roatate it 90 degrees clockwise looking at your last image

Edited By JasonB on 08/06/2023 12:01:28

If you don't know then it's not a silly question!

Like Andrew J I never had much success with flycutters, and now always tend to use indexable carbide end mills. I'm sure many folk get on fine with them, just personal experience.

Regards Mike

I used to use them quite a lot mainly smaller ones but like the others now use indexable shell/face mills.

Remember you will need to run at quite a low rpm to suit the HSS at the diameter being swung and also a slow feed rate a sit is a single point tool.

Carbide can be run around 3 times faster and depending on how many insert fed 6 or so times faster. so a cut may only tale 1/18th the time it would with a flycutter. The FC does work out quite cheap though as you can sharpen the tool many times provided you don't go near chilled cast iron with it. Compromise is to put a left hand lathe tool into the flycutter so you can at least spin it faster and feed accordingly.

I have never used a fly cutter ! Far from being silly it has told you what you needed to know. As for speed I would use standard cutting speeds for the material being cut. Tables or others on here will give you the figures. Multiply the dia of the cut in inches/12 by Pi (3.1416 ) and then by the revs ! if using imperial it will be Ft/Min. If you want the calc done give me the dia. Noel.

I have a fly cutter I made when I was an apprentice. It has a 1 inch body with a 1/2" shank with a 1/4" round solid carbide cutter. I use it regularly and now it is roughly 55 years old and still going strong.

David