Subject: T-slot Cutters

From: [email-masked] (Mark McDade x6841)
Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 06:16:14 GMT

A couple of months ago, I posted requesting help with small t-slot
cutters.  Thanks to everyone for the many responses, both posted and
e-mailed.  The main suggestions for finding 3/8" shank cutters fell into
three categories - places to buy, how to modify existing ones and
making them.  I finally got some time over the holidays and tried the
latter two (couldn't find a source to buy them).  Per someone's
suggestion, I tried turning down a 1/2" shank cutter (an old keyway
cutter that was damaged) with a carbide bit.  The shaft is soft
enough to cut but very slow and I did splinter the carbide in the
process.  After that, I followed Lautard's instructions (from Machinist's
Bedside Readers I and III) and made a couple of small cutters from O-1
drill rod with great success!  I can now duplicate the t-slots in the
Sherline mill table (at least in aluminum - haven't tried the cutters in
steel).  The "cutter block" Lautard suggests makes it easy to
mill the cutter flutes (mine are three flute cutters) and although
he says to hand file the secondary relief, I just rotated the cutter
in the block and milled it before hardening and touching up with a
stone.

Thanks again for all the help - this is a great Newsgroup!

Mark McDade

[email-masked]