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HSS Router SFPM

snowshooze

Hot Rolled
Joined
Sep 15, 2010
Location
Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Hi Guys...
I was playing with some wood in the Haas and killed a pretty nice HSS end mill.
Now, I am wondering the recommended SFPM for HSS cutters in various woods.
I am guessing with my recent experience, it must be at or below 300 SFPM, but these days, nobody uses HSS... and I can't even find the wood guys that know...
Thanks,
Mark
 
I don't know what the sfm is myself, but you may be having trouble more from the geometry of the cutter than how fast you are running it.

Planers, shapers, molders all still use HSS knives, it is only if you are running huge volume or some nasty high wear material through them that it makes sense to go carbide or diamond.

I have and still use HSS in my cnc router but it is on plastics as I have carbide on hand for wood.
 
The failure mode of HSS in wood, is heat accelerated chemical erosion. As opposed to abrasion.
Many small HSS bits especially cutting in pockets, do not clear chips effectively, pack up, and die from the heat. Where they can actually cut a long time if the chips are expelled. E.G. 1/4" bits seem to die faster than 3/4" bits at the same depth and rpm, when the 1/4" is only 1/3 the sfm.

Effectve airblast might help?

Anecdotal - my pin router is 10,000 rpm high speed. bits do seem to last longer than in a hand held router, similar cuts, 18 - 22,000 rpms.

HSS will not last in substrates with glue - plywood, MDF, other manmade boards or such with facings.

smt
 
Thanks!
Yes, it is a heat problem.
The chips don't absorb much.
I don't want to run coolant on wood...
Air blast... and routers make an awful mess.
So, I guess I will run slow.
 








 
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