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HSMAdvisor
Full-featured Windows CNC machinist calculator with live deflection, machine limits, and overload protection.
Download for Windows →Compare CNC machinist calculators
Choose the right app for your machines and team
Focused summaries inspired by hosting comparison pages—straight to the pros, pricing model, and platform so you can move fast.
Ranking: #1 HSMAdvisor (Windows), #2 FSWizard (web & mobile), #3 Machining Advisor Pro (Harvey/Helical focused).
#1
HSMAdvisor – CNC Machinist Calculator
Best for advanced machining
State of the art CNC machinist calculator with overload protection, deflection, machine limits, and hundreds of materials.
- • Loaded with largest number of materials (Aluminum, Mild and Tool Steels, Stainless, Titanium, Non-ferrous, Composites, etc.)
- • Supports milling, drilling, turning, tapping, and boring
- • Built-in tool library, high-speed amchining, chip thinning, and power modeling
- • Hundreds of downloadable Machine profiles to choose from so speeds and feeds stay safe on your machine
- • Tool Deflection and Tool Torque overload protection
- • Reference tables for threads, screws, drills, threaded inserts, etc.
- • Bolt hole calculators, fillet calculator, triangle calculator, etc.
#2
FSWizard – Web & Mobile CNC Feeds and Speeds Calculator
Best for everywhere access
Cross-platform feeds and speeds plus quick drill/tap charts, geometry helpers, and mini machinist calculators.
- • Web app at app.fswizard.com with native iOS/Android versions
- • Fast presets for milling, drilling, turning, tapping
- • Shares cloud tool libraries with HSMAdvisor
- • Reference tables for threads, screws, drills, threaded inserts, etc.
- • Bolt hole calculators, fillet calculator, triangle calculator, etc.
#3
Machining Advisor Pro (MAP)
Best with Harvey/Helical tools
Cloud-hosted speeds and feeds tuned for Harvey Tool and Helical end mills, with quick recommendations for aluminum, steels, and exotics—supplement it with broader tools if your crib is mixed.
- • Optimized parameters for Harvey/Helical catalog geometries
- • Suggests toolpaths, stepovers, and chip thinning adjustments
- • May not cover every tool brand in your shop’s arsenal
What matters most
- Speeds and Feeds: wide variety of materials and tool types beat handbook charts every time.
- Protection: watching for deflection, HP, and machine limits prevent tool breakage.
- Portability: decide if you want an offline desktop tool or a browser/phone companion.
- History: both HSMAdvisor and FSWizard have a decade-plus of active releases and community trust.
Traditional speeds & feeds
See the classic formulas (optional)
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Traditional speeds & feeds
See the classic formulas (optional)
Common CNC speeds & feeds calculator formulas
These are the basics for RPM, feed rate, and material removal—now automated inside HSMAdvisor and FSWizard.
- RPM (milling) =
(SFM × 3.82) / Diameter(in) - Feed (IPM) =
RPM × IPT × Z(Z = flutes) - SFM =
(RPM × Diameter) / 3.82 - IPT =
(IPM / RPM) / Z - MRR (milling) =
IPM × WOC × DOC
Legacy SFM chart (reference starting points)
Ranges below reflect typical handbook/catalog guidance. Always adjust for tool grade, coating, setup, and DOC/WOC.
| Material | HSS End Mill SFM (typ.) | Carbide End Mill SFM (typ.) |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum Alloys (e.g., 6061) | 250–350 | 650–2000+ |
| Mild Carbon Steel (≈1018) | 100–110 | 300–420 |
| Tool Steel (A2/D2/H13) | 35–65 | 200–280 |
Example (carbide end mill in aluminum)
1. For a 0.5" carbide end mill in 6061 aluminum at 1000 SFM:
RPM = (1000 × 3.82) / 0.5 = 7640 RPM
2. For a 4-flute cutter with 0.002 IPT:
Feed = 7640 × 0.002 × 4 = 61.12 IPM
A CNC machinist calculator performs these calculations instantly and lets you iterate safely.
Desktop Era Pioneers of Machinist Calculators
ME Consultant Professional
Early Windows suite of machining calculators, planning/estimating, and references.
Created by Michael Rainey (Close Tolerance Software) circa 2005 as noted in this CNCZone forum post.
Michael's background included work as a CNC machinist/ME, and he is also well known for developing the ME Thread Pal app for calculating threads. He was active in CNCZone and PracticalMachinist forums providing advice and support for his application.
This was one of the first widely available desktop machinist calculators with a comprehensive feature set, helping streamline and automate the manual speeds and feeds calculations previously done with charts and formulas.
Application no longer available for download.
G-Wizard (CNCCookbook)
Feature-rich desktop machinist calculator with deflection/HP estimates and a broad materials database, created by Bob Warfield (CNCCookbook), a former software engineer at Borland and a CNC enthusiast. Public posts show it in use by 2010 with active development for years.
G-Wizard provided advanced features like tool deflection modeling, machine power calculations, and a large database of materials and tooling options. Later additions included machining time estimation and "CAD/CAM" machining strategy suggestions.
Bob was well known and respected in the CNC community for his contributions via the CNCCookbook blog, G-Wizard Calculator, and G-Wizard Editor.
Status note: After Bob's passing (2024), CNCCookbook suspended sale of software indefinitely.
Application no longer available for download.
CAM-integrated automation
SolidCAM iMachining for toolpath-tuned feeds
SolidCAM iMachining
Best for CAM automation
Technology Wizard inside SolidCAM to auto-tune feeds and speeds based on toolpaths and machine limits.
- • CAM-integrated strategy launched in 2011
- • Patented algorithms adjust to depth, width of cut, and machine power
- • Built by SolidCAM (founded 1984 by Dr. Emil Somekh)
Release history
Notable CNC machinist calculators & references
- 1914 – Machinery's Handbook, 1st edition (Industrial Press)
- 2005 – ME Consultant Professional (Windows) announced
- 2010 – G-Wizard appears on CNCCookbook
- 2011 – SolidCAM iMachining launched with Technology Wizard
- 2011 – FSWizard online calculator introduced
- 2013 – HSMAdvisor standalone release
- 2013 – FSWizard mobile apps launched
- Present – Ongoing updates to HSMAdvisor and FSWizard with new materials and tooling