I know most of you use rounded spade bits for the tobacco chamber. Has anyone ever tried a ball end-mill? I have plenty at my shop and was wondering if these would work instead of buying something else.
Thanks,
Ball End-mill for drilling?
It sure sounds like it's worth a shot. Give it a try in some scrap and see what you think. Long's they're clean and sharp, you might have a whole lot better way than the rest of us. Let us know. . . .
-- john
http://justapipe.com
http://justapipe.com
- Tyler
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I've used them, and they work great if that is the profile you want for you chamber. It gives perfectly parallel sides with a hemispherical bottom. Definitely a good chamber profile for lots of shapes.
Tyler
Tyler
Tyler Lane Pipes
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
Joel, upon further thought from our discussion at the TAPS show, I think they would work for certain shape pipes, like Tyler mentioned. If you are making pipes that taper towards the bottom, a more conical chamber shape might be warranted so the wall thickness remains fairly uniform. However, for billiards, pots, and for shapes that get larger towards the bottom, the end mills may work very well.