End mill notchers

plasmaguy

New Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Location
Pinnacle
Hello All,

Are there any builders on this forum using end mills notcher/copers?

I have been looking at Pro-Tools and Baleighs as well as Mitler Bros.

I have a JD2 machine and hole saws are OK I like the speed offered by an end mill machine.

Thanks,

Tom
 
I use a Protools notcher in a large drill press. I have used my mill a few times, but usually the notcher is alot faster. You get a lot more accuracy with a mill if its set up right.

I have an old Cinncinnati horizontal mill that would make a great notcher as well as all purpose tool. Needs some love, but is complete. $500 would take it home.
 
I can use my hole saw notcher twice as fast as any kind of end mill machine I've ever seen. I played with a couple at SEMA, they're nice units for sure but seem very difficult to notch close to a bend.
 
IMO...Overall, there is nothing better than the mill notchers. But they are probably not really a good investment unless you are going to use them a lot. I am not a fan of hole saw cutters in general, (I use rota-broach cutters) so I have never owned one of the hole saw notchers.
I have used the Mittler Bros. at race teams since they first came out. As with all notchers, they have their limitations. But once you spend time with them you find ways around most of those limitations. Set up is fast, the cuts are consistent, and they will bear a lot of use. And they cut about any wall thickness at about the same rate, although thin wall must be fed slowly! I have found the bits will last a surprisingly long time despite the abuse I have subjected them to! (Mostly accidental when trying new stuff! lol!)

But, I may be biased, as well, since I am currently buying a Mittler Bros!
 
I have been trying to open the Mitler site over the weekend. The site links to their videos is down.
The Baileighs / RMD TN-800 is a very sharp machine and I like the one cutter fits all method. But for the marked difference is $$$ I would opt for the Mitler system unless I could find a bargin in a Baileigh. Since we are living in the Meca of NASCAR I am guessing there are plenty of end mill machine in the Carolina's?
My primary use would be on one size pipe. 1.25 tube 1.66" OD material so the one cutter fits all argument doesn't carry much weight for me.

Does anyone have a used Mitler or Baileigh that's collecting dust?:D

Thanks,

Tom
 
the end mill notcher is nice, works well, lasts a long time, but is pricy and takes twice as long as a hole saw notcher.

If you want a good comprimise between speed, price, and quality, look at a belt sander type notcher. Super fast and affordable when compared to end mill notchers. But, they produce tons of smoke, dust, and sparks!
 
There are a few things that kept me from liking/buying an end mill notcher.

1. consumables are very expensive
2. cutters with flutes long enough to cut more than a 30 degree angle are hard to find
3. I can't run to the hardware store to get consumables if I need one in the middle of a job.
4. every machine I've seen has a fairly bulky clamp system that doesn't really permit clamping in a bend or allow for height adjustment to compensate for a bend.
5. Slow!

If you aren't doing much tubing over .188 wall a notcher that uses a belt sander is the cleanest cut I've seen and it doubles as a deburrer, so one station does it all. Plus with a 6" wide belt you can notch like a 70* angle in 2" tubing which is not possible with a hole saw nothcher without a long hole saw or an end mill that doesn't have really long flutes.

For speed, cost effectiveness, and a clean cut you can't go wrong with a hole saw notcher. With a starret 1.75 hole saw I can do a full chassis or 2 - 3 full cages with one cutter in mine.
 
Slow

Marsfab,

Slow was the last thing I would have expected to hear. Speed and longevity of the cutter is what the guys that use them sing about.

I too am shocked at the price of the cutters. for a 1.66" cutter the price is 266.00 dollars.

The up front cost of the machine is another major concern too. We live in the meca of circle track chassis building and I am surprised that I can't find a used Mitler or Baileigh/RMD notcher.

I have a friend that owns a Peddinghaus belt sander notcher and they swear by it. It is very noisy and the dust is a huge negative to me. They build crane booms so the size is a factor too. This machine has mandrels that go to 6.25".

Thank guys for the input!

Tom
 
haaa yes I was posting that as a joke (because nobody really likes them)


but, straight notches... you better watch out, Spence can knock out (4) cuts in about a minute with that thing
 
i have a pro tools godzilla notcher and use it for most all of my notching. tooling last forever. cutters are not as expensive as one might think if tooling is purchased from an industrial supply company. that said it is not as fast as some other means but it is clean and accurate. for notches close to a bend i use the milling machine or lathe. that is a whole different way of going about things with milling cutters.
 
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