makes them.. I have one, but I've never used it.

This is the one I have, but they make other models
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
I also have an air bearing end mill sharpening fixture... also never used it. This is why I didn't want to spend arm and a leg on tool cutter grinder - I mean if you have some fixtures you never used in years probably you can live without them.

I think we are spoiled with carbide. Tool cutter grinder in the 1980s cost 20k for smallest one - now outside of some enthusiast need in a garage its mostly obsolete - CNC can cut any shape and HSS is rarely used for any production work.

I almost never use my HSS endmills. Why would I if carbide is available? Not only carbide stuff lasts forever it can be abused more - i.e. you can "force" somewhat dull carbide end mill to cut but you cannot do it with HSS - AFAIK.

The only use for TCG would be sharpening slab mills for the horizontal mill I have - they go hand in hand - blast from the past. This was my main impetus into trying to get one and fighting well over $1000 to get it.
 

ducdon

Super User
Premium Member
I was thinking about sharpening endmills a few years ago and bought these.View attachment 4482View attachment 4483
The shaft is suppose to float on a air cushion and needs the pin that rides in the flute for positioning ( sticking out the front ) then it rocks forward for one of the cuts. I still need to find some collets for it though.View attachment 4484
This is the backside of the grinder with one tray and table off looking at the height-adaptability for a possible marriage of the two. The rotation is reversible.
I have a book titled MetalWorking from village press. It's a collection of articles from Home Shop Machinist I think. One of the articles is a DIY Tool and Cutter grinder. Major components of the project are the air spindle and the grinder. Since you already have those it might be a very do-able project. I'd loan the book if your interested?
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
Thanks for the package from Falchurch! the 3/8 shank is a handy size to practice with!

If you can restore those wounded soldiers you are well on your way to becoming a candidate for sainthood LOL.

Have fun with them.

Cheers
 
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