ordered the 3" 45 Deg shell from Glacern
That's a good looking tool at a great price. You will be amazed at how it performs.
went with the Korboloy SEHT43 Grade X83
Their website says
"These high-positive inserts feature razor sharp edges for maximum productivity in stainless steel, aluminum and other non-ferrous alloys."
You'll also want to have a box of general purpose inserts, perhaps something with an AlTiN or other coating, as these don't have the high-positive edge shape, nor the razor sharp edge prep. The less sharp edge and tougher substrate are a better choice for steel or cast iron. Glacern shows these as the Kenna SEHW43 Grade K2885, and says
"General purpose grade, excellent for both roughing and finishing of steels and cast iron. Cemented carbide substrate is wear and impact resistant." The equivalent grade from Valenite is V05, and Sandvik calls it a GC-3015.
found a 2" diameter shell end mill kit that uses the same APKT/APPT insert, but with 5 inserts to spread the cutting load
The brown truck delivered that yesterday, and I got a few minutes of spindle time around 11:30 last evening. Ran it at the same sfpm as the 45 deg mill head & it does a nice job. Not as free cutting as the high shear mill, no surprise there, so the feed has to be slower. But it leaves a near mirror finish & cuts a square shoulder, so it's a good addition to the tool kit.
I suspect this will not be the last time I talk to Tom 😉
He's a good guy, able to get lots of top end tooling & doesn't feel the need to mark the price up beyond reason. The same shell mill arbor that he sold for $56.50 was offered to me for $79.95 by another seller. And his shipping charges are low, $5 or $6 instead of $10-$12 from MSC, Grainger or McMaster. I needed to replace a 3/4" and a 1" S&D drill bit, and Tom got both of those through Titan Tool. Very nice quality, every bit as good as Precision Twist, but not quite as much money. Ask him to send a Titan Tool catalog.
