Great news for discount cutting tool shoppers!
We have a fantanstic new load of additions to our
closeout and overstock section, with blowout prices on discontinued items. The carbide or high speed steel these closeout tools are made from is premium grade material, and the tools are brand new in the original packaging. The only reason we are letting these tools go at such a discount, is that we have made some changes to a series of tools, or in some cases taken them out of our standard offering of cutting tools.
These premium high speed steel or
solid carbide cutting tools cut just as well the rest of the tools on our site, so don't miss this opportunity to take advantage of these huge savings, while we have them available.
Here is what you will find:
NEW CLOSEOUT & OVERSTOCK ADDITIONS:
Check out the new Kodiak Cutting Tools 2018-2019 catalog, featuring and expanded selection of micro-end mills, a new net price format and an expanded technical section.
Download Here, or Contact Us for a Printed Copy
https://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com/kodiak_cutting_tools_catalog.pdf
This catalog is our best to date, and features easy to read product tables and crisp cutting tool images, for aiding in your tool selection. Now featuring over 8,000 different Carbide End Mills for all of your milling needs!
We have changed the format to eliminate the 50% discount that used to be applied to the catalog list prices. The new catalog already has the 50% discount included in the price.
If you order online, or if your account receives an additional volume discount, just apply that to the catalog prices. This will give you a better idea of what the tools cost, at a glance, for planning and estimating purposes.
This is an exciting opportunity for those of you looking for some high quality USA made cutting tools and a fantastic price!
We have discontinued these items from our catalog, but they are as good as ever. We have the following types of items available:
-2 flute carbide end mills with a corner radius (uncoated and ALTiN)
-all varieties of high speed steel end mills (2,4 & 6 flute, single & double end, uncoated & ALTiN)
-very small carbide straight flute drills (uncoated and ALTiN)
-bell style center drills (combined drill & countersinks)
-drill drifts & screw extractors
If you can find a way to use these tools the pricing is excellent. We have a lot of large diameter 2 flute carbide and mills that could be used for roughing applications for example. We will also be adding more closeout items soon.
We recently had a question about milling fine patterns in 92% copper, 8% nickel coin. The user would like to mill through to the other side of the coin and create a pattern with finely detailed edges.
Hello,
Yes, this definitely can be done. You generally are able to mill at a
max of 1Xs the diameter of the tool. So it is a trade-off between the diameter
you will need for the finer details of your design and the number of passes you
will need to make to go through the material. The micro end mills are available
with lengths of cut that are 1.5Xs and 3Xs the diameter. The type of mill you
use would depend on the diameter you choose and what operation. The more flute
the better your finish will be and the more cutting action per rotation of the
tool you will get, however if the material is mostly copper, that may clog the
flutes and require a 2 flute for the roughing portion of the operation.
Ideally, if you can find a diameter that will allow you to do the whole pattern
without a tool change, that would be nice, however you may have better results
doing it in two steps. Maybe use a larger 2-flute tool to allow a complete cut-through
to the other side, and then rough out the bulk of the pattern. Then you could
follow-up with a smaller diameter 4 flute tool that will allow you to finish
the detail. If you do the whole thing with a very small tool, it may take
awhile. You want to keep the tool/flutes as short as possible to improve
rigidity, however you need some room for chip evacuation. As with everything in
the milling process, it is a trade-off between a few different variables.
As far as the speeds and feeds, we have all of that information
available at the links below. An easy way to do it is to plug the values from
the chart into the online calculator. One variable you won't know is the
limitations of the spindle speed of the machine you decide to purchase. Which
brings me to my next point.
We don't really have a recommendation for a particular machine, but I
know there is a huge range of options out there. I believe you will want to run
these smaller tools run at higher RPMs, so that might be a factor. If you plug the
variables from the speed and feed chart into the calculator, that will fill in
a spindle speed you could use as a reference. One of the brands that has been
around for awhile for smaller work like this is Sherline. http://www.sherline.com/
Please see the point-by-point answers per your list below. Also, here is
the link to the speed and feed chart and calculator. Just let me know how else
we can help you move forward with your project.
Thank you for
the inquiry!
Speeds & Feeds: http://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com/CarbideEndMillSpeedsAndFeeds.asp
Online Milling Speed & Feed Calculator:
http://www.kodiakcuttingtools.com/calculators.asp
End Mill Selection has Evolved and Materials Have Improved
It used to be that carbide end mills were much less prevalent than they are today. Some time ago high speed steel and cobalt tools were much more widely used and less expensive. As time has gone on carbide tools have become more competitively priced and have become the preferred end mill by many machinists. The advantages of carbide endmills are numerous. They are much more rigid and produce tighter tolerances for machining precision parts. Carbide is also much more wear resistant. However, although carbide is tough and wear resistant, it can also be brittle. For this reason many older machine setups that are not as rigid prefer to still run high speed steel and cobalt tools for the additional forgiveness they provide.
At Kodiak cutting tools our solid carbide endmills are made from ultra-micrograin carbide. This means that the structure of the molecules in the carbide are smaller and more consistent than and lesser grades of carbide. This grain structure allows the carbide to wear in a more even pattern and provide better tool life. Other tools, such as carbide burs which are not as precise, may be manufactured with a carbide that has a larger grain size. Some inferior manufacturers of carbide end mills use a lesser grade carbide with a larger grain structure, which makes the tools less expensive, but it also makes them less durable and more difficult to grind to exacting tolerances. That is why, although our tools might cost slightly more, in the long run better quality will save you money and increase your productivity through longer tool life and precision performance.