TIP #3 BASIC CUTTING

BASIC CUTTING
Clean cylinder or work to be done thoroughly first. Lacquer thinner is good for this; also hot soapy water (dry when through). Spray cylinder walls with Machinist Dikam and mark cylinder to specs you want. Know where and how much you want to cut before you start. Carbide cutters are the best for rough cutting. Choose one that fits the contour or surface you are working on. Use short shank carbide all you can. The shorter the cutter, the more control you have. Use long shank carbide only when you can reach no other way. It is a little more trouble to change cutters, but much easier on you and the tools and is much safer. Always keep cutters in ports, cavity, or confined area when rotating. Port flow is just as important as how much metal you remove, SO CONCENTRATE ON MAKING STEADY, PRECISE CUTS, HOLDING SURFACES OR PORTS AS FLAT AS POSSIBLE. Leave yourself 20 thousandths for clean-up and polish work, as you will need this much to achieve the final dimensions. Remember you can take more cuts, but you can't put it back. In each stage make the surface look the same before going to the next step, regardless of the stage you are in - cutting, leveling or polishing. If it all looks the same, you don't have to go back to the former step. Example - it is hard to remove cutter marks after getting to the first polishing stage.