06-27-2012, 09:25 PM | #241 |
Quarry Creeper Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Deus est mortuus, logica obtinet.
Posts: 451
| Re: Machinists Corner
my buddy's dad is a contractor and fixes haas machines and he has said a lot of positive things about them, but he's not a machinist nor am i so i can't speak from experience.
|
Sponsored Links | |
07-01-2012, 05:06 PM | #242 |
Suck it up! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arkansas
Posts: 11,652
| Re: Machinists Corner
I made me a new thing. Since I'm still very much an eyeballer and don't yet have an edge finder (it's on its way!), I use my calipers to find and mark lines and centers and whatnot. That works well, but hard to reference that point on the mill. I needed something to make them jive. I dug through my aluminum bin and pulled out a short chunk of 3/8" rod. I put that in the collet, looked through the box of endmills, found a junk one, and put that in the vice on an angle. Rod met endmill, here is the result. Now I can center over my lines. Otherwise, I've been spending a whole lot of time practicing squaring up odd pieces of plastic and aluminum and in general getting used to running the machine...different sized endmills, feeds, speeds, etc etc. The guy that sold me the mill gave me a big tub full of scrap...aluminum, pvc, delrin, acrylic, some fiberglass composite stuff, and a couple other things I can't quite identify. A lot of small stuff, but still big enough to make things from. Last edited by Duuuuuuuude; 07-01-2012 at 05:12 PM. |
07-01-2012, 05:20 PM | #243 |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sin City
Posts: 3,628
| Re: Machinists Corner
I am by no means a machinist - but I have worked with a few and picked up a few things. One thing that is keeping me from using my mill more if squaring up the work piece or even the vice. Anyone have any tips or ticks? I haven't dug around looking for any write ups on how to yet but figured you guys be the best to ask. |
07-01-2012, 05:23 PM | #244 |
Suck it up! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arkansas
Posts: 11,652
| Re: Machinists Corner
Watch those MIT videos. It walks you through everything and does in fact show you how to square up the table and vice and/or quill and the part you are working on. Search for "free MIT education" if you don't know what I'm refering to. Last edited by Duuuuuuuude; 07-01-2012 at 05:25 PM. |
07-01-2012, 06:06 PM | #245 | |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement
Posts: 929
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
You probably don't need anything insanely precise, probably a .001" or so, and once you do it a few times you'll be able to line a part up in 30-40 seconds. If you mean work centering and you don't have a center or edge finder this is a trick I use is to touch a drill/mill/center drill off to the side of the part using a piece of shim stock, or paper if I absolutely have to, then move over 1/2 the distance of the tool width. That should be zero. Same goes for a round part, just touch off to the vice and move 1/2 the distance the opposite direction. For the part not touching the vice I lay a parallel up against it and proceed from there. | |
07-01-2012, 06:11 PM | #246 | |
Yashua Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Learn the parable of the fig tree
Posts: 3,661
| Re: Machinists Corner
One thing I might add to all this great info XJ, is if your talking about squaring a vise, I found that if it has a swivel base it is best to get the base tightened down securely and then loosen the actual vise from the base , tighten one bolt fairly tight and indicate the fixed jaw. I found that with a swivel base if you try to squre with it loose, between it and the vise they can move seperatly and be a PITA to set. Quote:
| |
07-01-2012, 06:17 PM | #247 | |
Yashua Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Learn the parable of the fig tree
Posts: 3,661
| Re: Machinists Corner
Your a genius . And those MIT vid's are great, I was refered to them when I first got my machine too. Quote:
| |
07-01-2012, 07:54 PM | #248 |
Suck it up! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arkansas
Posts: 11,652
| Re: Machinists Corner |
07-01-2012, 08:10 PM | #249 |
Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Arkie-Saw
Posts: 284
| Re: Machinists Corner
Heres a good tip: Buy good tooling! Its something special when you have good tools. Most of the guys who will qualify themselves as hobby machinists will be OK with HSS endmills and such. But if you can swing it, get yourself some Cobalt drill bits. 135 degree split point so they self center. Screw machine length so they are much more rigid. Does anyone really need 6"+ of flutes? I hardly ever run a center drill on the CNC mill, CNC lathe or Bridgeport at work anymore. Its one of those things that after you have it you dont understand why you did work any other way! I will say I envy yous guys with mills at home. I do this stuff all day but being able to be at the workbench in my shop and say I could use one of those...then walk across the shop and make one? Yeah Im envious. hopefully have something of my own soon. |
07-01-2012, 08:27 PM | #250 |
Yashua Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Learn the parable of the fig tree
Posts: 3,661
| Re: Machinists Corner |
07-01-2012, 08:42 PM | #251 |
Suck it up! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arkansas
Posts: 11,652
| Re: Machinists Corner |
07-01-2012, 09:00 PM | #252 |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement
Posts: 929
| Re: Machinists Corner
Another thing to note about tooling, even if you buy the best in the world, it wont be worth a crap if you have your feeds and speeds jacked up. Every day I go to work my job consists of rigging up something goofy to run. I run a lot of parts that are so thin you cant tighten them but hand tight, then have a .0005 hole size tolerance with a true position of .002 S. So rigging up something that just absolutely shouldn't be done to do something is absolutely how you are supposed to do it. |
07-01-2012, 09:07 PM | #253 | |
Suck it up! Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arkansas
Posts: 11,652
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
Being poor helps too. I love home made tools. | |
07-01-2012, 09:29 PM | #254 |
Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Splendora
Posts: 477
| Re: Machinists Corner
I always use an indicator to find centerline, but the majority of my work is round its 4.75 in dia. and we don't use vices all our work that I do is in a 4th axis chuck, but the indicator works very well just use a mirror to see the indicator on the back side.
|
07-01-2012, 10:42 PM | #255 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Longview
Posts: 81
| Re: Machinists Corner if you're doing production work, and perhaps someone else is footing the bill for equipment... invest in a coaxial indicator. No more mirror, just set the spindle running at about 100rpm, and jog around until there is no more movement indicated on the gage. Its much, much faster.
|
07-01-2012, 10:54 PM | #256 | |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Longview
Posts: 81
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
That said, they still make perfectly good machines. Accuracy will be quite good for the first few years. Also, their lathes are priced very competitively. This is especially true when you get into their larger ones (dual spindle, live turning + y-axis, etc.) When I finally buy a mill-turn machine, it will most likely be a haas. Also, your local community college likely trains its "machinists" on a haas, so its easier to find someone to crash it for you -- xjman - perhaps these parts need clamped in a different direction. Most thin work does well to be screwed to a large, flat plate. | |
07-01-2012, 11:04 PM | #257 | |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement
Posts: 929
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
The only time it really causes issues for us is when its a titanium or stainless steel part. I don't know what it is about the titanium its far softer than most of what I cut, but man its a pain to hold in place. To the guy who runs the HAAS, I like the machines I have had the pleasure of working on(VF5 and VF. However I'll stick with my Mori horizontal. | |
07-02-2012, 09:05 AM | #258 | |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Longview
Posts: 81
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
| |
07-02-2012, 10:05 AM | #259 | |
No idea what I'm doing Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Underground, CO
Posts: 4,529
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
| |
07-02-2012, 11:05 AM | #260 | |
Rock Crawler Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement
Posts: 929
| Re: Machinists Corner Quote:
I need to buy a decent mill for personal use. I don't think my company would be ok with me spending 15 or 20 hours on a three quarter million dollar machine programming a new set of beadlocks and axle housings. | |
Machinists Corner - Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
you Machinists can probly appreciate this... | STANG KILLA SS | Tools, and Procedures | 41 | 05-14-2011 12:59 AM |
Machinists..... | mrpink | Chit Chat | 1 | 08-30-2010 08:31 PM |
Question for the machinists out there... | scally6 | Chit Chat | 12 | 12-03-2009 08:25 PM |
Machinists...opinions? | JasonInAugusta | Tools, and Procedures | 5 | 07-23-2007 11:00 PM |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
| |