POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[Shotgun]

I made a WRENCH!!
This only cost me five or so end mills, and I now know that a Bridgeport can't push a 1/2" endmill through steel at 1d depth at 20ipm. In fact, I don't seem to be able to cut much more than .050" without breaking endmills.
The good thing is that I've got the material to make another one. These holes are exactly the same size as the nuts on my Sebastian lathe. Which is GREAT, if you want a wrench with a near press fit.

 

[twhite]

Made some progress on the Craftsman Horizontal Bandsaw today. I finished the motor mount and wiring. I need to do some adjustments on the saw. The blade wants to run off of the idler wheel. And adjust the guides too. I had to stop. I am getting sunburned.

Cutting oil is my blood.

I got it all dialed in. It cuts straight and square. The blade will want to run off if it sits running with no cutting pressure. Not a big deal as I know to engage as soon as I start it.
The last thing is to drill and tap in the top frame to mount an arm to shut off the toggle when cut is done. Also mount the wheels. Next weekend.


Cutting oil is my blood.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

Next up is putting lathe together, but I want to machine the cross slide for the DRO scale. It's probably only going to be drill and tap as I can't figure out a way to do what @JimDawson did - machining a channel for the magnetic tape and read head. I also lack the confidence to not screw it up. When the lathe is back together, I can finish cleaning and organizing the surrounding area. I don't know about you, but I make a bigger mess when cleaning and arranging things, but I'll get there. Then it's back to the '73 Cuda you see in the background.

I'm pretty sure we'd be able to walk you through it and figure out any potential snafus ahead of time. I can remember that thread but I can't remember how he attached the tape.

 

[Nutfarmer]

twhite the small Craftsman saws are actually a pretty decent saw. Don’t use coolant or lub. on the blade or the blade won’t stay on the wheels. One weak area is the nylon bevel gear that drives the wheel is easy to strip. Someone was printing for a reasonable price. If you have problems with the blade not staying on the wheels the spacer under the idle wheel is tapered and has to be installed the right direction. If I remember correctly the thick side goes towards the tension adjust knob. If the blade won’t track try reversing it.

 

[twhite]

twhite the small Craftsman saws are actually a pretty decent saw. Don’t use coolant or lub. on the blade or the blade won’t stay on the wheels. One weak area is the nylon bevel gear that drives the wheel is easy to strip. Someone was printing for a reasonable price. If you have problems with the blade not staying on the wheels the spacer under the idle wheel is tapered and has to be installed the right direction. If I remember correctly the thick side goes towards the tension adjust knob. If the blade won’t track try reversing it.

Thanks for the tips. I actually had some of the nylon gears printed at work before they laid everybody off. So I have a new one on and a few spare ones also. I replaced all of the bushings when I purchased it. So I should be good.

I will double check that I have the spacer turned the correct way. I did remember seeing to cut dry only. So I will be following that for sure.


Cutting oil is my blood.

 

[dkemppai]

I made a WRENCH!!
This only cost me five or so end mills, and I now know that a Bridgeport can't push a 1/2" endmill through steel at 1d depth at 20ipm. In fact, I don't seem to be able to cut much more than .050" without breaking endmills.

Busting end mills is no fun! Gut feel is that you might be running the IPM too fast. You might try a feeds and speeds calculator to get you a starting point. There are tons of them on line. Here's one example:
https://littlemachineshop.com/mobile/speeds_feeds.php
Choosing steel, 1/2" HSS, it recommends 690 RPM, and 3 ipm...

Let us know if you have any questions about feeds/speeds. There are a bunch of us that should be able to help you get that sorted out.

 

[Shotgun]

Busting end mills is no fun! Gut feel is that you might be running the IPM too fast. You might try a feeds and speeds calculator to get you a starting point. There are tons of them on line. Here's one example:
https://littlemachineshop.com/mobile/speeds_feeds.php
Choosing steel, 1/2" HSS, it recommends 690 RPM, and 3 ipm...

Let us know if you have any questions about feeds/speeds. There are a bunch of us that should be able to help you get that sorted out.

I used the F&S calculator at littlemachineshop.com/mobile/speeds_feeds.php
For milling low carbon steel with a 1/2", 4-flute carbide, I should spin 2670 RPM and go 32ipm. I played it conservative and went half of that and took only 1/4" depth.
That didn't end well.

 

[BGHansen]

I used the F&S calculator at littlemachineshop.com/mobile/speeds_feeds.php
For milling low carbon steel with a 1/2", 4-flute carbide, I should spin 2670 RPM and go 32ipm. I played it conservative and went half of that and took only 1/4" depth.
That didn't end well.

You're a better man than me; I have to admit to not using feed calculators. I go more by feel and sound; if it's chattering I slow down the feed rate and/or depth of cut/width of cut.

I'd probably start at around 1500 RPM with a DOC of 0.050", WOC of 0.150" and a feed rate of 6 ipm. If it's going well, bump up the WOC and/or DOC until it sounds/feel bad than back off some. Yeah, it takes a lot longer than the calculators show (which I've read here were made up for production machines), but you get more time to watch your CNC machine work its magic.

Bruce

 

[Eyerelief]

I used the F&S calculator at littlemachineshop.com/mobile/speeds_feeds.php
For milling low carbon steel with a 1/2", 4-flute carbide, I should spin 2670 RPM and go 32ipm. I played it conservative and went half of that and took only 1/4" depth.
That didn't end well.

I'm with Bruce, I can't use the F&S calculator with any real success. I don't think my machines are as beefy as what is used to calculate feeds and speeds, but that is just me. I too listen, look at chips and finish which sometimes can be a little frustrating as well. Really like that wrench, gives me some ideas!

 

[Shotgun]

You're a better man than me; I have to admit to not using feed calculators. I go more by feel and sound; if it's chattering I slow down the feed rate and/or depth of cut/width of cut.

I'd probably start at around 1500 RPM with a DOC of 0.050", WOC of 0.150" and a feed rate of 6 ipm. If it's going well, bump up the WOC and/or DOC until it sounds/feel bad than back off some. Yeah, it takes a lot longer than the calculators show (which I've read here were made up for production machines), but you get more time to watch your CNC machine work its magic.

Bruce

This is the first piece I've made with steel, having stepped up through wood and then thin aluminum. I resorted to the online F&S calculator specifically because I've always gone by feel using a manual machine. I literally had no idea how fast I was moving the machine. I could not attach a number to the "ipm", 'cause I just turned the handle to make the chips come out looking right.
When you switch to computer control, you have to know the numbers up front, and you want to follow the "Price Is Right". . . close but never over. One would think that Little Machine Shop, which caters to a lot of hobbyist, would take lower power and less rigid machines into consideration. As it stands, all the F&S calculators I have found are useless. They all seem to give numbers that even a BP will never reach.