End Mill Test Cuts | Will It Snap!?

How hard can you push an end mill before it snaps? Dale Mickelson, from Hardmilling.com, shared with us some of his tests. Sit back, relax, and enjoy…

Modern machining is all about efficiency and productivity. And to achieve high levels of productivity, shops are constantly seeking ways to improve their machining strategies which often translates into cranking up feeds and speeds.

Not all end mills can withstand extreme feeds and speeds though. Knowing what are the limits of your cutting tools can help you improve machining strategies, reduce cycle times, get more parts done, and ultimately make more money.

But how do you find the limits of your end mills? Test. That’s how Dale Mikelson, high-speed machining expert and consultant at Hardmilling.com (http://hardmilling.com/), spends part of his time. In this video, he spent time testing different end mills on multiple materials. The results are surprising in some cases and expectable in others. Nevertheless, it’s always good to know what your end mill can achieve.

How far have you pushed your end mills before they broke? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more machining videos!