Hi There, Build is complete and dialed in ready to go to work... but where to buy tools? Amazon, McMaster, MSC, Lakeshore Tools, Precisebits, Rockler, Carbide (Shapeoko store), Inventables store???? Is there really a big difference between a $12 and $50 1/4 end mill? I hope there is....but I have no idea and don't have the budget to truly figure it out. Is there the case of "one vendor sells 'amazing' 1/4" flat end mills but their 1/8" ball nose are 'junk'"? Next is where to buy stock? Particularly interested in wood and plastics...and maybe aluminum some day. Again - Amazon, Rockler, Carbide and Inventables offer materials but they all seem to have a pretty steep markup. Do you have any good ideas where to look and hopefully find stock? "Dumpster dive"? Thrift stores? Junk yards? Recycling centers? Thanks and look forward to hearing your ideas
Search "endmills" in the forum. There are lots of good sources. As for materials, it is always cheapest to go to a local metal yard. Online prices for aluminum are usually three times what I pay locally.
I like Onsrud for tooling. But you will likely have just as good of luck with other suppliers. My recommendation is to find some place that you can go to again and again. 'Random store on ebay' or 'Random person on amazon' is not a great idea. Always get stock locally. Plywood is especially heavy and expensive to ship. But anything else as well. Search nearby for lumber suppliers (hardware stores are ok but often are more expensive with worse selection). For plastic, you want to find a wholesaler. Usually they sell it by the 4'x8' sheet and you pay a bit extra to have them cut it down if you need to. The best idea is to search locally and be prepared to call their telephone number. You are almost always paying a premium if you see an online price list or a browsable brick and mortar storefront. -D
Oh. Also be sure to buy conservatively especially at the beginning when you don't know what you are going to be cutting. I have a whole shelf full of plywood, MDF, and hardboard that I bought when I thought that was what I was going to be cutting a lot. But it turns out that 99% of my cutting is ABS with some Acrylic on the side. In retrospect, I should have just bought a bit at a time as I needed it for particular projects.
Thank you for the replies. So far I haven't had much luck 'locally' (less than 1 hour drive). I'll have to broaden out a little. Plenty of "lumber" supply stores for construction materials but no luck with stores that are more geared towards hobbyist/woodworking. And really haven't found a local source for tools. Might order some stuff online at least initially to get started.
I buy some stock from Amazon: Amazon.com: RMP .125 6061 T6 Aluminum Sheet 12" x 12": Industrial & Scientific Also use a local metal supply, they also sell online and have decent prices: The Metal Store they are local to me, so not sure what shipping costs. For Endmills I have been very happy with Drillman1 on ebay, good prices, great selections and ships fast. I would say I have bought 25 endmills from him and all work great. 1/8" (.1250") 2 FLUTE CARBIDE ENDMILLS - NEW | eBay
Just placed an order with Drillman1...bits look good and his prices are the lowest I've seen....and over 19,000 positive seller feedback. Thanks again for the suggestion.
As for plastics, I have found a local hardware 'salvage' place. They get on bulk bins of drop-off and other scrap from other places. They also stock some regular sheets material as well. The scrap is somewhat random, but can usually find enough for any projects I plan to do.
