Re: A lurker sticks his toe out

> From: Craig C Chamberlin <ccc@...>
> But before the he took the machine, I
> assembled it, and immediately went after some 416F stainless with a 3/8"
> end mill...The results were very surprising...

Making knives? I ask because of the type of steel.

> I feel the Sherline mill is a jewel, and cuts stainless with no problem,
> and feeding it by hand, produced a very fine finish and excellent
> accuracy...But I didn't exceed the depth of cut recommended, and I
> wasn't babying it...So, I am looking forward to getting it back, and
> with CNCPro, BobCad 17.0 for CAM, to bring my creations that I make
> using Vellum Solids to life...

The nice thing about CNC on a mill like this is that even though the metal
removal rate is slow compared to full size machines, you can set it up and
let it run as long as it takes to do what you want. One thing, I'd
investigate some sort of flood coolant setup that would immerse your
workpiece while its being machined to maximize your tool life and surface
finish. A friend of mine used to have an Emco-Maier PC Mill 50 and he would
contour knife blade profiles by letting the machine run overnight. As long as
the coolant flow is uninterrupted, you can get away with unattended
operation.

Good Luck,

Matt