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Thread: Milling project

  1. #1
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    Default Milling project

    I have just bought a nice mill.
    But have zero experience. (Well, NOW, I have milled a nice “Hasp and staple” out of 10mm AL for my gate….)

    I want to make this: (A suspension link for my race bike)
    (Centre to centre on the longest side is 87mm for scale. The three “thicknesses” are 30mm, 40mm and 80mm (If I made it, I would probably make this bit separately and “shrink” fit it and weld it)

    I’m thinking it will be a while before I can make this. Will need a rotary table, and 1000hrs practice?

    My friend has “made” the file in Fusion 360, so I should be able to give that file to someone with a CNC mill and get it made?
    Any suggestions?
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  2. #2
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    I would get the pieces cut with a water jet and TIG weld them.
    how much is a new one iris it a custom job

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobL View Post
    I would get the pieces cut with a water jet and TIG weld them.
    how much is a new one iris it a custom job
    Custom job.
    Around A$500, when they were available (I would just buy one, if I could)

    Get it water jet cut out of 40mm 6061?
    Then machine part of it down to 30mm, machine the holes (need to be press fit for bearings) and make the 80mm long “tube” in the lathe and TIG it in.

    Seems an excellent and achievable, at my level, plan.

  4. #4
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    I’ll be trying to avoid welding in the construction unless really needed.
    If the welding is really only to locate the tube from moving axially then a shrink fit would probably be enough. Perhaps a small roll pin if you were still concerned.
    If you had concerns over the remaining wall thickness in the bracket after boring for the tube, a steel tube would probably allow you to go thinner wall tube and therefore smaller OD and smaller bracket hole for the same bearing OD.

    Steve

  5. #5
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    A rotary table would be nice although you could probably radius the corners with a file or even an angle grinder. Although the part is probably a little big for doing things on a vice, there are tricks to rounding corners of things like this with a mill. You may be able to drill the holes (18mm and 24mm?) but depending on what they are doing, it may be better to bore them (or ream them).
    I would not like to press a bush in for that 80mm long part, simply because all you would have hanging onto the bush is effectively a strip of material 4mm thick. Even if welded, you are back to that as welding joins edges. At least if machined from solid, the thickness is more like double that.

    A CNC machinist would need (probably) a STEP file; that is a reasonably common one that most people seem to be able to read.

    I doubt you would need a 1000 hours of practice though. A lot of machining is working out the correct sequence of operations, and working out how to hold things. The rest is winding handles .

    It's not actually a very difficult part to make, and for the most part could be done without a rotary table if you are prepared to do some clean up with a file. I'm still thinking the approach through, but I would be tempted to do the holes (and bush sides) in the lathe. Holding is the tricky bit but is possible, perhaps with a basic fixture.

    Michael

  6. #6
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    Thats quite intricate. It could be done on a manual mill.

    Out of what material and to what tollerances?

    Simon





    Sent from a galaxy far far away
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by simonl View Post
    Thats quite intricate. It could be done on a manual mill.

    Out of what material and to what tollerances?

    Simon





    Sent from a galaxy far far away
    I’m thinking 6061 (The “black” is an “Artists Impresion”
    The closest tolerance required is the press fit for the 3 bearings.

    This is the original cast version, with different geometry (The reason for the change)

    If I was getting 10 made, would that be viable for a commercial CNC operation?
    Any suggestions on a commercial operator?
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  8. #8
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    Ah I can relate to the other diagram now.

    Others will know more but when it comes cnc jobs, the more you want, the cheaper per item they become.

    I would guess that a cnc operator can make you a 1 off but it would probably be the same price as making you 100 or so.

    10 off is a small amount for a cnc operator but then if you have the DFX file then I'm not sure, maybe it's much cheaper for them?

    Simon

    Sent from a galaxy far far away
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  9. #9
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    If you only need one, I think you should have a go on your new mill. Have you got a boring head and maybe a rotary table?
    It doesn't seem complex but will need some attention to set-up. Might be a good learning exercise, even if you stuff one up and have to do it twice.
    Break it down to simple individual operations and don't get lost in the 'big complex picture' while you focus on each operation.
    Eventually, once you get to the final shape, fixturing will be one of the learning tasks. Until then, leave the whole thing as a rectangular block. It's a temptation to start with the outside shape so it 'starts to look like' the final product. Resist that temptation! Just do the drilling and boring of all three (plus one for the triangular cut-out) first, with just two of the holes along a straight edge of the block. Only then start with the surface heights, then the boss around one of the holes, then the cut-out, then turn it over and repeat on the other side.
    Then make a fixture to hold it and start on the outside shape..... Don't get hung up with finishes except for the bores. You'll end up fettling the outside with files/sanders etc in any case.
    When you are done, you'll be much more comfortable with your mill and feeds and speeds for your cutters and material.
    Cheers, Joe
    retired - less energy, more time to contemplate projects and more shed time....

  10. #10
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    Thanks Joe, (and others)

    Some great info and advice.

    I’d love to make it myself.
    The finish isn’t critical, and the triangle cutout is for weight saving and aesthetics.

    I have a boring head, and am planning on a rotary table very soon. Lot’s of “Dog Bone” milling required for race bikes. Any advice on choosing a rotary table? (I don’t plan on making any gears, at this stage.)

    Have a great day everyone, and keep the enthusiasm coming.

    Simon

  11. #11
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    Hi Simon,

    I bought a "Vertex HV6" complete with a set of hole plates, which I admit I have yet to use. Hopefully Vertex have corrected the errors in the hole tables published in their manual. I made the set of guides for mine which makes setting up on the mill table a lot quicker.

    I also made an aluminium fixture plate that allows work to easily be clamped down and prevents damage to the RT surface. I use a 2MT plug to locate the plate and centre it.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  12. #12
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    Thanks Baron,

    Always better to get a personal recommendation.
    I want to make a MT2 plug for a project.
    My hero Quinn, (Blondie Hacks) turns one up (between centres). Seems like more work than I’d prefer. I was considering cutting a dead centre down, but thought it might be a bit “hard” to machine/tap. What did you use?

    https://youtu.be/4WjXyJTpaW8

    Simon

  13. #13
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    I’ve got a 6” Homge brand horizontal/vertical with index plates. Looks the same as the Vertex and others.
    Have cut a few change gears, seems to work fine. It does have a little bit of backlash etc that I haven’t bothered messing with, so when cutting gears I always lock the table locks for each cut.
    Mine won’t take a full length MT2 arbor so I turned up a short one.
    It’s a good exercise to turn one up, and not that big a deal.

    Steve

  14. #14
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    I have the older Vertex HV6 with the four T slots, which I prefer. I am completely happy with it for what it is - a fairly cheap rotary table. I bought the dividing plates and tail stock (foot stock?) separately. The dividing plates and other bits of the dividing set are a bit crude, but work OK. Not particularly happy with the tail stock though - not the usual Vertex quality.

    I have used it to make a number of change gears for the Brackenbury & Austin lathe to enable it to cut metric threads. Also made a shortened 2MT adapter with an 8mm draw bolt to take the Brackenbury & Austin chucks, and a 2MT stub with a hole drilled in the end with a centre drill. This makes it very easy to roughly centre the table under the mill spindle if you put a lathe centre in the mill spindle.

    Frank.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by skypig View Post
    Thanks Baron,

    Always better to get a personal recommendation.
    I want to make a MT2 plug for a project.
    My hero Quinn, (Blondie Hacks) turns one up (between centres). Seems like more work than I’d prefer. I was considering cutting a dead centre down, but thought it might be a bit “hard” to machine/tap. What did you use?

    https://youtu.be/4WjXyJTpaW8

    Simon
    Hi Simon, glad to help.

    I made my 2MT plug from a bit of bronze bar ! I had just enough to be able to grip it in the lathe chuck jaws. I did have to do a couple of test fits into the RT in order to make sure that it didn't drop too far down, I needed the 13-14 mm at the top to locate in the tool fixture plate, I turned this first. Using soft jaws made removing and returning to the chuck without run out easy. I also tapped a 2BA thread in the top so that I could pull it out without removing the RT from the mill bed.

    If I was doing this again, I would have found a slightly longer bit of scrap bar and made the taper longer than the 25 mm of mine, probably double the length.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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