Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 4.13. A side and face cutter.
Side and face cutters are also available in what are termed staggered tooth
cutters. Every other tooth is cut away on the sides so that the cutters can
interlock with each other. This means that you can insert shims in between
the cutters to space them out. If you insert the correct thickness of shim, the
pair (known as a gang) of cutters can be made to cut a specific width of slot.
This is often used in a production environment so the slot remains a constant
width. You can also shim the cutters out so that they will mill a specific width
such as a flat either side of a round component. Milling both sides at the same
time saves a machining operation and cuts the machining and handling time
in half.
