Any Machinists Out There? What Am I Doing Wrong?

[bullnerd]

If your talking about the part your showing above and your doing that part without a second op to finish the outside, then, yes, you want to "climb" mill (clockwise) to get the better finish on your part. You are slotting like Kaz explained, but the climbed side will usually have a better finish than the conventional side.

Oh, and congrats on your new machine....you ****!

 

[kazlx]

Ah yea. Forgot to mention that. You would want to make sure the ‘climb’ cut side is your part edge. So program for clockwise movement around the part like you did.

You should look into an adaptive clear slot. Time prob isn’t much longer at all, you can use smaller diameter (cheaper) cutters and then just take a quick finish pass along the part side.