Simple, EZ Coolant for Small Mills.
For a while I was keep burning my HSS end mills… I had this new machine and had no experience at all.
I used as it is for quite a while meanwhile keep ruining expansive HSS end mills, and plenty of materials to go with it. I thought maybe that is how it is. I didn’t know how to reshape or sharpen them, so, I keep taking them to this blade sharpening shop… after a while guy at the shop asked what I was working on, and why so fast I was dulling my end mills…
And that was not normal, I should be doing something wrong.
Well, keep the story short (I am telling for newbies so they might not fall for the same mistakes) I was working on QCTP for my lathe. For couple of changer unit I burn 3 dovetails… Than, that was the last drop. I called and asked to a pro, (I didn’t know this site than, yet) what is going on and how they do it. He asked me, what kind of coolant I was using.. I said none. His answer and example for it was too good to be told here. Bot mainly I was to use some sort of “coolant” to get a good results and save my end mills. For that night to finish what I had left, last dovetail he advised to use spray bottle.
I finished the work by that primitive cooling, but not lost another dovetail.
After thinking and searching a bit I come up for practical temporary fixing until I purchase a cooling unit for my mill, (but from where and I didn’t know if there was such an unit exist at all)
Anyways, this fixture I come up with, working so good that I am not looking for another at all. I have been using for year and a half now and very happy with it. I thought maybe others would like to try for their small mills, since cost no more than 10$ and couple of hours of work.
You will find an removed protection cover bolt space somewhere suitable on the machine to lightly bolt or you may use some kind of strong magnet contact (so, it wont move by the vibration)
It works nice and quiet and won’t make mess spread the water all around when spinning (somehow sticking with the end mill, when contact the work piece)… all the water stays in the table and get easy discharged.
(Discharges faster than fills, so no problem of over flooding) just don’t forget to put some kind of filter to the mill’s table discharge gate to prevent fine chips to going into the tank or clog the tubing, which has never happened until now.
Keeps all the chips stay within the table they won’t fly all around.
water pump
Most important of all; it will keep your HSS end mills like brand new, with more tolerating for deeper cuts.
I use “borax oil” (Liter is around 3$ goes for about year for moderate use.)
add a cola lid full or two into plain 2 liter water, turns into milk like liquid. You probably know what it is, you may have seen over the pro shops of raw material cutting saws.
I don’t know, maybe there are easier and less expensive ways of doing it. But take it as a thought.
