Fly Cutter with R8 arbor for the mill..Plans available by Rossbotics.

Thanks PJs, this was a lot of fun to make. Got to use that new lathe motor and vfd a lot!
I have a local source of end cut off pieces of steel and aluminum so I get most of my metal there.
Aluminum end cut offs for $2.50 per lb and steel (mostly hot rolled) for a whopping $0.65 per lb.

A few online sources for drill rod and a bit of cast iron so I usually have something on hand for most of my builds.

My local source also has 1018 in stock also. If I had not found that local outfit I might never have made my CNC
machine and therefore I would probably still be cutting wood only!
That place keeps me in metal!

Cheers, JR

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Originally Posted by jjr2001

Thanks PJs, this was a lot of fun to make. Got to use that new lathe motor and vfd a lot!
I have a local source of end cut off pieces of steel and aluminum so I get most of my metal there.
Aluminum end cut offs for $2.50 per lb and steel (mostly hot rolled) for a whopping $0.65 per lb.

A few online sources for drill rod and a bit of cast iron so I usually have something on hand for most of my builds.

My local source also has 1018 in stock also. If I had not found that local outfit I might never have made my CNC
machine and therefore I would probably still be cutting wood only!
That place keeps me in metal!

Cheers, JR

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Nice! Not sure if you have one in your area (looks to be 2 or 3) but Fastenal carries 01 and hot and cold roll in short lengths and decent prices. I get most of my 01 from them.

Cheers, PJ

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Originally Posted by jjr2001

Thanks Doug, I never would have thought of using the fly cutter for that pattern.
If you had not posted how it was done I would have thought hours were expended
with a rotary table and end mill! Your method would be so fast in comparison.

Cheers, JR

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Not unlike process milling cylinder heads for gasket retention. You'll enhance the knurl or checkering effect enlarging the cutting radius somewhat beyond edges of the plate being milled. Attaining the scored finish by reversing normal speed and feed ratios, once a true plane is cut.

Another way tilts the head slightly, with a cutter ground to impart desired tool marks. Easier said than done, however.
Many old machine tools were surfaced, by an unknown process name, in just this way, inclined cutters. The pattern shows up frequently on radial drill bases. Long, parallel, ultra shallow 'grooves', separated by a narrow land.
As example, a 5/8" [.625, or 15.8mm] cutter inclined 1°, lower edge .002 or .003 into surface, stepped over .062 [1.58mm] or .687 [17,44mm]. Whatever surface width is divided by equally spaced tracks. Those tracks end [disappear] neatly in coolant troughs. Economy and machine sense tells me feed direction was reversed in the trough airspace. Old timers declared purpose broke surface tension of coolant under large flat parts. The narrow lands reduce contact friction [and scratches] positioning same large items as well.
I seem unable to create a browser search for visual examples. Machining such a surface would be exponentially faster than Biax type scraping or flaking, which certainly don't render connected airways.
Way back (x 8 or 9), Downey CA, I ran a monster Archdale radial drill, #6 taper and crazily rigid. I drilled pilot holes for 3" leader pins several times, naturally even larger for bushings, never used the largest bits we had...later pilot holes were bored for position on a Lucas horizontal. Guess who tabled those 11 ton molds? Anyway, the column was 18 or 20 inch, but arm was extraordinarily short, about 48". Whenever drilling backs of mold bases, or anything with protrusions on top side, I'd have to affix immense block table. It had coupler for compressed air, globe valve and venting so she'd float from the sled onto the machine base. No forklift required, positive that fixture weighed 6,000 pounds. Also positive the milled surface bled enough air to cushion fixture without suspending [?] it. Had that slid off, being drawn an quartered would only be initial retaliation.
Archdale Machine Tools Nothing even close (or nearly as handsome operator) lol. Like K&T, Cincinnati etc, no iron shortage in British machinery. But you'll chuckle at some of the captions...

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Originally Posted by wizard69

Nice fly cutter there. I can see where having a set of these in various diameters would be nice. I have to believe that this is a better balanced solution than some fly cutter designs.

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Partly that it's extremities aren't outside bearing diameters of the spindle. Retraction and locking quill also results with improved finish.

Thanks TM, I enjoyed the shop tour. Impressive size of the "imperial" machines. (pun intended)
That is an amazing web site with very interesting and informative information.
Thanks again, JR