Thanks for the demonstration. I have never thought about using a torch but I can see where it would work. And if you're not trying to keep up with tool lengths or don't need them to repeat then yeah. Especially if you're not changing cutters much.
Um, I would wear the glove though and be pulling on the cutter as you are heating it up. That way it will come out as soon as it get's hot enough. If it gets too hot, I would just use some pliers.
Normally you would use a specialized electric induction heater, which only takes a few seconds. The next thing is to measure it. If your mill won't measure it you could enter a rough measurement and then run a witness cut and adjust from there. Most of the heaters come with a height gauge built in so you can set the length as you insert the new end mill into holder. The accuracy is about .001 to .003 but with a little extra effort and a few tries you can achieve a range of +.0003 to +.00008. If you ever get one to repeat within .0003 then it's probably an accident or deserves bragging rights. It would be nice to find a (specialized) rig with optics built in though to set the tool length with.
These heat shrink tool holders can only be heated so many times. After they have been heated so many times they become less elastic. They won't open as much and they also contract ("shrink") a lot faster than they do when they are new. That means you have to be fast on the draw, especially if you are trying to set a precise and accurate tool length. You can tell that the holders are getting warn out when they begin to turn black. If you use the cooling sleeves that are designed for these holders, they will last a lot longer. The faster you cool them the longer they last. Letting them cool at room temperature is really hard on the lifespan. plus it's dangerous to have these hot tools sitting around where you might forget and reach for them while they are hot without thinking. I've seen it happen and the burns can put you out of work for week or two too. I'm gonna say they will last at least 10 times longer and probably more like 50 to 100 times longer. And they are not cheap.
Thanks for the idea. Would be good to rotate the tool holder as its being heated.
Thanks for the demonstration. I have never thought about using a torch but I can see where it would work. And if you're not trying to keep up with tool lengths or don't need them to repeat then yeah. Especially if you're not changing cutters much.
Um, I would wear the glove though and be pulling on the cutter as you are heating it up. That way it will come out as soon as it get's hot enough. If it gets too hot, I would just use some pliers.
Great, I was wondering if it could be done without special equipment. Thanks
Normally you would use a specialized electric induction heater, which only takes a few seconds. The next thing is to measure it. If your mill won't measure it you could enter a rough measurement and then run a witness cut and adjust from there. Most of the heaters come with a height gauge built in so you can set the length as you insert the new end mill into holder. The accuracy is about .001 to .003 but with a little extra effort and a few tries you can achieve a range of +.0003 to +.00008. If you ever get one to repeat within .0003 then it's probably an accident or deserves bragging rights. It would be nice to find a (specialized) rig with optics built in though to set the tool length with.
These heat shrink tool holders can only be heated so many times. After they have been heated so many times they become less elastic. They won't open as much and they also contract ("shrink") a lot faster than they do when they are new. That means you have to be fast on the draw, especially if you are trying to set a precise and accurate tool length. You can tell that the holders are getting warn out when they begin to turn black.
If you use the cooling sleeves that are designed for these holders, they will last a lot longer. The faster you cool them the longer they last. Letting them cool at room temperature is really hard on the lifespan. plus it's dangerous to have these hot tools sitting around where you might forget and reach for them while they are hot without thinking. I've seen it happen and the burns can put you out of work for week or two too.
I'm gonna say they will last at least 10 times longer and probably more like 50 to 100 times longer. And they are not cheap.