Stainless Steel is Really Tough

For the slow motion controls,  I need to mount the spur gear on a 5mm stainless steel shaft.  I had no problem finding them.  I need 2.04" long pieces.  I will just put them in the mill and cut across with the 1/8" carbide endmill at a very slow speed. 

The small endmills seem to lack a flat spot for the setscrew to lock it in the holder.  The first such endmill was a SpeedTiger (made in Taiwan).  I thought this was a quirk of that maker.  But none of the 1/8" endmills seem to have it.  This means two setscrews in the holder are trying to hold it in place.  Even a little vibration is enough to loosen them so it falls out. A 1/4" carbide endmill has the flat locking spot and seems to work.  Getting a complete cut that leaves no scrap requires multiple passes at the same position.

A hacksaw was nearly useless.  I may use my grinding wheel for the second shaft.  Yes!

A former boss told me of his first summer job.  He was supposed to drill 1/4" holes a foot apart of a stainless steel food processing belt.  The first one was easy.  The second one was not so easy.  After thet, it just got harder and harder until impossible.