Running a workbee with a Makita as a spindle. I tried one of these .... CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bit, 1/4" Shank 1" Cutting Diameter, Carbide Insert Slab Flattening Router Bits Planing Bit Wood Planer Bit Woodworking Tools by BINSTAK: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific ... and the surface was awesome until it caught, chowdered the surface, and blew itself to bits in an instant. I found the tiniest sliver of an insert but everything else f'd off like neutrinos. Probably in a block of ice in the antarctic. Anything that has a screw on it should probably not be run at ludicrous speed. That was at 10k and 1000mm/sec. Mirror finish until it wasn't. My 1/8" bits (1 - 4 flute) are marginal for surfacing although they chop out parts quite nicely.
I'm not sure how it would do surfacing al but i just mowed down a few threaded brass insets with a WHITESIDE 6210. And the surface finish on those looked alright. Seriously I have thought about trying this bit on aluminum but have not yet worked up the nerve...
Sorry, 1 meter per minute. I bought more inserts and it was working well until the piece came loose and broke another insert. It was the rough surface from some other bits I was trying. I put up a hunk of mdf between me and the bit and stuffed a webcam on the dismal side of it. Just to reduce the conviction it was going to kill me.
I have that whiteside bit. I don't like it for surfacing MDF so I have no expectation for it in aluminum. This, the carbide insert bit, seems pretty nice so long as things do not go wrong. The finish is great. Nice and cool temp wise which is not true with any other bit I run. I've a zrn coated 1/4" 3 flute bit arriving. See if that helps. The cheap 6mm carbide bit from aliexpress I tried was a nightmare but it was completely uncoated and at least 1 too many flutes.
I haven't run the calculations but 1000mm/min seems low at 10krpm. I run 350-400mm/min at 2000rpm for shallow surfacing to ensure I'm cutting a chip. You may be rubbing or getting buildup? In which case, the actual tool wouldn't matter quite so much, you need to either push harder (difficult, on an extrusion machine) or add lubricant (WD-40, ethanol, etc). Although, that slab flattening tool does use neutral rake inserts, which cause higher tool pressure and much lower shearing force. You need something with a high positive rake for aluminum. Maybe one of those round insert face mills or something.
What did you end up going with? I managed to blow up the same surfacing bit about 10 inches into a shallow cut on ALU. Beautiful until it wasn't. Wish I would have come across this post first.
I have a problem with the bed of my workbee and need to fix it before I can really figure this out. It bounces too much. Really rigid in one direction but not the other. Once I have that sorted I can revisit this.
