There is always a risk to the work or tool should it start to pull out but I would not think it is such a personal safety issue. All thoses hotos look to be using very small dia cutters so loadings will be quite low.

I am lazy at times more to do with times money aspect raising and lowering head, changing out for a collet etc saving time. Been doing exactly that for last 18 years where I can get away with it and you will be surprised how much grab a keyed cheap chinese chuck has and would go so far to say equal to the best ER collets.
In past 18 years only ever had 3 cutters drop, mainly due to being blunt and working loose. ER have had 3 cutters work loose in 6 mins.

Accurate stuff I use collets and perhaps 30% more cut depth and feed.

Because it's a 1/16" cutter so the side forces (which are the source of any problems) will be minimal?

Neil

Maybe a case of theory over practice, I seemed to manage quite happily in my early days with a drill chuck on the Unimat 3 milling attachment and also the odd cutter in a 3 jaw when I made my first models, these two for example don't look too shabby and I don't recall having cutters move.

Still do it occasionally now as a drill chuck can get me into tighter spaces than my collet chucks can.

I would not say it is best practice but with care and knowing what could happen its OK for me.

Edited By JasonB on 04/10/2016 20:40:09

Jon,

You are not Raymond's sock puppet are you ?

I agree, not worth the risk.

Ooh Matron!

That sounds uncomfortable 😀

A bit unrelated, but very nice checkering on the stuart beam, how did you do that, if you mind me asking Jason?

Ok, i can look rather sanctimonious when i say "just no", i get what people are saying when looking back at their early experiences, and quite honestly ask "well there must have been a time when you didn't know any better" Indeed there was, but i was very lucky to have a mentor in the form of a book written by Joe martin, which quickly steered me away from such lazy practice.

I was quite sad, as i read the manual of my little sherline mill from cover to cover, and on the topic of milling cutters, these are small machines, so the milling cutters are small likewise, from the very beginning, Joe very sternly said that this was a totally wrong practice and would not pass muster…do not pass go, do not collect $200.

So there we are, that's my story of how i came to know.

Michael W

JS, No no no, this one has absolutely zero to do with me. So I am keeping well clear of this one.

cheers.

Further comment – I would only use a Jacobs chuck for drilling operations.

JA

I use endmills in a small tailstock chuck on the lathe for drilling and sometimes for plunge cuts on the mill. I wouldn't use a drill chuck for sideways milling especially at smaller sizes, because that usually means faster speeds and if the cutter decides to snap it's likely to be thrown sideways by one of the jaws at quite a velocity.

IMHO, it's not something to encourage beginners to machining (like myself) to do.

I wonder how many articles in ME and MEW show endmills being used in a 3-jaw lathe chuck along with a verticle slide? or is that considered ok?

Ed.

I've already contacted Ian