What's new
What's new

Sharpening 6 flute endmill on Darex E90 grinder

atomarc

Diamond
Joined
Mar 16, 2009
Location
Eureka, CA
I recently purchased a Darex E90 endmill sharpener and am attempting to sharpen the end of a 6 flute endmill. Have no clue how it can be done and the instruction manual isn't much help.

2 flute and 4 flute endmills are relatively straightforward to sharpen on the ends but 6 flutes have me stumped. The indexing collar has numbers for a 6 flute cutter so I'm pretty sure they can be sharpened.

Anyone have any insight on this subject?

Stuart
 
I recently purchased a Darex E90 endmill sharpener and am attempting to sharpen the end of a 6 flute endmill. Have no clue how it can be done and the instruction manual isn't much help.

2 flute and 4 flute endmills are relatively straightforward to sharpen on the ends but 6 flutes have me stumped. The indexing collar has numbers for a 6 flute cutter so I'm pretty sure they can be sharpened.

Anyone have any insight on this subject?

Stuart

"Stumped" may be the key, Stuart.

As an expert smart-ass, just SIT on that manual for a spell.

Then ask your own personal orif.. 'er "oracle"!

:D

I have every confidence you will be able to pull this one out of your a.. if you but play with it for a while.

The Darex, not the a...

Page 6: "6 and 8 flute may not be horizontal".

Page 8: third up from bottom: "Index pin won't drop in index collar holes."

Page 12: (Darex only published the first 11).. the "universal" practice that Buck is about to remind you of, any flute count.

Safe bet you DID already know that part, just got the underwear temporarily wrapped up in "indexing" of a new toy.

:)
 
Last edited:
If you cant locate on a finger, pin or index.. one can grind the whole end flat..then grind each flute to just bring the clearance angle to the edge so to just wipes away the land (witness)of the flat land.

Good to hold end mill to a flat piece so to see day light towards the center (the dish) and to see the center ls a little low..one flute going to center make the end mill able to plunge (go straight tnto part)
 
There is a Cuttermaster video showing the procedure for sharpening a 6 flute endmill on the end but it involves turning and tilting the motor and spindle at specific angles so each flute can be sharpened without colliding with the adjacent flute. The Darex machine doesn't allow the operator to turn or tilt motor or spindle but nonetheless, it has the index ring that is stamped with a '6' indicating that the end of a six flute cutter can truly be sharpened.

I'll keep digging.:)

Stuart
 
There is a Cuttermaster video showing the procedure for sharpening a 6 flute endmill on the end but it involves turning and tilting the motor and spindle at specific angles so each flute can be sharpened without colliding with the adjacent flute. The Darex machine doesn't allow the operator to turn or tilt motor or spindle but nonetheless, it has the index ring that is stamped with a '6' indicating that the end of a six flute cutter can truly be sharpened.

I'll keep digging.:)

Stuart

Six flutes, certainly. End? Only maybe.

You honestly may not be able to "get there from here" with a discontinued Darex instead of a larger / far more complex T&C grinder.

A Deckel/Alexander/Gorton-Lars/Chinese copy is intuitive. The Darex I can grok.

Cuttermaster makes my brain hurt - or at least my wallet - because a static picture gives the impression there ain't nothing THERE to work with. Enter a coupla grand worth of "accessories"???

Or maybe not so much. I shall have to go and find that video, thank you!

Buck's is the old way. Don't even try to do all flutes at the end. Corners do the work.

Just relieve the center and call it good for non-plunge use, or make but a single edge proud for slower, but still useful plunge use.

And it isn't ALWAYS even "slower".

Chip has to be created SOMEWHERE, but never LEFT there. Six converging end-flutes kinda crowds s**t when plunging and blind. Rare for a drill to have more than two, and "plunge" is ALL they do.

Hit the wall? Do the easy ones. Send your sixers out rather than chase diminishing economic returns and waste a cutter now and then as well as billable time, always.
 
I'll revive this dead horse as I did call Darex and there is a 'faux' method to sharpen the end of a 6 flute endmill. Darex does not manufacture these anymore but they were helpful anyway.

If anyone else has this sharpener and wanted to attack a 6 flute endmill this info might come in handy.:)

Stuart


From Darex;

The likelihood of having any consistent success grinding 6 flute endmills is very low. The radius of the wheel compromises adjacent cutting edges during the grind cycle.

image006.jpgimage007.jpg
 








 
Back
Top