Mold Cherry Cutters

[LEADHOPPER]

Looking for someone to make a mold cherry cutter. I am looking at making a mold for my 270 Winchester and would like someone to make the cherry for me. If anyone knows of somebody that does this, please let me know.

Leadhopper

[Catshooter]

Lead,

Most good tool grinder houses could make you one. Even Perry, Ga. should have one or two.:)

You do know that the cherrying method of mould manufacture requies the use of a cherrying vise, right? A double-acting vise.


Cat

[deltaenterprizes]

You can try contacting the mold makers in the sticky : Mould Makers - Production & Custom also member BABore does molds and has been very helpful getting be set up to cut a few molds. I am still refining my skills to sharpen the cherry after it has been made. The vise needed is also called a centering vise, both jaws move.
Most cherries cost about $300.

I just found out BABore has stopped producing molds, what a loss.

[LEADHOPPER]

Catshooter,

What I am planning on doing is using a CNC vertical mill to interpolate the cavity, so i do not need to have a centering vise to do this. And no there are not any grind houses in the area that can make me one. I do have one contact that does custom carbide, but they are located in Florida. Was hoping to find someone that was a Vendor Sponsor or a member here that knew of a good grind house.

[Casting Timmy]

If you really wanted too, spin some tool steel in spindle and have it pass a cutting tool that's mounted on the table. You should be able to turn it like a lathe would do, then mount the tool you made in the spindle in a vise and cut the tool.

Cut the tool so the side of your end mill runs along the centerline, and the face of your end mill is above the centerline. Do this 4 times and then file the edges with some relief. Harden it up and cut your mold with it.

I'm hoping that I might be able to do this with my lathe here in a couple of months. My only hold up will be if I can turn my boring bar holder upside down and shim it correctly. Or if you;re not in a hurry I might be able to turn you a cutter if you'll do the centerline cutting on a cutter for me.

Just PM me if you would like to trade some labor out.

[deltaenterprizes]

With the CNC you hog most of the metal with a drill and then you can cut the cavity with a very small boring bar.

[Catshooter]

Now I am certainly no CNC mechanic, but I would think that if you have one couldn't you make your own cherry? I can make them with my little lathe & mill, neither of which are set up for CNC. Just curious.


Cat

[LEADHOPPER]

Catshooter,

Yes you are correct in saying that. I was looking for a solid carbide mold cherry, but after some research, it looks like the best way to go, and the cheapest way by far is for me to order a bar of M2 HSS drill bar and take a shot at making my own. I talking with one of the guys that does our regrinds at the shop I work at, and he said the it shouldn't be a problem. And as long as I use M2 HSS I don't have to heat treat after it is cut.

[Catshooter]

Sounds like a plan Leadhopper. Good luck. Keep us posted.


Cat

[Suo Gan]

Catshooter,

Yes you are correct in saying that. I was looking for a solid carbide mold cherry, but after some research, it looks like the best way to go, and the cheapest way by far is for me to order a bar of M2 HSS drill bar and take a shot at making my own. I talking with one of the guys that does our regrinds at the shop I work at, and he said the it shouldn't be a problem. And as long as I use M2 HSS I don't have to heat treat after it is cut.

I believe the process is covered in the NRA book?

[deltaenterprizes]

A cherry is a reamer shaped like a boolit. I make mine from O-1 drill rod in the lathe and cut the flutes in the mill and then relieve the cutting edge. cutting aluminum or brass does not require hardening unless you plan to make plenty of molds, I usually make one 2 cavity so the drill rod is hard enough as it is.
W-1 machines better but is not as hard.

[Centaur 1]

Here's an idea, clamp the two mold halves together and drill the cavity with a drill that matches the diameter of the lube grooves. Make sure that you leave enough metal to form the nose profile. Take another drill of the same diameter and see if you can grind the end of the drill to match the nose profile you want. Now use that drill to clean up the nose portion of the cavity. Now you have a mold with undersized cavities, and the nose profile you want. If you now put them one at a time back in the cnc mill, you can use a 1/4" diameter woodruff cutter to interpolate the cavity up to size. Figure out the distance between the lube grooves and use a cutter with a width that's that size or under. You can write the program to repeat the cut and change the Z dimension each time until you form the cavity. It's way easier to write the program than it is to try and explain what I'm thinking.