Home built milling machine

Tools, shop setup, jigs...
Bent
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Re: Home built milling machine

Post by Bent »

Reading this, it gives me the courage to shape aluminum necks with the router and a straight bit.
http://benrom.com/
21 BenRom pedal steel guitars, a Nash 112 and a 1967 TOS Milling machine with many cutters making one hell of a mess on the floor.
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Pat Comeau
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Re: Home built milling machine

Post by Pat Comeau »

Bent wrote:Reading this, it gives me the courage to shape aluminum necks with the router and a straight bit.
Bent,

i'm sure it could be done but you have to take really small cut otherwise the router or the piece will kick back in your face if it's hand held:oops: , i would take my time with small cut and wear protective gear, it is very dangerous working with a router and aluminum :o , one could make some kind of jig in a table to be on the safe side, Eddie Fulawka use a router to make parts of his endplates and he uses a jig to hold the aluminum and the router is in a table of somekind, i would be very, very, i mean very carefull using hand held routing on aluminum. ;)
Bent
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Re: Home built milling machine

Post by Bent »

Pat, what I thought of trying is this: I have the router set up side down in the saw table extension. I have a 1/2" pattern bit which has a pilot bearing that is flush with the cutter blades. I cut the rough outline in the band saw. Then with a template fastened to the aluminum, I run the template against the pilot bearing. A lot of it depends on how close and accurate I manage to rough out the neck on the band saw. I can get this down to a 32nd at least. Bearing this in mind, How would you feel about me taking a 1/32" cut with this setup? I feel it is safe and worth a try at least, but everybody's input and suggestions would be welcomed.
The router runs 0 to 20000 RPM... I would be of course feeding against the rotation
http://benrom.com/
21 BenRom pedal steel guitars, a Nash 112 and a 1967 TOS Milling machine with many cutters making one hell of a mess on the floor.
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Pat Comeau
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Re: Home built milling machine

Post by Pat Comeau »

Hi Bent, just loged in and saw your post...i don't think you'll have any problems with a 1/32" cut, one thing about using a router in a table for cutting aluminum is the kickback if you cut the wrong way when you hand held the peice, be very carefull and always go against the router rotation... but you already knew that :) ,if you've made a template i'm sure it'll be alot safer and easyer also but be carefull as i mentioned for kickbacks, i'm sure you won't have any problems but it's always a good thing to be on the safe side...but i've come to know you by now and i know you're someone that think alot about safety ;)

Pat C :)
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Dave-M
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Re: Home built milling machine

Post by Dave-M »

If you make a wooden slide with two or three hold-down clamps of type shown below (toggle clamp), you don't need a fence for your router cut (router on table saw extension), so an uneven cut on the opposite side will not matter. A well-fitting wooden strip runs in the table saw mitre head groove for alignment under the slide. I use a candle to wax the wood runner for a smooth slide action.

I also use this method for home-made fretboards using the saw blade. Lay out the fretboard as a rectangle, and make the frets via a square on the edges to be cut off, then cut the taper. Draw the taper line to be cut, in pencil, for measurement purposes.

If you initially cut the slightly overwidth slide with the saw (or router), with the wood strip running in the track, the edge will be at the exact position of the blade. Then you just line up the fretboard pencil line with the edge of the jig. If the saw blade is sharp and fine, you get a straight, clean edge.

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Not in PSG context, but I use a longer jig of 1/4 inch ply, with a guide strip along the top, left-hand edge in conjunction with a (*dangerous) hand-held rotary saw to cut doors, and 4x8 ft ply, etcetera. No need to measure blade offset, since the saw initially cut its own jig edge.

Naturally, the bottom slide, and hold-down clamps are not used with this jig. C-clamp, or spring clamp the straight edge to the work piece, or use screws if you can tolerate screw holes in the back of the work. Cut with good side down, since this saw cuts upward and leaves a splintered top edge.

Throw a dozen 3/4" small scrap chunks under the work to hold the 4x8, or whatever, off the work bench so you don't slice the bench.

*Caution with these rotary saws. One caught in my dad's loose-fitting overalls and sliced into his leg, just missing a tendon. Lots of blood and hamburger!
clamp.jpg
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