When face milling steel with carbide milling cutters, how well chip formation and ejection takes place can determine success or failure of the operation. The first rule for selecting the right cutter is to have one approximately one-third larger than the face width to be milled. This means using an 8-inch diameter cutter to mill a 5-inch wide workpiece. This limits the chip travel in front of each tooth to 75 degrees Of cutter rotation. The chip has a chance to clear the cutter before re-entering the workpiece. If using a 6-inch cutter for the same workpiece, the chip rides with the tooth for almost 180 degrees. This may not stall the milling machine, but will reduce the cutter ..