Surfacing cylinder heads through the use of a mill just became simpler thanks to the new Pinnacle Fly Cutter tool available through Howards Cams. 

The Pinnacle Fly Cutter is an 11-inch-diameter tool that’s used with a standard 1.5-inch milling arbor to create a cylinder head surfacing machine. According to Howards Production Manager Ben Herheim, “You can convert a Bridgeport or similar mill to surface cylinder heads, and with additional tools you can use the head fixture to cut valve seats. It’ll hold the head and is fully-adjustable.”

Each flycutter package is available for $780, and Howards is offering a 5% discount if multiple flycutters are purchased. The package includes the flycutter body, two tool holders, and two inserts. R8, CAT40, and CAT50 spindle adapters are available for an extra cost. The tool’s cutting diameter is infinitely adjustable between 5 and 11 inches, and the tool holders support round inserts that can be rotated to extend the life of the tool heads.  

Also available from Howards is the new Pinnacle Cylinder Head and Manifold machining fixture ($1,800), which has been designed to be rigid enough to offer repeatable machining processes, yet easy to set up.

Each base plate and upright is machined from one-inch-thick steel plate to ensure rigidity. Side-to-side level is easy to achieve thanks to the built-in leveling screws, and the fixture provides 6.5 degrees of tilt in each direction. The fixture fits on a 9 x 42 inch table. 

The simplicity of both tool setups combined with the small price of entry ($2,580 to start) brings cylinder head surfacing into the realm of the smaller engine shop’s ability to service customers, as a decent used surfacer is in the neighborhood of $5000.