# Home Made T-slot Cutter Gets Work Out



## cathead (Mar 4, 2015)

The T-Slot cutter made from an old truck axle proved out nicely and seems no worse for
wear than when I started this project.  First I made a number of passes with a 5/8 inch 2 flute
HSS end mill and then followed that with the T-Slot cutter.  I have had this big chunk of
steel for a few years and added the middle slot in it just yesterday.  Also one does not ever
seem to have enough T-Nuts so made 10 of them so I have a supply.  Here's a couple photos
of the work.


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## Cactus Farmer (Mar 4, 2015)

Is that steel or cast iron/ductile? I'm contemplating a build with ductile "high grade cast" and was wondering where to get the material at a reasonable cost. there is ductile available here but it is mostly round and to make a rectangular piece would waste more than half of it as chips.
Making square and rectangular from round is OK for smaller project, but 6-7 inch round to rectangular is too wasteful.


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## cathead (Mar 4, 2015)

Cactus Farmer said:


> Is that steel or cast iron/ductile? I'm contemplating a build with ductile "high grade cast" and was wondering where to get the material at a reasonable cost. there is ductile available here but it is mostly round and to make a rectangular piece would waste more than half of it as chips.
> Making square and rectangular from round is OK for smaller project, but 6-7 inch round to rectangular is too wasteful.




It's a piece of hot rolled steel I believe.  It came from the local metals dealer who 
sells new material as well as scrap.  I would call it some run of the mill low 
carbon material.


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## Cactus Farmer (Mar 4, 2015)

I was thinking, again, that steel will deform where cast just breaks. Less flexible? modulus of distortion? whatever the correct term is called. I do like your cutter, I have a T&C grinder and have thoght about trying to make such a tool.


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## cathead (Mar 4, 2015)

Cactus Farmer said:


> I was thinking, again, that steel will deform where cast just breaks. Less flexible? modulus of distortion? whatever the correct term is called. I do like your cutter, I have a T&C grinder and have thoght about trying to make such a tool.




I have to agree that cast iron would be more stable than steel but for my purposes it will be just fine.  
Cold rolled steel I would avoid for this application as it has a lot of internal stresses just waiting
to be set free.  Cast iron I have not ever seen in any large rectangular shape.  Actually I have not
seen any cast materials around here even in round.  At times I will peruse the scrap yard in 
search of some special shape in cast iron for a special application but mostly don't find it.  I have
used cast iron vibration dampers at times to machine small cast parts.


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## Billh50 (Mar 4, 2015)

Most axles where made from 4140 from what my searching has led me to believe. They would be heat treated 4140 but could be annealed for easier machining.


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## cathead (Mar 4, 2015)

Billh50 said:


> Most axles where made from 4140 from what my searching has led me to believe. They would be heat treated 4140 but could be annealed for easier machining.




That's exactly what I did.  A chunk of axle was annealed in the wood stove and then machined to shape.  
After that it was heated to cherry red and given a bath in some used compressor oil...


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## Cactus Farmer (Mar 4, 2015)

I live in oil field country, ergo, there are machine shops here that can chuck up your truck and bore a hole thru it from front to back and then line it with cast/ductile. We have a business that casts cylinders of cast/ductile/steel for industrys that need them. Spinning mold and pouring molten material in the thing. Crazy to watch! Small machines around here are the exception. One place has a vertical turret lathe where the chuck is level with the floor and is 12 FEET in diameter. The pit it sets in is 18 feet deep to the top of the concrete.  They call it a mill but to me it's a VTL.


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