With larger diameters than end mills, these cutters remove greater amounts of material to create a smooth, flat channel in the face of a plate, bar, or other wide workpiece. Compared to fly cutters, they’re more rigid, which makes for a better finish. Also known as shell cutters. Cutters with fewer teeth provide better chip clearance for high-volume, high-speed cuts. Those with more teeth provide a finer finish and generate less vibration at high speeds.

High-speed steel cutters are good for general purpose milling in most materials including aluminum brass, bronze, and steel. Cobalt steel cutters have better heat and wear resistance than high-speed steel. They can run at higher speeds and provide better performance on hard material such as iron, stainless steel, titanium, and tool steel.

Use uncoated cutters for general purpose milling and short production runs. They stay sharper than coated cutters when used on soft materials like aluminum. Use coated cutters for demanding, high-speed jobs in hard material as well as for longer production runs. The coating reduces friction and vibration as they’re used, making them more wear resistant than uncoated cutters.

Titanium-nitride (TiN) coated cutters create less friction than uncoated cutters, which means they last longer when run at similar speeds. Aluminum-titanium-nitride (AlTiN) coated cutters dissipate heat better than other cutters, especially at high speeds. At high temperatures, the coating creates a layer of aluminum oxide that transfers heat to the chips, keeping the tool cool, even when used without lubrication.

Shave shallow layers of material off your workpiece to create a smooth even finish. These fly cutters hold a lathe tool (sold separately) and run on your milling machine. Compared to end mills, these make a wider cut per pass. They also generate less heat, so you can run them at higher speeds. In the long run, these cutters will save you the cost of replacing entire end mills once they dull—you can either sharpen your worn lathe tool or just replace that one part.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.

Keep a variety of fly cutters on hand to tackle different sized workpieces. The fly cutters in these sets hold a lathe tool (sold separately) to shave a layer off your workpiece with each pass, creating a smooth, even finish. Use them with milling machines. Compared to end mills, these make a wider cut per pass. They also generate less heat, so you can run them at higher speeds. In the long run, these cutters will save you the expense of replacing entire end mills once they dull—you can either sharpen your worn lathe tool or just replace that one part.

For technical drawings and 3-D models, click on a part number.