Mill question RD???

[Gramps]

Can someone, RD?, tell me the difference between a face mill and a shell mill?

 

[ltbaney1]

i have always used both names. what really matters is do you need the cutter to shoulder or are you just removing material from the face of part. shouldering would be coming up to a step in the part. not all facemills have the correct geometry to be able to do that.

This one can go to a shoulder

This one can not go to a shoulder

but each cutter has their place and almost every one i know has both styles depending on what the part calls for.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Face mills are for facing, usually not a taking a very heavy cut. Shell mills are for milling where you have a need to and can hog off material.

 

[Racey]

A face mill can be a type of shell mill.

Shell mills are distinguished by having a shell body that can be removed from an arbor.

Old school HSS shell mills usually can't face as the arbor bolt protrudes out of the bottom.

Now most of the shells are made for carbide inserts.

The names have become synonymous at this point, shell or face mill are used interchangeably because of this domination of indexable cutters