Mill/Lathe

GoldenMotor.com

mapbike

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2010
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Central Area of Texas
oops sorry Ron, the mail must have got burried in all the spam and junk, Yeah I still send a pellet or two at a vermin or coffee can now and then, been dialing in the deer rifles lately and shooting my bow, rwady to get some good and tasty venison on the table.

in the process of get all the wiring done in my seemingly eternal workshop project.... and working my regular job ... purdy much so ole same ole around my place.

hit me up by email when you get a chance and atch me up alittle, Ill be watching for it sir.


Shan / Map
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Some one early on in this thread said how handy this thing would be to have. It is just too cool to need some thing and just make one. Or modify some thing.

Made a handle for it today out of a large bolt. Took 8 or nine minutes and was some odd sized bolt I had laying around. So a freebie. Gonna knurl it tomorrow.

Have to covert the dials from metric soon, though. The math of converting back and forth is gonna end up in some serious scrap.
 

Davezilla

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Mar 15, 2014
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Haha... I know what you're feeling right about now... I just moved my lathe from home to the shop and spent the last hour or so looking for something to chuck in it and turn... Got all kinds of steel in this shop and can't decide what to make... lol

Hopefully I'll be able to move my CNC router to the shop tomorrow or sometime this week as I've really been itching to do some cool stuff with it but don't want to mess with it too much until I get it moved... then I'll have to set it up and make sure it's still calibrated the way I had it before
 

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Ayup. Look for scrap or parts to make stuff.

Had never seen a CNC router, Dave. So looked it up and now can't live with out one, LOL.

Really would be perfect for my needs. Gonna have to try a DIY one. Or hope for a CList deal.

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Got the knurling down to a science and increased shaft size in desired spots to 3/1000 of an inch.

On the handle, just looks cool and a lot more comfortable to grasp.

Thinking about making a chain breaker by milling out a coupling nut so it is sort of hook shaped. Then turn down a bolt tip that fits the nut to drive the pin. Or just drill a hole through.

Would be around 5 bucks.

Har, now I need a CNC router to put co. name on it and use as a promotional gift.
 

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Davezilla

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Yeah, when I first saw one I drooled over it for about a month then decided to just go ahead and buy one... along with about $500 in carbide bits... lol... But anyway I'm glad I bought it because there's a LOT I can do iwth it and it can do soft metals like aluminum or brass, I've cut some gaskets from copper with it that came out really nice but found out a little quirk about copper that it work hardens untul it's tough enough to snap a bit so I'm still trying to perfect a way to anneal it, let it cut until I hear the bit start to chatter, shut it down, remove the piece, re anneal the copper, then get it back on the bed EXACTLY where it was initially then finish the cut... at least that's where I was before I opened up my auto shop and had nothing but time to throw at it... Now I'm dismantling the stuf so I can move it to the shop and put it back together in the stock room where I can start the machine and come back in an hour or so to retreive the finished product or set it up for the next cut pass... That's what's really nice about CNC.. you can turn it on, run the software, and walk away & do other things while it's cutting. You do have to test run every file tho before leaving unattended because one bad line of code can really hurt your work piece or your machine as I've bought a few G codes online that were set up inverted to what mine reads and it plunged the bit thru the wood and into the bed, then started to cut side to side, boring a hole thru the bed and snapping the bit instantly, not to mention ruining a spindle bearing and having to re calibrate the machine again... but ya live and learn...

I've learned that any code ya buy that you didn't write, it's best to read thru a few lines then do a dry run with your Z axis set a few inches above the bed as zero, then run the code and watch to see if the Z axis goes below this set zero level Before ruining an expensive block of exotic wood or metal... or parts to the machine.

I've also found some CNC kits that can be used to convert most small mills and lathes to CNC by adding motors and sensors to the control wheels but I want to keep my lathe manual until I learn it better as CNC really takes the user skill out of the picture once it's converted.
 

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Had a class on introduction to CNC. Really basic but uber cool. I kept getting the direction backwards until it dawned on me that the table moved and not the tool. Was a Homer moment. (Duhhh!)

The final was to write the code to pick up a tool, cut a square. Then with another tool, drill a hole. Then a second hole of a larger diameter.

All proud of my self, I hand the piece in and it is perfect.

My buddy was on the machine next to me but his program took longer. Was kinda worried. (really good guy and friend)

He had gotten in trouble and was under court ordered house arrest and had nothing to do but study.

He pulls his piece out and is grinning from ear to ear.

I must have looked confused at his happy expression so he held up his piece as he walked past me to turn it in.

His program included his signature etched into the part!
 

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Just a thought but CNC for a mill or lathe for non production parts would be a luxury, me thinks.

Writing code is a PITB. I didn't know you could buy em.

I will be investing in digital read outs some day, though.
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At the end of school, they gave us free subscriptions to mastercam software. Is great "how too" software. Pricey but cool. http://www.mastercam.com/en-us/
 

Davezilla

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Mar 15, 2014
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You can buy G codes for lots of projects, mainly wood carvings and such, but sometimes you can find someone who made something really cool and willing to share or sell you the G code... Then it's your responsibility to make sure your machine is calibrated exactly the same way their machine is or you can risk ruining your project or severely damaging your machine so that's where a dry run is recommended. I always set my zero setting about an inch above the bed when I do a dry run and have a finger on the stop button... It's happened to me once before and I got a hole in the machine bed as well as a bent spindle shaft to remind me to dry run everytime first...

Now when I make up my own stuff I do it with my machine settings in mind so the dry run isn't so critical but I still use a piece of scrap wood on the bed then the material I'm working with so when I do need to cut all the way thru it cuts into the sacrificial material underneith. Plywood works great here or you can use plexiglass if more precision is needed.

I use Mach3 to run the machine and it's a really good program then for the G codes I chose Cut2D for the simple stuff and Photo V carve for transforming my artwork into g code since it can transform a photo into a 3D carving really accurately, it can also transform artwork like airbrush paintings or even pencil drawings into a code that can be made into 3d by setting the depth of the cut, the other cool part is that the programs can import code from eachother to make even more complex pieces. I think I got around $400 or so invested in art software alone to convert paintings, drawings, or photos into usable code, then another $300 or so invested in the Mach3 software and plug ins to make my process almost as easy as draw it, scan it, cut it. I've also scanned the head, base, intake, exhaust, and case cover gaskets and converted them to G code so they can be cut out of gasket papers, copper, or aluminum, and have made some copper exhaust gaskets successfully before the copper got too hard for the bit to cut without chattering and breaking... Still working that process, but did some aluminum spacers and made a safety wire drilling jig out of acrylic, it works pretty good, but wears out quickly, but one made from aluminum or brass would hold up nicely by cutting out the hex for the bolt head or nut then inserting a steel tube to guide the drill bit.

I've also made some really nice wood carvings out of pictures of some of our birds by taking out the background and processing the picture into a 3D model so the carving is about 1/4" thick a well as doing the same with some of my airbrush art like skull clusters etc cut into pinewood for practice, and I've also made my wife a really cool desktop nameplaque with her name in the middle and 3D roses on each side... I made the practice run on pinewood and she loves it but she wants a better one carved into eucalyptus wood since it has a really cool pattern similar to quilted maple. I've also done some roses into acrylic tile samples that she keeps on her desk at work and the people in her office have all kinds of stuff they want me to make for them as well.

When I get the CNC set up at the shop I can use it to make 3D logos for the local car clubs and other Hot Rod type art that I can hang on the walls in the office with a price tag if anyone wants to buy the stuff. I also plan on making stuff I can sell on ebay or craigslist and offer to do custom carvings by digitizing a customer's artwork or designs.

There's also a lot of software out there that can convert 3d models from AutoCad as well as DXF files into G code so the possibilities are endless with the only limit being the size of the piece that can be cut.
 

Davezilla

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Mar 15, 2014
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Yay!!! I got the CNC router to the shop this morning as well as the computer that runs it and all of it's bits and accessories... Now I just need about an hour or so to get it set up and I'll be able to make some cool cuts... I'd really like to do a cutout of this car club logo for a customer to take back as a sample of what I can do if I can get it set up and get their logo digitized before he comes to pick up his car later today.... anyway, more work and less talk since I gotta open up in about half an hour and that's enough time to get the machine set up and ready to run... hopefully...
 

Davezilla

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Mar 15, 2014
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They all can be replicated either by taking a photo of them and enhancing the photo then setting the cut depth which is fairly quick but not super accurate, but can be tweaked into a very accurate piece.... There's a cool device called a CNC probe that can follow every contour of a sample and replicate it within about .02mm of the original which is damn near perfect, and then there are 3d laser scanners that take things a step further as they can scan every surface of an object to be replicated with about the same accuracy, the probe finds the contours mechanically and takes about an hour to copy a small object, but the laser scanner takes about the same amount of time and can copy every surface by doing a single scan then repositioning the object and scanning again, then lining up (index) points it can convert the 2 scans back into a single 3d model that can then be replicated either with a CNC setup or a 3d printer etc...
There's not much that can't be replicated with CNC machines, anything as simple as a license plate to as complex as a turbo impeller wheel, or even more intricate can be done by adding a 4th and 5th axis to the machine.
Mine is a 4 axis and I rarely use the 4th axis.. mainly because I need to practice more with just 3 axis before trying the more complex stuff, and a 5th axis can be bought and added in later if needed... or if I really want to go that far... Right now I'm plenty happy with using only 3 axises until I get better at this.
 

Davezilla

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Nice job on the pulley... is that going to also be grooved for a serpentine type belt or is it going to be a single or double groove for a V belt when done?
 

Dan

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May 25, 2008
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Thanks Dave!

Its a funky belt so has 2 different angles. One side is >3 degrees and the other is >25.

Came to realize I am yet again short a tool. It is maddening! lol Can finish it but gonna look unique.

The bed is striated due to lack of said tool but kinda works out. LOL, thats what I'm telling my self anyway.
 

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Tinsmith

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May 15, 2009
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Nice work. Looks like you have a nice set up there. I miss not playing with lathes and milling machines every day, but decided when I quit going to work earlier in the year that I would leave the machine work at the shop. Got plenty else to occupy my time and gives me a reason to go see the guys when I need a little help every now and then.

Keep up the good work!

Dan
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Thanks other Brother Dan! (lol, that still cracks me up. Must be a small bus thing....)

How goes the life of leisure Dan? I was forced to retire once. I was 37 or 8 and it about killed me. Didn't know enough to keep busy so I just kept getting in trouble. Didn't work out well.


But man, loving this. Ran out of tools, well stuff I can make with the tools I have. But tomorrow is pay day! LOL, the getting in trouble all over again.

The transmission I'm working on will go from 15:1 to 7.5:1! Flys on paper...
 

Tinsmith

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2009
1,056
259
83
Maryland
It's just so great to watch everyone put ideas to work here and discuss different possible solutions to the problems we encounter trying to make these motorbikes. To see the skills and creativity is amazing. It's nice of you , like so many others,to make the effort to show folks what can be done. Keep up the good work!

Dan (Can't help you with the flies on the paper)
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
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Just calibrated ~Larry the lathe~ to decimales. Was funny. It has funky metric. Like increments of 0.6mm and 0.035 but with a dial indicator, worked out to .004s, twos and .001 in. Like it was designed for inches and then converted to metric. Makes my life oh so much easier. Less math!

Dumb question. Can any one suggest a turning tool to get up inside the ears of that pulley? The angles make it to tight for the triangular inserts I use. But as is, leaves striations in the valley and aside from looks/appearance, will scare the belt.

Last picture posted, post 175.
 
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