Depth/Speed for settings Total Beginner

[Sailboat Larry]

I am getting closer to making my mill move for the first time. I need to cut 1/8th" aluminum flat pieces with a few 1/8th" holes in them. Is there a list/chart/table for the speed I should use for actually cutting this material or setting the plunge etc? I don't mind going slow to be easy on the end mills. I would be using a 1/8th" endmill.

I am trying to just draw a square in Corel, and import it into Lazycam, and then make it move to Mach 3 so something will happen. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. I am watching the video help, and it has got me this far, but there are some serious gaps in my knowlege.

 Larry

[Hood]

What max  spindle speed do you have? How many flutes does your cutter have?
Hood

[Sailboat Larry]

I am using a TAIG mill,  and the motor spec plate says it is a 3450 RPM motor, and I am on 2:1 ratio now, could go to a faster ratio if needed.

 2 fluted end mill,

 Thanks for the help,

 Larry

[Hood]

Use as fast a spindle speed as you can, would probably think about 8 IPM for 9000RPM so if you can go 4500 then it would probably be about 4 IPM. Might have to go a bit less on the feed depending on the rigidity of your mill, I dont have any experience with these desktop type mills. I tend to plunge about 2/3 feed in 5083 Alu but again depends on your setup, maybe try 50% for a start
Hood

[Sailboat Larry]

Thanks very much for the help, atleast now I have a reference on where to start. I am set at about 7000 RPM right now, and all I have to do is move to a higher ratio pulley and I can easily achieve 9000 RPM so I will go to that.

I will start with 50% on the plunge and see how it does.
 Larry

[Hood]

Ther is a nice wee programme called Machinists Mate, you can download the demo and see if you like it. I still use it quite a bit and it gives you a ballpark figure to aim for, you can then tweak your feeds and speeds to suit your particular machine. All you have to do is enter the mills Dia, the material, the material of the cutter, whether its an endmill or facemill or whatever and how many flutes (tips) and it will gve you feeds and speeds. Either that or you can look up your cutter manufacturers website and they should give you info on chipload per tooth etc.
Hood

[DAlgie]

A little Alumatap cutting fluid, or just Kerosene, or even WD40 will stop the mill from getting chips welding themselves to the mill bit, and vacuum the chips out now and then.
   DaveA.

[Sailboat Larry]

OK... thanks...  I have a JET shop dust system that will suck the hide off the cow... and it is ready to go to work if I can ever get the mill to work.

 Saw your avatar, can't quite make out what kind of machine that is.... I spent 30 years as a pilot and now am trying to make a living not flying.. which is not nearly as much fun, but keeps me close to home for my Mom who needs the help at this point in life. I am looking for a set of plans for a German Albatross D.Va  which is rumored to be available for a full size build. I always wanted to fly one of those...  maybe I will get a chance.

 thanks again,

 Larry

[DAlgie]

It's my own design, there's a link on my profile to the website if you like.