ROTARY CUTTING TOOL HAVING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF LEFT AND RIGHT HANDED HELICAL FLUTES AND END FACE CUTTING TEETH

A rotary cutting tool (20), having a longitudinal axis (A), includes cutting and mounting portions (22, 24). The cutting portion (22) includes an end face surface (28) and a peripheral surface (30) extending therefrom. The peripheral surface (30) includes respective pluralities of main and auxiliary flutes (32, 34) that extend helically with opposite hand about the longitudinal axis (A). The cutting portion (22) includes a plurality of evenly circumferentially distributed end gashes (42) and a plurality of end face cutting teeth (48). The number of main flutes (32) and auxiliary flutes (34) are different, each being wholly divisible by, and greater than, the number of end face cutting teeth (48). In each cross sectional view of the cutting portion (22) an imaginary contour line (LC) defined by a peripheral contour (PC) of the peripheral surface of one of the end face cutting teeth (48) is in rotationally aligned relationship, about the longitudinal axis (A), with the peripheral contour (PC) of the peripheral surfaces (30) of all other end face cutting teeth (48).