Subject: FLYCUTTER (wanted)

From: [email-masked] (Chris Scott)
Date: 6 May 94 09:06:52 CST

I need to cut 1 - 5 inch circles out of brass and alluminum.
I am told that the tool I need is a flycutter.  I assume that
this is used with a vertical mill or drill press.

Should anyone have one for sale, reasonable, I would be interested.

Chris

-- 
[email-masked] aka Chris Scott- C/E Public Radio- Western KY U
                      Telco: (502) 745-3834  Hm & Fax: (502) 781-1232
...just another insignificant VAX user.        \\\//
                                               (o o)
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From: [email-masked] (James Kirkpatrick)
Date: 6 May 94 10:22:51 MDT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Chris Scott) writes:

|>I need to cut 1 - 5 inch circles out of brass and alluminum.
|>I am told that the tool I need is a flycutter.  I assume that
|>this is used with a vertical mill or drill press.

Miscellaneous rambling follows:

Just as a clarification:  Are you attempting to end up with a piece of
metal with a hole in it, or are you attempting to make disks?  That is,
is the holed sheet the leftover scrap, or is the disk the leftover scrap?
This might make a difference in the solutions that get suggested!
For example, if the disk is scrap, an alternative is the hole saw that
includes a pilot drill in the center; if a clean disk is the desired
product, this would not be a solution.  Also, if arbitrary diameter is
desired, then the hole saw isn't a good idea because they don't come
in an infinite number of sizes.

In metalworking, the term "fly cutter" is usually applied to a
single-pointed tool that is rotated and does indeed cut a circular
path.  However, it is usually used in a vertical mill with X-axis
being cranked, in order to cut a smooth flat surface.  It isn't
designed to cut more than a few thousandths at a pass, at least at
the home shop scale.

However, with an appropriately-shaped cutting bit, I can see that
it could be used for cutting circles.  I believe there are tools
commonly available for woodworking to do this, and perhaps they too
are called "fly cutters".  In metalworking, the bit is usually at an
angle (to allow some adjustment of the diameter), but for cutting
circles you'd want the bit (or at least the "active", cutting portion)
to be vertical so as it cuts down it doesn't end up with more and more
work to do.  Some tapering, such as with a lathe cutoff tool, would seem
desirable.

Another solution, if size and tooling permit, is to spin the sheet on
a faceplate in a lathe, and use a cutoff tool to cut the circles.  This
sort of work has a specific name which I can't remember, but may be a
lot more clumsy than using a drill press and an appropriate fly cutter!

How thick is the material?

Jim

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From: [email-masked] (Gordon W J Sorensen)
Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 17:14:07 GMT

Chris Scott ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I need to cut 1 - 5 inch circles out of brass and alluminum.
: I am told that the tool I need is a flycutter.  I assume that
: this is used with a vertical mill or drill press.

A fly cutter could be used to cut circles out of sheet metal, however it
is usually not adjustable for diameter.  The tool bit in a flycutter is 
angled so that it cuts well in the x-y direction but not so good in the
z direction. A boring head with modified tooling might be a better 
choice.  A flycutter is usually used to remove material from the surface
of a metal plate. It gives a smoother more even cut than multiple passes from
a smaller end mill would 

Depending on the thickness of the material I would highly recommend the use
of the mill over the drill press.  A hole saw might also be a possibility.

Flycutters are not terribly expensive, $15-25 for smaller imported ones.
They are not to hard to make if you have access to a mill and lathe.

 gordon

: Should anyone have one for sale, reasonable, I would be interested.

: Chris

: -- 
: [email-masked] aka Chris Scott- C/E Public Radio- Western KY U
:                       Telco: (502) 745-3834  Hm & Fax: (502) 781-1232
: ...just another insignificant VAX user.        \\\//
:                                                (o o)
: --------------------------------------------ooO-(_)-Ooo-----------------------

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From: [email-masked] (Jonathan Henry)
Date: 7 May 1994 22:34:45 GMT

It sounds like what you are refering to is a circle (hole) cutting
attachment designed for use in a drill press.  These are designed somewhat
like fly-cutters. Typically with an adjustable single cutting tool bit,
though some types use two tool bits.They can be adjusted to cut various
diameter holes (or discs). They are commonly available -- You can even get
them from Sears.  They should only be used in a drill press.  Do not use
them with a hand held drill!  They will leave a small hole (approx 1/4 inch
dia.)  in the center of the disk that is cut since they use a pilot drill
bit.  They are intended to be used on wood.  You might be able to use them
to cut metal though you should be very careful. If you are going to be
cutting metal disks make sure they are extremely WELL clamped to the drill
press table, and with a wood backing!  You may experience alot of chatter
and an escaped, rotating piece of sheet metal is nasty stuff.  

JH

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12:50:40 EDT 1994
Article: 4831 of rec.crafts.metalworking
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From: [email-masked]
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: DIR/NEW
Date: 7 May 94 17:39:47 EST
Organization: University of Scranton
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Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
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I'm a total neophyte in this group, and hope it's the right one for this
question.
After having a concrete fountain shatter into our pond last winter,
we decided to make one from metal.  I found a great lamp, shaped like
a growing plant, and since we thought it was brass, we adapted
it to take the hose tube and spout water.  Only it turns out to be steel.
Is there anything I can do to the metal to keep it from rusting out, as
this really looks spectacular in the middle of our pond.

E-mail me if you don't think your answer will benefit the group.
Carol Wallace

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Scott)
Date: 9 May 94 09:30:17 CST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Jonathan Henry) writes:

Many thanx to all who replied and posted.  I purchased the Sears tool
for $12, and initial results have been reasonably good.

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From: [email-masked] (Alan Frisbie)
Date: 11 May 94 09:28:49 PST

In article <[email-masked]>, 
[email-masked] (Chris Scott) writes:

> I need to cut 1 - 5 inch circles out of brass and aluminum.

The tool I think you are looking for is not a flycutter, but a
trepanning tool.   The common name is "Circle Cutter".   It is 
used to cut large diameter holes in sheet metal.   Simple ones 
(made by General, etc.) can be found at most large hardware stores 
(Home Depot carries them), but they don't go up to five inches.    
I think they cost under ten dollars.

A larger one is also made by General (#55) with a range of 
1.75" to 8.0".   It is listed in the IPS catalog (page 506)
for $20.43 as a "Heavy Duty Circle Cutter".   IPS takes both 
Visa and Mastercard:
	Industrial Pipe & Steel Co.
	9936 Rush Street
	South El Monte, CA 91733
	(818) 443-9467 (Voice)
	(818) 579-4602 (FAX)
	(800) 423-4981 (Voice)

Most of them have a "feature" that may be a problem for you: 
a drill bit in the center.   This helps steady the work (and
tool) in the typical homeowner's flimsy setup, but leaves a
hole in the center of the disk you cut out.   If this is the
scrap part, then there is no problem for you.   If you have
a solid setup, you can probably eliminate the drill bit.

If you use one of these tools, *please* clamp everything down
solidly.   They are very likely to grab the sheet metal and
spin it wildly, slicing your hands, etc. into ribbons.   Use
the slowest possible speed, the sharpest cutting edge possible,
and lots of cutting fluid.   This is a dangerous operation,
especially if done without the center drill bit.

The Autumn 1990 issue (#2) of Model Engineers' Workshop (an Argus
Specialist Publication) had a short article on building your
own adjustable trepanning tool.   This issue is no longer
available from Argus, but I will FAX a copy (2 pages) of the
article if you wish.

--  Alan E. Frisbie               [email-masked]
--  Flying Disk Systems, Inc.
--  4759 Round Top Drive          (213) 256-2575 (voice)
--  Los Angeles, CA 90065         (213) 258-3585 (FAX)