WFT2 End Mill Replacement
- Thread starter Agent Entropy
- Start date
I have a WFT but have not used it yet, so I'm curious...are you getting chatter because the bottom cutting edges of end mill are dull or chipped from lots of use? If so, about how many times have you trimmed a case with it (was it on the order of hundreds, thousands, etc.)?
Thank you
Thank you
Using the wrong RPM and hard brass will both cause some chatter.
Brass should not be chipping a hardened steel cutter.
I have trimmed a shit ton of brass with mine and never replaced the cutter. I have a couple new ones ready in the drawer though.
www.sinclairintl.com
Brass should not be chipping a hardened steel cutter.
I have trimmed a shit ton of brass with mine and never replaced the cutter. I have a couple new ones ready in the drawer though.
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www.sinclairintl.com
Yep, I agree that an unfavorable RPM will contribute to chatter. I also agree that in general, brass should not chip HSS too easily.
A carbide endmill (EM) replacement may last longer than a HSS EM. If the OP wants to go that route, I’d find a cheaper carbide EM than what was posted. Reason being, the finishing EM that the OP attached has fancy cutting flutes that may show benefit in a cutting application where the flutes are actually used to side-mill a workpiece…but only the bottom cutting edges are used to trim a case neck…a more expensive ‘finishing’ endmill is a waste of money, IMO.
It seems to me, something like this (https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/88246152) would yield similar results as the EM that the OP found…at half the price.
I saw this link for the replacement cutters after posting my previous comment… @Agent Entropy if it were me, I’d go this route for a replacement cutter…another, cheap HSS endmill.I have trimmed a shit ton of brass with mine and never replaced the cutter. I have a couple new ones ready in the drawer though.
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ETA: but, if you really want to go the carbide route, see my other reply.
That's great info, thank you. I've got probably 3-4k pieces of brass though this one. Using a cordless drill, so I think I'll go back and process some 300bo from 556 and try and learn at what speed I get nice, continuous ribbons.
3-4k pieces...that seems like a decent bang-for-the-buck to just get another HSS replacement like @supercorndogs suggested.
It’s got me wondering how much longer a carbide endmill would really last over a HSS replacement. I say this because trimming brass sucks! I don’t know anyone who looks forward to wasting their time trimming. As such, most people that I’ve seen trim brass just shove cases in and out of the trimmer as fast as possible, so they can be done trimming as fast as possible.
Trimming this way…with impact-after-impact of case necks slamming into the cutting edges…may not yield a big-enough improvement in tool-wear using carbide, to justify the 2x-3x cost over HSS. You could buy 3 HSS replacements for the price of that 1 carbide cutter that I linked to. Would one carbide cutter trim 9-12k pieces with your setup, if all else was equal in the process? Let us know, if you try it
I'm usually a buy once kind of guy, but I also love a new, clean edge. Definitely have given me something to think about.3-4k pieces...that seems like a decent bang-for-the-buck to just get another HSS replacement like @supercorndogs suggested.
It’s got me wondering how much longer a carbide endmill would really last over a HSS replacement. I say this because trimming brass sucks! I don’t know anyone who looks forward to wasting their time trimming. As such, most people that I’ve seen trim brass just shove cases in and out of the trimmer as fast as possible, so they can be done trimming as fast as possible.
Trimming this way…with impact-after-impact of case necks slamming into the cutting edges…may not yield a big-enough improvement in tool-wear using carbide, to justify the 2x-3x cost over HSS. You could buy 3 HSS replacements for the price of that 1 carbide cutter that I linked to. Would one carbide cutter trim 9-12k pieces with your setup, if all else was equal in the process? Let us know, if you try it
What's your wft setup like? I looked at getting a dedicated electric motor and controls, but by then, I was halfway the cost to a Henderson.
Edit: 95% of my trimming with this one has been finishing cut-down 556 cases for blackout, where material removal can be tens of thous, not just a couple thous, so that may have something to do with it, too.
My WFT is still setup in the original box
...as mentioned earlier, I've not used it yet. I'm brand new to reloading for precision rifle and still shooting virgin Lapua cases that haven't been trimmed. Once I shoot all of those cases, I'll incorporate the WFT into the reloading process...the WFT will chuck up in a drill press.
For shits and giggles, I got a 60° chamfer-cut end mill. Maybe it can save me a step, we'll see.My WFT is still setup in the original box
For trimming 223 brass into 300bo, I would look into a mini chop saw, or make a jig to cut them with a hack saw or cutoff wheel on a grinder. Seems like it would less work than trying to use the WFT for it.
Yup, that's what I used, but the cuts weren't clean or concentric so I hit it with the trimmer to square them up before chamfer and deburr.
