Ideal set of end mills

[MattiJ]

Those are carbide coated, not solid carbide.

Very much solid carbide, I have couple of sets. Or have You got coated ones?

Description mentions "tungsten steel" but that is just a chinglish translation. They are TIALN coated solid carbide.

[wierdscience]

Think about what you will be doing the most and scale towards that end.Typically the sizes most often used on a Bridgeport/clone will be 1/8,3/16,1/4,3/8,1/2,5/8 and 3/4 in other words mostly what will fit into standard collets and small endmill holders.

Typically I buy the 1/8 thru 1/4 sizes in two flute carbide because the extra rigidity and ability to run at high speeds come in handy for those smaller sizes.In the 3/8-3/4 I buy quality double end HSS and keep a carbide 4 flute in the 3/8 and 1/2 sizes.

Roughing endmills I buy quality HSS Cobalt,course pitch in 5/8 and 3/4 sizes and then keep a 7/8 and 1" reduced shank rougher as well.

[Paul Alciatore]

The thing about having that set(s) is that when you need some specific size, you have it. Yes, the 1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4" ones get used the most. And they wear out first. So you buy those sizes to replace the worn ones. I usually get several at a time for those popular sizes, never less than two. Some of the odd sizes in my set have never been used. But they are there is I need that particular size.

Another thing that I do is occasionally purchase some used ones on E-bay or other web sources. These often have wear on the outer corners only. So I take a stone to them, BY HAND, and round off those corners, preserving the clearance behind that rounded edge. This is not as difficult as you may imagine. Then I have a nice, sharp end mill that leaves a nice round fillet between two surfaces. And it will last a lot longer than a new one with a sharp corner. I often reach for these as my first choice if a sharp corner is not a must on the part.

To me, buying a set of cheap end mills in a box is silly. Buy good quality in a few sizes and USE THEM. When you need a 7/16" end mill (which I never have yet) you can easily buy one.

I could get by for a long time with 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" end mills.

metalmagpie

[PStechPaul]

I bought a cheap set of two-flute end mills from Harbor Freight when I bought my mill, and they work pretty well for most purposes, using low speed and fairly light cuts on aluminum and mild steel. I chipped it when it fell out of the spindle along with the holder onto the table.



Since then I have purchased various end mills on eBay and other venues, like ENCO and McMaster. I have several "favorite" end mills that are my "go-to" for most jobs. I don't do a lot of machining and what I do is not very critical or tricky. So I have pretty much all I need now.