What are folks typically using for countersinking holes in aluminium on their machines? I have the v carve bits and I have half-figured out the countersink tool path in wood using a contour path but it’s a bit mixed. I’m thinking a plunge would be better? But maybe I’m wrong.
I’m also unsure if the 60 and 90 degree v bits from Carbide could handle aluminium?
I mostly work with 1/4-20 camera threads so will eventually get the thread part sorted too. But for now just need to get countersinks sorted. I see Datron do some countersink specific end mills but unsure if they’re the right way to go.
The #301 and #302 are intended for use in wood — the pointy tip is fragile and not likely to survive long if used against even aluminum.
That said, for countersinking you don’t need the tip — just draw up the design and tool in profile, machine the hole first using a square endmill, then do the countersink using a drill toolpath with the V endmill.
If you are using a CAM package which supports working in metal it probably has special toolpath options for this, but the above is how I’d do it in Carbide Create.
For aluminum I use specific chamfer mills. They have a flat nose so you need to be able to specifiy the tip offset in the CAM, like you can in fusion 360. Like anything in aluminum, once you get your feeds/speeds down, they cut and do the job amazingly well.
For 1/4-20 you should be looking for 82° chamfers, 90° is for metric threads, try looking for countersinks instead of V-Bits like these from McMaster-Carr
