Fly cutter - first try

[Ronj]

For anyone interested in old school info and techniques, check out Your Old Time Bookstore. They have a large library of books from the old days. They send out e-mails regularly with 75% off discounts. Very good information and very cheap. Ronj.

Well, despite my suggestion of inserts, I hope to keep the old "artisan" aspect of engineering going as I have much love and respect for the old school machines, tools and techniques from back in the day.

[ncollar]

ncollar; hand set multiple HSS bit cutters easily when mounted in the spindle. Use gravity and two feeler gauges at a time. Then a sharp bit doesn't bite sliding shim. Sometimes you can get good results with them 'stepped' in Z axis height from cutting plane. Only need a couple thousandths variation, whichever is highest is the 'rougher'. Common to multi-flute cutters, RPM can be reduced and feed rate increased.

Toolmaker51
I did not think about what you said. But letting it sink in I could also rotate the fly cutter around to a fixed point and adjust all cutters with the feeler gauge. Almost like tramming the head but the cutters.
Thank you for your wise intervention.
Nelson

[Toolmaker51]

About wise intervention, I'm not so sure. Just doing what it takes, that way a boss keeps handing me checks on Fridays IYKWIM.

There are all kind of small bound notebooks. I plant them all over; so when inspiration strikes, a trick gets discovered, or reminder to purchase so & so, it gets recorded.