Switched from dedicated chamfer tools to a single chamfer mill for everything

I ran a job last month with 12 different size chamfer tools for different hole sizes and edge breaks. On a whim I tried a single 90 degree chamfer mill with variable depth programming instead. Took me about an hour to rewrite the code but the tool life was way better and I cut down tool change time by probably 40%. Has anyone else tried consolidating their tool library?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_holly12d ago

Drove me nuts for years swapping out chamfer tools every time I changed a hole size. I did the same thing you did about six months back, switched to one 90 degree mill and just adjusted depth per hole. Cut my setup time in half on repeat jobs and the tooling cost dropped way off. Now I keep a handful of different sizes in the drawer for weird angles but the single tool handles 90% of what I do. Smart move.

the_jason12d ago

Nah man I'm going the other way on this. Having one tool do everything sounds like a shortcut that will bite you later. I tried that exact setup with a single 90 degree mill and ended up with inconsistent chamfer widths on deeper holes because the tool geometry changes the effective angle when you adjust depth. The surface finish was never the same either. I'd rather spend two minutes swapping a tool than scrap a part because I got lazy with setup. Plus if that one mill breaks or dulls you're dead in the water until the new one shows up. My drawer of specific chamfer tools might look like a mess but every one of them does exactly one job right.

alice_kim12d ago

Joked with my boss last week that my chamfer tool drawer was starting to look like a museum of bad decisions. I think I counted eleven different sizes before I finally got smart like you @the_holly. Swapped to a single 90 degree mill and now I just jog it down a few thou deeper for bigger holes. Still have that old drawer full of backups though, just in case. You ever get anxiety about committing to one tool for everything?