Making end / slot drills

[Mark BParticipant @markb43031]

I'm in the process of making a 1" Minnie traction engine and there are a few keyways included in the design.

I've got the keyway cutting worked out for my gears as per Mason's book.

The next thing I need to do it cut the slots on the shafts and I don't have a 3/32" milling cutter. Mason's book explains "Making small end cutting slot drills bas been described so many times that it should be unnecessary to detail the procedure here".

Can anyone point me at the design and technique for making a 3/32" slot / end mill?

[Mark BParticipant @markb43031]

[Former MemberParticipant @formermember12892]

[This posting has been removed]

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Yes you need to buy a 2-fluted slot drill. Don't use an end mill as it will probably cut a slightly over-width slot.

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

There's 1, maybe 1 1/2 pages on this in Workshop Practice series No. 5 Milling operations in the lathe by Tubal Cain (beginning of chapter 9).

An alternative, Woodruffe-like cutter is in Arnold Throp's earlier book in the same series.

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