Has anyone used their gantry with a 'fixed' preformed tool to cut gear wheels. Much like a shaper machine.
I have some involute gear cutters but they are far too big for my spindle. I thought I could afix a special shaped tool to my gantry and use back/forward (shaper) motion to cut my gear. The part would be rotated on my 4th axis at the required incremental degrees.

Thanks

George

IT has been done for years on lathes AND mills. BUT it creates a lot of side load on the gantry style mills/routers that you would normally not see. Running it in the X axis inline with the gantry would be the best.

Give it a whirl, (;-) TP

Thanks for the reply.

I'll try it om aluminum first.

I don't think it's a really good idea.

What will happen is the tool will flex the gantry upward until it can't flex anymore and then it will take a good chunck of material and probably jam the machine.

Jeff

Light cuts grasshopper, light cuts. I have done it on a small lathe by hand,  tool held in a flimsy toolpost and MANY MANY ins and outs. AND a very SHARP high rake bit.

(;-)TP

I did it to cut an internal keyway for a motor cuopling. It worked like a charm on my lathe. I took ~.001 per pass. It can be time consuming but for a one off it can't be beat.

Mike