No machine shop is complete with out fly cutters. They are as crucial to the job as your saws and drills. It makes no difference if you machine manually or take advantage of the latest technology for CNC machining,
fly cutters are specialized tools for:
- Shallow cuts
- Broad cuts
- Removal of small amounts of metal quickly
Your CNC fly cutter is a perfect finishing tool. Just use the end mill to work the piece then use a fly cutter to get that perfect smooth finish you can only get with a fly cutter.
CNC fly cutters (and manual ones too) outperform a face mill every single time. Every time. That’s because you'll make fewer passes and thus achieve a silkier and smoother finish. You just can't beat a fly cutter when it comes to creating a mirror smooth finish. A side cutter just can't stack up in comparison.
CNC fly cutters are extremely versatile. Here's a couple of very different uses to show how to think outside the box with a fly cutter.
Level a CNC Router Bed
The tabletop for a CNC router must be absolutely smooth and absolutely level if the router is to cut properly. You can level the legs, but if the bed or tabletop has any dips or bumps your router still won't run true. Serious machinists know that the bed must be resurfaced several times a year. The best tool to surface the router tabletop is a fly cutter. That same smooth finish it gives to work products is the same finish you need for the router bed.
The router bed is large, so you use a large fly cutter. The larger the cutter the fewer the passes and that is what gives you the smooth finish. The Tool Company offers the
FC-25 made in the USA by Sierra American Multi-Systems. This CNC fly cutter has a 2 ½” diameter that allows you to clear that large area quickly. You need to spend less time smoothing the bed and more time operating the router if you want to maintain shop efficiency. We suggest you remove 1/16” at the first pass and then evaluate the finish. Sometimes ones pass is all it takes to achieve the smooth, level surface the router demands.
Skim Cylinder Heads with a CNC Flycutter
The fly cutter is a friend to the automotive machinist. It is perfect for
changing the compression ratio or repairing damage from a blown head gasket. You can completely resurface the head by skimming it with a CNC fly cutter.
If the head wasn't cracked when the gasket blew and if it can still hold pressure then skimming the head will save it. To skim, just remove 0.0002” of the surface with the fly cutter and you will restore it to the smooth and flat state the engine needs. If you try skimming with a face mill you are doomed. A face mill can create crossover lines that you can't see but the engine will know are there. Performance will be affected in a bad way.
Put your CNC fly cutter to work cleaning up corrosion on exhaust and intake manifolds. Modify the head to get a better angle on lining up an aftermarket intake manifold. Use a fly cutter to resurface the deck surface of the block. These are all examples of applications where a flu cutter will do the job better than a face mill. So for quick efficient skimming or resurfacing, the fly cutter is the go-to tool.
The Best CNC Fly Cutters Give the Best Results
So if you want the best results, you can't rely on cheap fly cutters made from inferior materials overseas. The Tool Company only sells the finest quality tools and the only CNC fly cutter we sell is made by US-based Sierra American Multi-Systems. We know you can trust Sierra American because they have been making quality products for machinists for over 20 years. We think they are the best because they are:
- Heat-treated for long tool life
- balanced to operate at higher RPMs
- Manufactured for stability
Each fly cutter is backed by a full
5 year warranty. Don’t settle for inferior fly cutters that give inferior results. Order your fly cutter from The Tool Company today.
The tabletop for a CNC router must be absolutely smooth and absolutely level if the router is to cut properly. You can level the legs, but if the bed or tabletop has any dips or bumps your router still won't run true. Serious machinists know that the bed must be resurfaced several times a year. The best tool to surface the router tabletop is a fly cutter. That same smooth finish it gives to work products is the same finish you need for the router bed.
The router bed is large, so you use a large fly cutter. The larger the cutter the fewer the passes and that is what gives you the smooth finish. The Tool Company offers the FC-25 made in the USA by Sierra American Multi-Systems. This CNC fly cutter has a 2 ½” diameter that allows you to clear that large area quickly. You need to spend less time smoothing the bed and more time operating the router if you want to maintain shop efficiency. We suggest you remove 1/16” at the first pass and then evaluate the finish. Sometimes ones pass is all it takes to achieve the smooth, level surface the router demands.
changing the compression ratio or repairing damage from a blown head gasket. You can completely resurface the head by skimming it with a CNC fly cutter.
If the head wasn't cracked when the gasket blew and if it can still hold pressure then skimming the head will save it. To skim, just remove 0.0002” of the surface with the fly cutter and you will restore it to the smooth and flat state the engine needs. If you try skimming with a face mill you are doomed. A face mill can create crossover lines that you can't see but the engine will know are there. Performance will be affected in a bad way.
Put your CNC fly cutter to work cleaning up corrosion on exhaust and intake manifolds. Modify the head to get a better angle on lining up an aftermarket intake manifold. Use a fly cutter to resurface the deck surface of the block. These are all examples of applications where a flu cutter will do the job better than a face mill. So for quick efficient skimming or resurfacing, the fly cutter is the go-to tool.