Broke an endmill on a Friday at 4:55 PM and just stood there staring at the machine for a solid minute

Was running a job in the shop on the Haas mini mill, pushed the feed rate up a bit too much on a 3/8" four flute, heard that nasty snap sound and then had to spend an extra hour digging the broken piece out of the aluminum block while my guys were already packing up to leave, has anyone else had a tool break right when you thought you were done for the week?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy85810d ago

Ugh man that's the worst. Honestly I still get that sinking feeling in my gut when I hear a tool snap, especially right at the end of the day. Ngl I once broke a 1/4" carbide endmill on a Friday at like 4:59 and just stood there watching the coolant drip for a good minute before I even moved. Tbh it's like the universe knows exactly when you're trying to wrap things up.

scott.mia10d ago

Oh man the "standing there watching the coolant drip" part is SO real. What finally worked for me was keeping a spare tool or two for the last hour of the day, like a beat up one I don't care about. That way if it snaps I just shrug and walk out.