Amadeal end mill sharpener

[Mark BParticipant @markb43031]

Sharpening end mills is something I've never got around to equipping myself with. The machines out there look fantastic, but the cost of them compared to the price of the small number of end mills I use doesn't justify the outlay. There is one from Arc Euro Trade which looks like a luna lander but at over £700 that equates to a lot of end mills!

I did stumble on this the other day which looks interesting from Amadeal.

Has anyone got experience of this and how it is used? I've tried to research it but not found any reviews of youtube videos.

[Mark BParticipant @markb43031]

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

This is described as a 'Sharpener', but it is not really. It requires a surface grinder (the Amadeal site is clear – if you look hard – Quickly sharpens cutters and end mills right on your tool or surface grinder (Not Supplied).)

So, as long as you have such a device, or access to one, it might be worthwhile.

Cheers, Tim

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

That just holds and positions the cutter, by the time you have added a suitable tool and cutter grinder the price difference may not be so much then there is the time to set it up unlike the ARC which are dead easy to do and very quick to use.

[Anonymous]

The Arc unit grinds the ends of the cutters, not the flutes. When I tried the Arc offering it worked well. But I try and maximise use of the cutter flutes so sharpening just the ends isn't sufficient. The Amadeal unit looks to be a copy of the Clarkson accessory albeit less versatile, and can grind the ends and the flutes. I would have expected the tolerances to be rather better than quoted.

Andrew

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Mark

That tool is for sharpening the side flutes of endmills. Probably not good value for money for a ME or Home Shop type but it is a direct clone of professional equipment and, properly handled, should work well.

To use the endmill is held central in the spindle by the appropriate bush and the finger on the lower bar bought up to engage with it between the flutes. The endmill is sharpened by sliding the spindle back and forth past the grinding wheel. Twisting the spindle so the finger remains in contact with the endmill as the spindle is moved causes the sharpening cut to follow the twist of the flutes.

For obvious reasons the spindle, bore and bushes need to be highly concentric and the motion smooth. Proper industrial versions use air bearing spindles for really smooth, free, movement. Hence even a hobby market version is inevitably a pretty expensive piece of kit.

You really need something more sophisticated than an ordinary bench grinder too. Ideally a proper T&C grinder or surface grinder. If well made something like the Brooks or similar DIY versions should be up to the job. A Quorn or one of the cheaper Deckel / Alexander clones wont hack it.

The common spindexer has similar sliding spindle capabilities and, allegedly, can be made to do the same job at rather lesser price but I know of no readily available "how to do it" documentation. Seems to me there is an opportunity for a series of MEW articles, or even a slender book, on enhancements and accessories for the spindexer.

The Arc "lunar lander" only does the end flutes, and very well too by all accounts, but its possibly a fairly costly one trick pony for most folk. Not so bad when you realise that a T&C grinder is not needed. The Arc tool is much easier to use as essentially, by normal T&C grinder standards at least, no set up is required

If you have a suitably arranged grinding wheel with a sliding table the tilting block holders for sharpening end teeth, like this offering from Arc **LINK** would be both effective and economical. I have a Clarkson T&C grinder with adequate kit but, were I to buy one, the ER32 version seems vastly more convenient to use as you can change cutters and collets without taking it away from the machine.

Clive

PS Too slow on the keyboard!

 

Edited By Clive Foster on 07/02/2021 11:33:02

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Save your money and put it too a Clarkson. The other units advertised at around £800 to £1000 are copies of the Deckel / GH Alexander engraving tool sharpener.

One tool & cutter grinder worth looking for is a 'TipLap' originally sold for regrinding the eponymous boring tools – but still will only sharpen end of cutters not the flutes.

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

Harold Hall's End mill/Slot drill sharpening attachment for use with a bench grinder will take some beating, for almost Zero outlay. It can be improved upon with the addition of an air bearing, provided a compressor is part of the workshop equipment.

Regards

Gray,

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

Mark B, I purchased one of these many years ago from what is now MSC — heap of junk IMO I returned it for a refund. The support for the main spindle consisted of Allen screws with a ball bearing inserted in the end, general build quality and tolerance was poor.

The concept is good if you have a surface grinder but treat the unit as a set of castings and rework everything plus a redesign of the support system !

Only my opinion of course and it’s possible the quality may have improved over 25 years since my purchase?

John

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Largely in agreement with the others here.
I bought one second hand some time ago, but haven't really used it in anger, as a week or two after it arrived I picked up an air spindle at a very good price.
It's not a stand alone item, I bought it to use on my Clarkson.

The Amadeal gizmo is really intended for sharpening the flutes of end mills as a cheaper option than an air spindle.
As a replacement for the cylindrical air bearing, there are two sets of three screws, each with a fixed single ball in the end to minimise friction (i.e. 6 single point hardened contacts)

The device is a bit buried in the workshop at the moment, but as I recall, and double checking the instructions, I don't think there is a way of adjusting the depth of cut. That would be taken care of by the table on the Clarkson.

Bill

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Oily Rag and Clive, spot on ! The clarkson air bearing flute grinder is a very simple device. If any one fancies making one I can offer dimensions and sketches. An arc 5C to ER32 adaptor with the taper ground off makes a good tool holder in the clarkson universal head. Noel.

[John PParticipant @johnp77052]

A little off topic from to OP's original question, however here are
a couple of interesting videos for end mill
grinding ,the first one a cnc machine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxU0K-TmEvI

The second one here is a mechanical unit and
below is the patent explaining how the mechanism
works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb14T-bDB1g

US2503926A – Spiral grinding machine – Google Patents

John

[Mark BParticipant @markb43031]

Thanks all for taking the time to reply to this. I now have a much better understanding of the Amadeal offering (which I'm not looking at any more) and the alternatives.

I feels like a Clarkson would be a very good solution with the right tooling, but this is a big machine which would take up a significant footprint in my workshop. I've seen one for sale which looks useful, but quite expensive.

I've also been looking at smaller options such as the Alexander. I can see one for sale here which is easier to store and a lot cheaper. Are these viable? They certainly look very useful of many other sharpening tasks.

I also see that there are Chinese clones of these machines available too, but I'm unsure of the quality of these.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

That Clarkson is way over priced, look on Ebay etc for better deals. The Alexander is not really a milling cutter grinder.

Tony

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by Tony Pratt 1 on 08/02/2021 20:36:07:

That Clarkson is way over priced, look on Ebay etc for better deals. ………………..

Tony

I'd go along with that; when you look at ebay, don't forget to go to Advanced Search, and look at Completed Listings.
They don't take up much more floor space than a decent sized pillar drill, but if you do look for one, keep an eye open on what tooling is supplied.
For basic jobs though most things can be made fairly readily, and if on a tight budget, poorly equipped ones often change hands cheaply.
For years, until I found a J&S universal head, I managed with this quick lashup, though I do have a pair of genuine centres, but they would be easy to make.

There's a couple more photos in this album.
Just an old brake slave I had in stock. If I were to lash up another, I'd use one off a single leading shoe setup as the slave would be an open ended cylinder.

For lots more info and ideas, visit The Bedroom Workshop
http://www.bedroom-workshop.com/

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 08/02/2021 22:00:43

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

You could buy a lot of endmills for £ 1200 !

[Anonymous]

Come to think of it, I could probably buy quite a few ready-built model steam engines for the price of a lathe or mill. Or clocks. Or ….

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Larry

No so sure about how good that comparison is.

Say 4 or 5 sizes at average £10 a pop. So maybe between 120 and 150 depending on size and supplier for good "shop bought" ones. Call it 30 of each. Three per year if that stock lasts a decade.

Hmmn. Maybe. Maybe not.

In reality you'd adjust stock in different sizes to match the rate you go through them but I'd guess over a decent ME or Home Shop career you'd spend several hundred pounds on cutters. Especially if all new and shop bought.

Industry does that sort of analysis all the time. Home shop folks have better things to do.

In reality having sharpening facilities ready to go means you always have a nice sharp cutter. If not on hand then five minutes later. Use till blunt then buy usually means use the last one too long 'cos you can't afford new one until next months paycheck (or pension).

Having my Clarkson drill sharpener permanently set-up has made life much easier as its about 2 minutes from "am I sure that drill is sharp" to "yep, really sharp now". End mills I have enough of to batch sharpen.

Odds are any decent sharpening set up will always have some value so, unlike cutters, its not pure spend.

Clive

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

I have an American "Cuttermaster" cutter grinder with an air spindle. Only gets used once or twice a year when I decide to have a session. Not an essential piece of kit more a nice to have. Footprint is around 2 foot square.

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