The shank and the collet, so that it will not move at all during use.

The tools must be inserted fully into the holders for maximum surface contact between To hold the tool securely in the spindle. The shank is the solid part that a collet must clamp onto, Upper part of the tool, called the 'shank'. TheĬutting edge/flute ends at the shoulder, which is just the transition between cutting edge and the fully solid cylindrical Photo below, the cutting edge of the end mill ends almost 1/3' of the length down, away from the collet holder. The flute, or sharp cutting edge, does not extend all the way up to the edge of the recessed spiral on the tool. It's very important to recognize the flute, shoulder, and overall length of the end mills we'll be using. Handled very differently- much more than they may sound at first. Plywood, and MDF, and will only refer to on work done with solid carbide end mills. More info will be included on a drill handheld router tutorial page this tutorial will be focusing just on the basics of 3 axis machine setup for milling materials like foam, There are differences between the solidĬarbide and carbide-tipped tools, as well - there are many very different types of router bits that wouldn't fit into this

Look closely at the difference in the shapes of the end mills vs. These 3 types of cutting toolsĪre very common, but they need to be handled differently. The bottom row has 2 carbide-tipped router bits, and last, a simple drill bit. The upper row tools are all solid carbideĮnd mills. The below image shows a few different types of tools that cut while spinning. Understanding the tools (end mills & other router bits, tool holders)

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