Machinists Corner

[kongluc]

Originally Posted by CREEPERBOB

Yea, a fancy ass drill press that cuts sideways.

Well if that's indeed what i need..he said he can find me a used one for about $400. Is that to much?

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[KJ10]

That could be cheap, could be too much. Depends on the machine.

[kongluc]

Well it will be late August early September before i see him..he's a truck driver now... What should i look for?

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[kongluc]

I've got shakey hands...do these things (i guess i should say) slide n stuff...i mean how do they work? I could easily use my dremel bit but the parts won't be symmetrical

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[KJ10]

A mill has dials to move the table/fixture/part around. A little shakiness shouldn't affect the symmetry of a part, as long as you clamp it securely and take your time setting up. As with any cutting process, measure multiple times before cutting.

[BigSki]

Not so much a machining project, I was going to use the mill to make the 1/4" wide slots but there was a big sign saying 'out of order' when I got to the maker space. After talking to the newest genius that they've hired to do "training", I was told that the threads on the draw bolt felt "notchy" and that the taper in the quill needed some lubrication. Seriously, this is what their engineer with a freshly printed diploma told me. I'm just about done with that place...

Anyway, I made the best of what I had available. I needed a fuel pump lock ring removing tool in order to replace a fuel pump for the 2nd time in 1 week on my new-to-me 1999 Grand Cherokee. The first time I used a piece of wood and a small dead blow to R&R the lock ring. It worked, but it wasn't the best way of doing the job. 2 hrs after installing the new aftermarket pump, it was howling worse than the dying aftermarket pump already in the tank.

I got to use the forge to heat and bend some metal, then tried to get some TIG practice but was having weird auto-shading issues on the helmet not working correctly. I quickly got tired of being blinded so I switch to MIG and burned it together very quickly. No action shots, but the tool worked flawlessly.

Total costs to make the tool- $5 for a day pass to the maker space. I scrounged through the scrap bin and found something from a water jet project, scrap metal is free.

[MasteroFlego]

I'm going to be building a roll cage out of 1/4 aluminum rod, how do I notch the ends? I also don't know if I want to build it in individual rods or do some bending on the larger parts.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Originally Posted by MasteroFlego

I'm going to be building a roll cage out of 1/4 aluminum rod, how do I notch the ends? I also don't know if I want to build it in individual rods or do some bending on the larger parts.

If you don't already know this, tube would be stronger and lighter than rod.

Are you welding or brazing?

Dremel type sanding drum in the right diameter for the fishmouths.

You can get a light duty tube/pipe bender at Princess auto for pretty cheap..

[BigSki]

Originally Posted by MasteroFlego

I'm going to be building a roll cage out of 1/4 aluminum rod, how do I notch the ends? I also don't know if I want to build it in individual rods or do some bending on the larger parts.

A rat tail file works well for making the cope ( fish mouth ), the dremel tool is much faster if you have one available. My opinion would be to use a single pipe of material and do as many bends as possible. Individual lengths of material will make for a ton of un-necessary work and it will require a lot of brazing ( or whatever method you use to make the physical joints)

[MasteroFlego]

Originally Posted by BigSki

A rat tail file works well for making the cope ( fish mouth ), the dremel tool is much faster if you have one available. My opinion would be to use a single pipe of material and do as many bends as possible. Individual lengths of material will make for a ton of un-necessary work and it will require a lot of brazing ( or whatever method you use to make the physical joints)

I don't have a dremel, but I do have a drill press, could I use that at a high rpm? (I think mine goes to 2300rpm)

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[EddieO]

A drill press is not meant for sideloads in the bearings... buy a cheap dremel or use a file...

Later EddieO

[MasteroFlego]

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[MasteroFlego]

Originally Posted by QuesoDelDiablo

If you don't already know this, tube would be stronger and lighter than rod.

Are you welding or brazing?

Dremel type sanding drum in the right diameter for the fishmouths.

You can get a light duty tube/pipe bender at Princess auto for pretty cheap..

lighter yes, stronger? no. besides, it will not be heavier than 3/16 steel, which based on examples i have seen, would weigh at least 11lbs for a truck like this.

I am "brazing" using muggy weld super alloy 1, which has a tensile strength of about 20000 psi.

as for the bender, I'd like a smaller radius bend than i can find on their site, since most of them are designed for tube, not rod.

[jlwatchman]

Originally Posted by MasteroFlego

I don't have a dremel, but I do have a drill press, could I use that at a high rpm? (I think mine goes to 2300rpm)

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If you have a large floor press, the lateral pressure in grinding these small parts should not be significant enough to ruin the bearings. You wouldn't be apply much pressure to it anyway, it would be the cutting bit that is doing most of the work.

It should be perfectly fine with a sharp bit such as diamond bits used to sharpen chainsaw chains. Type in "diamond chainsaw sharpener" on Amazon and you'll see the bits in various sizes.

The drill press has at least two bearings on the shaft and they are way stronger than a dremel, you just don't want it to do milling operations on aluminum block (although I've seen some people do with end mills and machinist vises). Usually on these China made drill presses nowadays, it comes with pretty horrible runout anyway.

[MasteroFlego]

Originally Posted by jlwatchman

If you have a large floor press, the lateral pressure in grinding these small parts should not be significant enough to ruin the bearings. You wouldn't be apply much pressure to it anyway, it would be the cutting bit that is doing most of the work.

It should be perfectly fine with a sharp bit such as diamond bits used to sharpen chainsaw chains. Type in "diamond chainsaw sharpener" on Amazon and you'll see the bits in various sizes.

The drill press has at least two bearings on the shaft and they are way stronger than a dremel, you just don't want it to do milling operations on aluminum block (although I've seen some people do with end mills and machinist vises). Usually on these China made drill presses nowadays, it comes with pretty horrible runout anyway.

It's a big floor press that's probably older than I am, not Chinese lol.

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[jlwatchman]

Originally Posted by MasteroFlego

It's a big floor press that's probably older than I am, not Chinese lol.

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Yeah, then you would have no problem at all. They are probably even stronger than a new Chinese mini mill!

I am a small parts machinist if it matters.

[Duuuuuuuude]

If you try to machine with a drill press, be aware that the chuck is probably press fit onto the shaft. The right amount of side load will knock it loose. I doubt you'll do much damage at that rpm, but still, watch your fingers...

[BigSki]

The Morse Taper on the drill chuck is what keeps the drill chuck "locked" to the arbor shaft, the side load and vibrations from cutting/removing material from stock is what will loosen it and make it fall out.

[jlwatchman]

Side load pressure won't knock it loose if the chucked bit is small in diameter, which is the case if it is a diamond bit. The bit will snap before that happens. Also, that much pressure should not be applied when grinding or sanding, or the abrasive will wear off right away.

Now if it's an end mill, then that'll definitely be true.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Oh, you'd be surprised...