Steel Guitar Builder

hi guys, here's some pics of my milling machine that i've built, needs a few coats of paint , i ordered some end mills and waiting for them and also ordered a speed controller for the router, the router is a black & decker 1hp with a 1/4" collet but i can change it if i want cause i've made the brackets to accomodate other size of routers, the mill is all set up to be converted to CNC if i want to...that will be in a few months if the machine works good, the Z axis move 7", X axis moves 7" and Y axis moves 12" , i was so lucky i couldn't beleive it when i set it up i thought i would have to do some hard adjustements to line up the router with the table but when i put everything together and measured it ...it was right on , will see how it holds.

Hey Pat.....I love it! Did you make the tables too? That's sort of where I've been stumped to try to make a mill for myself without spending hundreds of dollars. Anyway, congrats, it looks great!
Cheers,
Mac

HI Pat,
Looks really cool!
Where did you find the x,y table?
What did you use for the z? did you start w/some salvage parts or all from scratch?
Is there a lock mechanism for the z?

a couple of thoughts on the router. I was told 35 years ago by a very clever fellow that you could route steel w/a regular router w/a carbide cutter
if you first converted your power source to DC (most non-variable speed hand power tools are AC/DC , check the name plate first) and then added a speed control to slow it down. I guessed the DC conversion was to lessen power loss as you slowed down the RPM. Not sure what kind of converters are available for this purpose though. I would also highly recommend a router that will accept 1/2" shank bits.

keep up the good work,
Regards, Dave

Mac...i bought the table from king canada

Dave, i haven't put a lock on the Z yet...i'm still trying to figure out somekind of lock design , any ideas?, i've got a 15amp speed controller coming in the mail that is suppose to work with routers, i've done some milling with my other router and it worked great and that gave the inspiration to build a mill, the brackets that hold the router is easy to modify if i want tp add a bigger router with 1/2", my other router uses 1/2" but i didn't want to mess with it.... but i'll be looking for a bigger one if the mill works out good, i've made the Z axis out of some salvage pieces of a small wood planer.

yes, a couple thoughts but not very elegant I'm afraid.
some type of jamb nut on the Z spindle, perhaps at the bottom or at the top which ever gives better access. after turning to desired height turn nut to lock against router carriage. or maybe the jamb nut could tighten to the bottom of your upper frame member near the hand crank.
second, a split collar on the guide shafts that would clamp around the guide shafts and butt the top and bottom of the carriage after adjustment, similar to the way most of the bell cranks lock around the cross shafts (round of course) sort of how a router base pinches to the router body.

Just a couple of thoughts off the cuff, and not very elegant.

Dave

Pat you are a resourceful thinker!
I hope that without the benefit of a sturdy cast column, you won't experience too much vibration.
Please be safe and take very shallow cuts at a slow feed rate until you see how the machine performs.
What type of end mills did you order? Two-flute high speed is great for aluminum.
Is the diameter of the end mill restricted by the 1/2" collett in the router?

Here's my milling machine all painted black and made a video testing the machine , i'm milling a block of aluminum with a only a 1/4" normal router bit and cutting at about 1/8" , i was pushing it a little fast cause i wanted to see how it would hold ...it seems to work pretty with just a router bit, i'll do some more testing once i get my end mills, i installed the speed controller and all it needs now is a lock for the Z axis and down the road a CNC kit conversion, i been thinking of making some kind of collet for the lock...something that would be easy and fast to work with, i'm sure i'll think of something .

here the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuztNmu5mY

Pat that was a cool demonstration. Did you cut a full 1/8" deep and 1/8" wide? And no lubrication/coolant? If so, it is amazing how well it performed. How was it for heat buildup in the bit and on the metal?
Please be careful. Remember in essence, you have a wood router that you are pushing at aluminum.
I hope you got the two-flute high speed end mills. When you go to do serious milling, do plunge cutting as much as possible. That way you don't have sideways stress on the cutter. Also, get a spray bottle with WD40 for lubing, keeping it wet.

Hi Pat , thats pretty cool ,are you using standard router bits ? they come in all different shapes , i didnt know they would work for aluminum, looks like you did a great job there, im impressed .how fast are you running ? whats the box on the side a speed control ?.Looks like you have some plexi glass for protection thats a good idea . Russ

Bent, the cut was 1/8" deep by 1/4" wide with a standard router bit and no lubrication and there was hardly any heat

Bent said=

Please be careful. Remember in essence, you have a wood router that you are pushing at aluminum.

the hard rock maple i have is almost as hard as aluminum if not more and my big router as difficult time routing maple,

thanks Bent