Source? End mills for cutting molds on CNC

[snowshooze]

Hi Guys;
I am thinking about knocking out some molds.
There are several simple designs I can do with production tooling, but is anyone aware of a tool-maker who specializes in bullet mold tooling, who isn't a manufacturer?
I can cut my own tooling, however I avoid doing so whenever possible.
Thanks;
Mark

[bangerjim]

I am always interested in specialized milling cutter sources out there. I will be following the replies!

Thanks.

bangerjim

[snowshooze]

Well, I was talking to Bruce, Owner of Cutting Tool Control, and he said it wasn't a problem...
Just send the file.
They manufacture End mills from scratch.... big outfit.
I can call any profile I want.
And I may well go that route, but I was just checking to see if there were off-the-shelf cutters first.

[Rcmaveric]

I cant help. But there are youtube videos of making a bullet mold cherry. The chucking the cherry on a cnc and slowly closing the mold blocks on it to cut a cavity.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[snowshooze]

Yes, that is the old method.

[kootne]

I can vouch for the fact the biggest issue is going to be getting the chips out if you mill it with the blocks closed. Can you interpolate a ROUND hole? Do you have a cnc lathe? Tooling is a lot simpler and so is chip flushing.
Hey, I think I am sounding like a smart alec or know it all. Don't mean to. I'm retired from the daily "grind" of machining, now I do it for love instead of money. I have bored a few in a manual lathe. Always thought about cnc. Have an old Bandit/Shizouka knee mill in the garage, someday I will try. I have thought about the tooling issue and think I will get some appropriately sized woodruff cutters and regrind profile as needed and cut it a groove at a time. That would give more versatility if different designs were anticipated. Thought about using a rotary table to get better roundness, could do that on a Bridgeport for that matter. Also thought about making a fixture on a 40 tool holder to hold the blocks upside down and stand some small boring bars vertically in the mill vise and use the cnc mill as an upside down lathe, should really help with chips. But haven't really pushed it because molds have never been better quality, variety and availability in the last 50 years as they have in the last 5. I will only make one if I can't buy what I want. But if you are ambitious, right now might be a windfall opportunity.
Best of luck, and sorry I didn't really answer your last question. Maybe check with Micro 100 or PTG.
Dennis

[redneck1]

Kennemetal and most of the big name tool companies sell off the shelf lollipop style cutters that a guy could use to make molds .
Biggest issue for the average guy isnt so much the price of the tools which arent cheap.

You also need a spindle that's fast enough to use them and tool holding that is balanced and free of run out ... Er collet chucks and 7500 rpm spindles aren't gonna cut it . you'll just wipe out expensive tooling quickly .

[snowshooze]

Kennemetal and most of the big name tool companies sell off the shelf lollipop style cutters that a guy could use to make molds .
Biggest issue for the average guy isnt so much the price of the tools which arent cheap.

You also need a spindle that's fast enough to use them and tool holding that is balanced and free of run out ... Er collet chucks and 7500 rpm spindles aren't gonna cut it . you'll just wipe out expensive tooling quickly .

Not an issue here.

[snowshooze]

I can vouch for the fact the biggest issue is going to be getting the chips out if you mill it with the blocks closed. Can you interpolate a ROUND hole? Do you have a cnc lathe? Tooling is a lot simpler and so is chip flushing.
Hey, I think I am sounding like a smart alec or know it all. Don't mean to. I'm retired from the daily "grind" of machining, now I do it for love instead of money. I have bored a few in a manual lathe. Always thought about cnc. Have an old Bandit/Shizouka knee mill in the garage, someday I will try. I have thought about the tooling issue and think I will get some appropriately sized woodruff cutters and regrind profile as needed and cut it a groove at a time. That would give more versatility if different designs were anticipated. Thought about using a rotary table to get better roundness, could do that on a Bridgeport for that matter. Also thought about making a fixture on a 40 tool holder to hold the blocks upside down and stand some small boring bars vertically in the mill vise and use the cnc mill as an upside down lathe, should really help with chips. But haven't really pushed it because molds have never been better quality, variety and availability in the last 50 years as they have in the last 5. I will only make one if I can't buy what I want. But if you are ambitious, right now might be a windfall opportunity.
Best of luck, and sorry I didn't really answer your last question. Maybe check with Micro 100 or PTG.
Dennis

Pressure flood coolant.
This doesn't look too challenging.
I guess the biggest thing is trying to figure out which molds are most in demand.
9MM I guess, no lube grooves at all for powder-coated bullets.. to start.
I have all my own molds, so I am not worried about my collection, really...
Some .45, and so many configurations of .30 I don't know.
Well, first, get one done I guess.

[snowshooze]

Kennemetal and most of the big name tool companies sell off the shelf lollipop style cutters that a guy could use to make molds .
Biggest issue for the average guy isnt so much the price of the tools which arent cheap.

You also need a spindle that's fast enough to use them and tool holding that is balanced and free of run out ... Er collet chucks and 7500 rpm spindles aren't gonna cut it . you'll just wipe out expensive tooling quickly .

I have an open account there...
Yeah, they have a substantial hunk of my hyde..

[Conditor22]

some saw and cutting tool sharpening shops can CNC cut custom carbide bits and cutters. My friend said he could cut cherries if given the specs.

[snowshooze]

some saw and cutting tool sharpening shops can CNC cut custom carbide bits and cutters. My friend said he could cut cherries if given the specs.

Yeah, that is like Bruce, his grinders are all CNC, he has probably millions tied up in gear.
Does a lot for Boeing.
I did buy a chunk of O1 stock today, but thought I might just grab some end mills out of my tool room and see what I can do straight off the mill without turning a cutter.
I drew up a 9MM on CAD earlier though.
I might sneak in a test Monday.
If I do, I toss in a picture.

[redneck1]

If your wanting to do a slick sided mold you could probably get away with drilling out the cavity and profiling it with a smallish bull nose endmill .
Wouldn't even have to leave a flat nose if you didn't want to .

[snowshooze]

Well, is is a quiet Saturday, so I snuck into the shop and did a test cut.
The best profile cutter for this 9MM was a used .265 3 flute tin coated ball mill with lots of miles on it
Not bad for a first attempt.

[Mitch]

I have thought about trying to have some cutters made to use in a cnc mill and circle terp them .My though was t make an endmill that would cut bullets of about the same length in several calibers with the same cutter.Just was a thought.

Your test block looks good for an endmill with some miles on it.

[snowshooze]

I don't know if you can see the difference... but a bit better.
As good as this cutter can do.

[LEADHOPPER]

GW Schultz out of Taveres, Florida does custom carbide form tools at a decent price. I've used.them for years for aerospace parts and have had them quote me some cutters for making my own molds.

[awayne]

I have been trying to find someone near by that will cut molds for me and so far no luck. But I haven’t given up yet lol