Need Tips on Making a Cherry

[deltaenterprizes]

I plan to try to cut some molds and would like to see pics of cherries. I have a general idea of how a reamer is done ,I want to know how to do the end, is it finished like a center cutting end mill?

[Buckshot]

..............I've never made a cherry yet, but a couple guys here have and a few have some pretty extensive knowledge of it, plus he do's and don'ts.

However, that will not keep me from interjecting my thoughts :-) Just don't operate from my thoughts until some wiser more experienced soul has vetted them.

It would seem to me that in making a cherry to cut a rifle boolit a cherry with four flutes would still have all 4 meet at the nose. Of course they'd get shallower toward the tip. I would seem logical to me that having more then 4 flutes would require a couple (opposed) flutes to gradually fade out or disappear toward the nose, to allow for chip clearance.

Whether you're drilling, reaming, pocketing or slotting with an endmill, chip clearance is very important.

I will also suppose the cherry should be made out of some kind of high carbon steel so that it may be through hardened, and hardened to the point of being brittle to preclude flexing and enhance it's useability. With a tool like that your setup would have to be very rigid. Any flex or chatter could end the tool's life via fracturing.

.............Buckshot

[Doc Highwall]

It would be finished like a Ball Mill, where all four flutes come to a point two would be cut in to make room for chip removel. I will take a picture later today and post it. Cutter Grinding was my first job in 1974 where I am still employed today.

[Doc Highwall]

This is how to relieve the end of a cherry cutter. I would suggest that you start with a six flute reamer and have it soften, grind to the bullet profile that you want and slightly larger. Then after reheating to re harden comes the hard work. Because after you heat treat their is going to be scale on the cutter, you go real slow and deliberate over the cutting edges and if any thing the bore and groove is the most important as these are going to be your final diameter. Do not forget to allow for alloy shrinkage. The reason I suggest six flutes is less chatter because when the cherry is turning two or more flutes are always in contact with the work piece.