With the 3D printer have you considered using it to make parts to make molds for casting?
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Since the crash erased it.
17 pounds of 1018 steel stood no chance against the mitey Fireplug. Cut into two pieces with bandsaw, used holesaw with wd40 mist to predrill. Double side machined the inside and outside. Drilled and tapped o2 by hand (one day I’ll get a threadmill)
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0.250 lakeshorecarbide fireplug
80ipm, 10krpm
0.0008 maximal chip
0.250 adoc 0.010 rdoc
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@Julien will have to add this data point to the F&S calculator, I think you will get more people to try their hand at cutting steel. I see you are using a carbide endmill not coated. Amana recommends AlTiN Coating for steel and ferrous metals. Have you tried them?
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Or is it ?
I guess I missed that at first glance.
So I’ll add this interesting data point for steel (@Vince, what kind is it please?)
The most interesting value for me is the 4% rdoc (I had captured 5 to 10% for aluminium, so steel will be “below 5%”)
Chipload target of 0.0008" for 1/4" using adaptive, at 4% rdoc chip thinning calls for a target chipload of 0.002, hence your 80ipm divided by 4 flutes x 10.000 = 0.002"
And 100% D adoc, which is typical for adaptive clearing. It all checks out 
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Its 1018 cold rolled and imo bad things happen when rdoc goes below 0.010 so it was just a starting point. And the stub fireplug has a minimum chipload of 0.0007.
Now I wouldn’t exactly tell poeple to try even close to that kinda of axial on a stocker. This was 5x more than I had ever done on steel, the linear ridgidity definitely helped. Sfm is a little high at 10k but that’s also why it was programmed on the conservative side.
I’ll need to check out this calculator but there is also something to be said about feeling it out.
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http://www.lakeshorecarbide.com/fireplug14variableflutestubcarbideroughingendmill.aspx
Please keep in mind in mind that this is the first fireplug ive ever used, has three projects and at least 10 hours in the cut previous to this test. For a $22 endmill it’s an absolute unit
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Can you please tell me where on the lakeshore site these minimal chipload specs are ?
I usually see max chiploads, I can’t remember seeing min chiploads, but I may not have paid attention.
Oh and it was climb milling right ? (unless the video is flipped or something )
If on mobile you need to request the desktop site, it’s under technical resources, they actually have some good data
Plain ol climb adaptive, never felt the need to run conventional unless two way adaptive
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Since this is a highly modified Shapeoko, we would probably need to dial down for a regular Shapeoko, so can we even get to the min chipload with a regular Shapeoko?
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Good point. I think I saw a video from @wmoy a few days ago, about cutting steel on a Nomad. So chances are it can be done on a stock Shapeoko. How much we would need to dial down the adoc/rdoc/feedrate is a good question, maybe Vince will chime in
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The Nomad speeds and feeds for tool steel were especially problematic because at lower RPM (required by the SFM limitation) you are relying a super rigid structure to compensate for the vibration/cutting forces (and the Nomad was near its limits there). If you cut something like 303 stainless steel, or certain steel alloys (which are a lot more forgiving with respect to SFM), you can run 10k+ RPM on the Shapeoko and let the sheer mass of the machine dampen out vibration. That’s why Vince has such good success at higher RPMs IMO.
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@wmoy honestly if I could run 4.5krpm on that 0.250 I would for sure. 600sfm isn’t too crazy with an altin coated tool and decent chipload. A 1/4 shank necked stub 0.125 would be fun, maybe get into the higher chiploads.
@Julien many people have cut steel on an s3 stock. Its pretty simple to adjust load to where it will do it. Just like how you can cut tool steel on a 70 watt nomad.
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http://www.lakeshorecarbide.com/18stubvariablefluteendmillforsteel.aspx
http://www.lakeshorecarbide.com/18variable5fluteendmillforstainlesssteelstublength.aspx
A couple maybes for a big 304 project coming up
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I’d like to pick Swim for $1000…
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Pretty sure carbide sinks in water so I’ll take that bet. 
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These are rated for 700sfm and a Makita at 10k is 654. Little close for comfort but it could work well.
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