End mills for Hong Kong?

[piper1]

Hi Does anyone use or would recommend purchasing Fluted end mills from Hong Kong, via ebay.
Sorry if this is a stupid question.
Going to try and use a miller for the first time so I'm looking at getting some bits and bobs together (end mills).

Thanks for looking

[John Hill]

I have had  good experiences with CTC Tools.

[NeoTech]

Can only recommend CTC tools, his cuttings tools are great. The delivery time can sometimes be a little bit long. But quality on the tools he sells is top notch.

Curiculum; The man running CTC tools is Danish, and sells alot to scandinavian, and specificly danish industries.

[piper1]

Thank you so much for the advice.

Can I ask another question please, does non-centre-cutting mean the end mill can't do a plunge cuts?

[NeoTech]

Yes... and "noaeehhyeah".. a non centre cutter can do a plunge cut, but its hard, unless you plunge on an edge like 50% of the cutter..
But they are not made for it and the break easily. *looking at my box of boken cutters*

[piper1]

Yes... and "noaeehhyeah".. a non centre cutter can do a plunge cut, but its hard, unless you plunge on an edge like 50% of the cutter..
But they are not made for it and the break easily. *looking at my box of boken cutters*

Thank you.

[drmico60]

I have purchased from CTC and quality is excellent. Also good are Richon Tools and much cheaper than CTC!!!
Mike

[spuddevans]

I have purchased from CTC and quality is excellent. Also good are Richon Tools and much cheaper than CTC!!!
Mike

I too have use Richon tools a number of times and found them to be excellent 


Tim

[piper1]

Thank you for the replies Mike & Tim.

[mechman48]

I've used CTC for some time now, good quality cutters, have just had delivery of 4 cutters today, 2x10mm & 2x11 mm, delivery time can be a while... up to 3 weeks, but for quality & price...CTC. Have bought Richon tools & seems as good as CTC.

George

[75Plus]

Thank you so much for the advice.

Can I ask another question please, does non-centre-cutting mean the end mill can't do a plunge cuts?

In a pinch I have used a drill to start a plunge cut with a non center cutting end mill. You need to remove the material that is under the center of the end mill.

Joe

[piper1]

I've used CTC for some time now, good quality cutters, have just had delivery of 4 cutters today, 2x10mm & 2x11 mm, delivery time can be a while... up to 3 weeks, but for quality & price...CTC. Have bought Richon tools & seems as good as CTC.

George

Thanks George, I just placed a small order with Richon tools.
Not really knowing exactly what I'm doing at the moment but I got to start somewhere I guess.

I found the shipping charges pretty high from CTC so going to leave that one for a little while, plus Richon's delivery time appears to be a lot better.

My Drive is to be able to make a radius turning attachment for my lathe.

Kev

[piper1]

Thank you so much for the advice.

Can I ask another question please, does non-centre-cutting mean the end mill can't do a plunge cuts?

In a pinch I have used a drill to start a plunge cut with a non center cutting end mill. You need to remove the material that is under the center of the end mill.

Joe

Thank you for the tip Joe much appreciated.

Kev

[bp]

I can only endorse what others have said about CTC and Richon Tools.
My only comment, and its a minor one, is that expensive cutters can provide a better surface finish.  So I tend to use CTC/Richon gear as roughing, and if the feature requires a good finish, the final cut may be with a Dormer/Sutton/Clarkson etc.  However when the cost difference is considered I use the Hong Kong cutters for probably 90 to 95% of my milling.
cheers
Bill

[piper1]

I can only endorse what others have said about CTC and Richon Tools.
My only comment, and its a minor one, is that expensive cutters can provide a better surface finish.  So I tend to use CTC/Richon gear as roughing, and if the feature requires a good finish, the final cut may be with a Dormer/Sutton/Clarkson etc.  However when the cost difference is considered I use the Hong Kong cutters for probably 90 to 95% of my milling.
cheers
Bill

Thank you.
I will try CTC at some point, just need to curve the spending at the moment.
looking forward to the bits I've ordered from Richon.

[NeoTech]

yeah scavenging ebay or similar for used Sandvik ISCAR or Dormer cutters - resharpened or not usually pays off.. they have completely different finishing. But the nice thing with chinese carbides you dont weep when you crash them

[geoff_p]

Kev (piper1), I had dealings with these people (in USA) a couple of years ago:

J.R.'s Tool Crib Inc.
(330) 784-7444 phone
(330) 784-7480 fax
jrstool@att.net email

LR, the person I dealt with, was extremely friendly, amazed to have a sale to Thailand, of all places, and quite understands small/model-engineers.

They work with HSS and carbide (mostly the latter) and charged me very little for the bits-and-bobs I wanted. And shipping was a mere 7USD i.e. actual cost.

Give 'em a try.

Geoff,
Aranyaprathet, Thailand - warmer by far than Shetland, where I used to live.

[piper1]

Kev (piper1), I had dealings with these people (in USA) a couple of years ago:

J.R.'s Tool Crib Inc.
(330) 784-7444 phone
(330) 784-7480 fax
jrstool@att.net email

LR, the person I dealt with, was extremely friendly, amazed to have a sale to Thailand, of all places, and quite understands small/model-engineers.

They work with HSS and carbide (mostly the latter) and charged me very little for the bits-and-bobs I wanted. And shipping was a mere 7USD i.e. actual cost.

Give 'em a try.

Geoff,
Aranyaprathet, Thailand - warmer by far than Shetland, where I used to live.

Thanks Geoff I will drop them a line.

Cheers
Kev

[awemawson]

Well I've just placed an order with Richon Tools prompted by this thread, and I must say they've been excellent with their email responses today. Proof of the pudding is when the good arrive though !

Andrew

[piper1]

Fingers crossed Andrew, in best speed we hope.

[kayz1]

I too have just placed an order with Richon tools,, think i went a bit mad seeing the prices campared to the prices i have been paying.
Time will tell if they are worth it or not..
 Lyn.

[teegee]

Thanks for the Richon tools link -- I'd never heard of them. Last time I tried to order from CTC, I cancelled due to the postage being a total killer. And I'm in Singapore, which is just the next giant sea/air-freight hub over.

I think it was $80 postage for a $150 dollar order. So I thought I'd just order more stuff to improve the ratio (heh), and ended up with $150 shipment on a $250 order (or something). No thanks.. It was reasonably heavy stuff though, 5c collet set, drill chucks, etc.

Cheers!

    Rob

[Deko]

I bought quite a few slot drills from Richon a few years ago. Still using them and no trouble so far.
I just hope for the sake of all those of you who have just placed an order, that they manage to get your order in the post BEFORE the Chinese new year starts. If not you could be waiting for many weeks.

Cheers Dek.

[piper1]

End mills arrived today, well chuffed.
From ordering to landing on the door step 10 day, pretty good me thinks.

[awemawson]

Yes mine also arrived today from Hong Kong.

I ordered:

10 off 6 mm carbide two flute end mills
 2 off 22 mm HSS long series two flute end mills
 2 off 16 mm four flute HSS roughing cutters

They seem ok apart from the roughing cutters - they have had the helix ground so roughly it's raised a burr that in places increases the cutter diameter to 16.2 mm. I've emailed a picture of the issue to Richon and am awaiting their response.

I know they call them roughing cutters, but I'd like the finish allowance left to finish a part !

They came remarkably quickly

[Pete W.]

Hi there, Piper1,

With respect, I think you mis-typed the title of this thread, typing 'for Hong Kong' when you meant 'from Hong Kong'.

For the sake of anyone in the future using the search facility, please would you give the Moderators your blessing to amend the thread title?

[kayz1]

Forgot to post earlier, my stuff arrived last Friday...very fast service and ticked on the back as a gift..well pleased.
Roughing cutters, i agree, the 3/8 one is spot on but the others leave a lot of marks as if i have used a rough file
on it.. but will do for me to learn with.
 Lyn.

[awemawson]

I've had a couple of emails today from 'Peter' at Richon in Hong Kong regarding the duff roughing mills. He's sending some replacements he had from 'another factory', but cannot investigate further until after the Chinese New Year (of the Horse!) when the original source factory re-opens

Andrew

[piper1]

To be honest  I'm no expert at all when it comes to milling, but i used a couple of them today for the first time and i was very happy with the results.

[krv3000]

well i can not coment on them as yet i don't have a mill but as most things its dawn to cost we get sum good workshop (p###) hope this dus not ofend in any way.  IE tool catalogs from all ove the place with all maner of shiny things in can thum thruw them for hawers but when a set of center dills of the net is say £10 with post and in the catalog ther gowing for £38.99  witch ones are you gowing to by and like most things it will depend on haw the tool is bin used i have had tip in me turning tool at work for weeks then left the tool in the lathe whent back and the tips broken  me own folt for leving it in ther sum of the older members will remember that milling cuters  wher never bind they wher always resharpend but as most things it did not cum cost efective to do this if you is is bisnes then the price of the tool shud be in with the job just my  bit

[awemawson]

You may recall that the three 16 mm roughing cutters I got from Richon were badly ground, with large burrs on the helix. They instantly agreed to replace them so full marks for that.   

The replacements arrived today. Magically they have been converted into 16 mm finishing end mills, not roughing ones ! I'll leave it at that and not pursue it further - I'm sure it's a genuine mistake. I'll just regrind the originals !

[superc]

I long ago made it a practice to only shop ebay US as the Federal laws regarding electronic payment protections and use of the US Mails (which includes your getting a credit card bill related to the transaction) offers a lot of protection and options if you get stiffed and all aspects are in the same country.  Get stiffed on an overseas transaction and you may just be out of luck.

That being said, about two and a half weeks ago I decided I will want to put some T slots in an aluminum slab I have and found a perfectly sized T cutter for $16 US w free shipping.  The seller was bestones2010 (aka hengyou tools) and the seller is in China.  I have no idea what province.  I took a chance and ordered it.  Paid via PayPal.  The cutter arrived in about 9 days from the day I ordered.  It seems to measure properly and it is indeed an HSS cutter.  It looks good.