Tried HSS end mills vs carbide for aluminum yesterday, what a joke on myself

I been running aluminum parts for 3 years always using carbide end mills, spending like $40 each and burning through them every 200 parts. Yesterday I grabbed a pack of HSS end mills from the tool crib on a whim, $12 each. Ran 300 parts and the finish was actually smoother, no chatter, and they're still sharp. Why did nobody tell me to just match the tool to the material instead of buying the expensive stuff? Anyone else waste money on carbide for soft metals?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_west595d ago

Oh boy, this brings back a memory. I was helping my buddy swap out a transmission in his old Ford Ranger, and we spent like an hour trying to get a bolt loose with this expensive impact socket set. Finally I grabbed his granddad's rusty old Craftsman socket from the bottom of the toolbox, and it came right off. Sometimes the cheap stuff just works better because it's not trying to be fancy. Your mileage may vary, but I've had that same kind of moment with cutting tools before.

joseph_west594d ago

Three years ago I would've sworn you needed name brand tools to do anything right, but my dad's old ratchet set has bailed me out more times than my Snap-On stuff ever has.