In terms of milling tools, chamfer end mills are often overlooked. It is not that surprising when you take a look at a chamfer cutter. They are usually small tools with a simple point that are only good for chamfering, or so you would think. Today we will be taking a closer look at these often overlooked cutting tools and discuss the many different milling operations they can perform.

Chamfer End Mills
There are many different chamfer cutter designs. Most chamfering tools have an angled cutting edge relative to the central shank of the tool. In most cases, this is just a point at the end of the tool. Most chamfer cutters are not designed to remove large amounts of material like a standard end mill, but they do perform a number of different and important functions when machining.

Chamfering
Now obviously your chamfer mills are designed to complete a number of machining operations including chamfering. A chamfer is performed where material is removed from a workpiece so that an intermediate plane is cut where two other planes meet. This can help smooth out rough edges by forming a small transition between the two sides.

Beveling
When some people imagine a chamfer, they think of it as a bevel. While a chamfer removes part of both sides to replace the corner with an intermediate plane, the process of beveling removes material in order to change the angle at which two sides meet. Chamfer end mills can bevel materials with a thickness that is equal to or less than the length of the cutting point in a single pass. Bevels in thicker materials can also be completed with a chamfer cutter using multiple passes

Welding Preparation
Another great way to use your chamfer mills is to prepare metal for welding. When you are welding thick material, adding a chamfer only the edges that are being joined will help you create a much stronger weld. Chamfering edges on a milling machine will help you create an even channel to help your weld penetrate and give the weld pool space to develop to minimize material removal and cleaning after the weld.

Finishing Tasks
One other great way to use your chamfer mills is to help with the finishing process. The sharp tip of your chamfer cutter is perfect for tracing along the edges of your cuts in order to remove any burrs left by the milling process. While you are finishing your piece, you can also use the sharp point of your chamfer tool to engrave any final details onto your workpiece.

If you need some hard working chamfer cutters for your machine shop, you need to visit www.onlinecarbide.com. Their solid carbide chamfer end mills offer great wear resistance are manufactured in the US and are available at manufacturer direct prices. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to a member of the Online Carbide team by sending an email to [email protected].