To cut a woodruff keyseat:

Tram or align the head of the vertical milling machine.

Layout the position of the keyseat.

Set the shaft in a vise or on v-blocks and level the shaft parallel with the table.

Mount the keyseat cutter in a positive lock style of holder.

Start the spindle at the proper RPM for a form cutter and check the cutter rotation.

Touch the bottom of the cutter to the top of the work piece using a piece of paper. Set the vertical graduated feed collar to the paper thickness.

Move the work clear of the cutter. Raise the table half the diameter of the work (where you touched off) plus half the thickness of the cutter.

Lock the knee of the milling machine.

Touch off the cutter on the end of the shaft and find the center of the slot location on the shaft using the graduated dial of the milling machine.

Lock the X axis traverse direction of the milling machine.

Touch the revolving cutter to the work using a piece of paper as a buffer. Set the cross feed graduated dial to the paper thickness.

Using the Machinery’s Handbook calculate the depth of the keyseat. Cut the keyseat to depth.