That one tip from an old timer about chip load changed my life lol

This guy named Gary at my shop told me to triple check my chip load calculations before every job, even if I thought I knew the material. I always ran 0.004 per tooth on aluminum and called it good. Last month I actually sat down and did the math for a 6061 part, turned out I was way too low and burning up my end mills. Bumped it up to 0.007 after reaming his advice and the finish came out perfect. Took me 3 tries to get the feed right but now my tools last twice as long. Has anyone else had an old school guy save them from a dumb mistake like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

hernandez.blake12d ago

Whoa, wait you were running 0.004 on aluminum that whole time? That is wild to me, I mean I'd have thought that was way too low but I never did the math either. Actually hearing that you bumped it up to 0.007 and got perfect finish makes me want to go check my own feeds right now. Idk why but I just trusted generic numbers from some random YouTube video for years. It's crazy how an old timer just knows these little details that completely change everything. Gonna triple check my chip load on my next job now for sure.

nancy47512d ago

Yeah @hernandez.blake, but 0.004 works fine for finishing passes if your rpm is right.