Fly cutter recommendations?

[nborer]

Anyone have a favorite fly cutter? I have this one in my Amazon queue, but see a fair number of one-star reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-55-Cutter-Adjustable/dp/B00004T7P1/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Thanks!
Nick

[Chris In Milwaukee]

I haven’t seen that one. That one makes a good sized hole, doesn’t it.

i think I got my good one from ATS. Bought a couple of cheapies at my local Menards store and bent the first one in short order. Similar price class as the Amazon one. But for $20, might be worth trying it out. Might get lucky.

[S Lathrop]

My best advise, and it is worth nothing, is to make the fly cutter the very last option for making a hole. I have a good one and I have a good drill press that will turn 90 rpm and even then a fly cutter scares me. But, if you have to use one, get a good one, turn it very slow and really clamp the work.

[S Lathrop]

Here is the fly cutter I have. It works well. Sorry but I do not know who made it or where I got it. 190112 038.jpg
This one has a knob to adjust the diameter and on the bottom beside the guide pin are 2 set screws to lock the setting.

This tool reminds me of something that can get you if you are not very careful when you use it.

[nborer]

Thanks all. May give the Amazon one a try. I know they’re dangerous, but what else can you use for lightening holes and such?

[marcusofcotton]

Thanks all. May give the Amazon one a try. I know they’re dangerous, but what else can you use for lightening holes and such?

Knock out punches, hole saws, nibblers, routers, aviation snips, die grinders. Sanding drums for clean up.

[nichzimmerman]

I used a cheap fly cutter from somewhere for the ribs and spars. I stacked the ribs 4 at a time. Other than punches, I can't think of a faster way of doing it. It was scary, but I made a rule for myself that one hand stayed on the switch and the other on the lever of the drill press and I wouldn't move from there without shutting it off.

I haven't used the flycutter since, and wouldn't pick it for single hole jobs.

[S Lathrop]

I cut all my ribs using a hand held router and a guide/template that was the shape of the rib with the lightening holes. I made a template for all the spar lightening holes as well. I did not use the fly cutter anywhere on the wing. I did use a fly cutter to make the offset dies I used to do the lightening hole flanges but that aluminum was 1/8 thick.

I was able to stack the three rib blanks and cut them at once. The center ribs took about 3 minutes to cut the outside profile and all the lightening holes. Once I had the tooling, it took less than a day to cut all the ribs and make start on de-burring. The tooling I made has been used for 2 projects.

I think that the time I spent making all the tooling I did was easily made up in the reduced time to make the individual parts and the increased accuracy of the parts. Every part was interchangeable with any other part of the same type, until it was riveted in place.

[fairchild]

I bought a "good" name brand one at woodcraft (woodriver?) --- it was total crap. It had a cylinder shaped aluminum counterweight thing on the arm.
The thing that made it crap was that the hole in the end where the pilot goes is NOT concentric with the other end that you chuck up. I then tried one of the "general" brand
( I think they have two models one bigger and one smaller) it was a little better but I still had to re-work the pilot end. I only needed it to cut MDF but I needed the holes accurate----
not all wallowed out and stupid. I plan on using the router to cut my round spar holes. It has worked well on the ribs so far.
Tim

[bergy]

Bought mine for $12 off eBay. Worked fine. Keep it honed sharp. Double-clamp your work. Turn it slow. Keep your drill-press drive belt just tight enough to do an average cut without the belt slipping... that way if it gets caught on something the belt will just slip and you will not have to look up the number for 911

[geraldmorrissey]

I've got a General just like the one pictured in the initial post. Works great. Very strong. Cuts perfect holes.
Gerry
Patrol #30

[Chris In Milwaukee]

I bought a "good" name brand one at woodcraft (woodriver?) --- it was total crap. It had a cylinder shaped aluminum counterweight thing on the arm.
The thing that made it crap was that the hole in the end where the pilot goes is NOT concentric with the other end that you chuck up. I then tried one of the "general" brand
( I think they have two models one bigger and one smaller) it was a little better but I still had to re-work the pilot end. I only needed it to cut MDF but I needed the holes accurate----
not all wallowed out and stupid. I plan on using the router to cut my round spar holes. It has worked well on the ribs so far.
Tim

That one must have been for those oval holes in the aft end of the center ribs.

[fairchild]

The one that worked ( I think it was the bigger "general" one--- it has a keyway type groove all the way down the horizontal shaft. The junkey one just has a miller flat.
The one with the keyway was better. I think I got it at Ace. After that fail--- I thought that some company ought to make a good quality one-- strong, precise and
well centered. ( and did I mention-- made in America) Somebody like Starrett. Something you could depend on not to ruin a part you have hundreds of hours in......

Even with the better one.... I slow down to about 150 RPM (as slow as it will go--) --- also keep belts on the slack side...... clamp
the work down in 2 or 3 places.

BUT--- as I have said before I will NOT depend on it for my spar cutouts. I will make a wood sled to fit inside the spar and
use the router. Then at worst all I have is to clean up the edge slightly. (de-burr and 220 Al-o2 paper. )

T