Inaccurate milling - what could it be?

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14 Mar 2026 23:30 #344283 by vetsin
I went to make what should have been a 29.534mm hex bolt, however it came out very off spec. I've no real idea why.  I did go through the process of checking backlash and ensuring my velocity was alright a long time ago -- but honestly it's been a very slow project and I forget what I did. Any ideas what the reason for the problem could be? What should I check first?
 

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15 Mar 2026 00:16 #344284 by tommylight
Replied by tommylight on topic Inaccurate milling - what could it be?
Upload the pictures here on the forum, not on third party websites, way to many scripts running on those websites.
The following user(s) said Thank You: dbtayl

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15 Mar 2026 15:12 #344316 by dbtayl
Replied by dbtayl on topic Inaccurate milling - what could it be?
You might also want to mention what tools/holders, speeds, and feeds you're using, as well as how far off the dimensions are.

That said, my first reaction to the above is deflection- the gouge looks like where the tool ended the cut, possibly dwelled there a bit before/during retract, giving it more time to cut. If it is deflection, there's a good chance you'll feel ridges if you run a fingernail along the floor of the machined surface perpendicular to the direction of cut.

Adding a finishing cut might be all you need- I generally leave 0.1~0.2mm of stock during roughing operations for the finishing cut(s).

Generally increasing rigidity should help as well (shorter tools/toolholders/stickout, bigger tools, better worktholding, working closer to the table), but I've always thought the columns on benchtop mills look too small, so you may be limited in options if that's the root cause. The good news is that so long as it cuts OK, taking a light finish cut should still get you on dimension.

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