Re: Anyone have experience milling Aluminum / Copper with their SS?
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 10:33 pm
Roy,
Very sorry for this very tardy reply. Somehow I missed the notice. Wow, that was a lot of detailed info.
So, for anyone that's interested, here's what I've done so far and how it's going. I came up with the idea of creating a crosscut sled for the Bandsaw. I checked Youtube and found a very helpful and simple video.
I made the sled and whizzed through cutting up to copper busbars. I have not cut the aluminum yet, but expect no problems. I used the sanding disc with fine grit to smooth ends which were straight and square but a bit grainy form the half inch bandsaw blade. I used the bandsaw for a couple reasons, but the main one was the narrow blade kerf.
Here's my attempt at a video:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsFA-UXNG4[/youtube]
I decided that I really didn't want to try and mill with the Shopsmith as I came to understand the difference between a vertical mill and a drill press. Definitely two very different machines. I found a local place called 757Makerspace it's a membership kind of place with all kinds of grownup toys. Woodworking equipment, CNC machines, laser cutters, milling equipment, and so on. I joined for the month of August to use the milling equipment and see what else I might like about the place. Unfortunately the equipment is proving to be poor quality and it has not been kept up. At least this is true of the milling equipment. I've glanced at the woodworking equipment and it appears old and also in varying conditions. I will say though, that it seems to ready made for some of the younger adults here as they are using it to start fledgling businesses.
I'm cutting slots in my busbars, it's a slow process with not great results. Not being terribly experienced with milling it's hard to explain the problems, but lets just say that the machine I'm using doesn't exactly hold alignment very well. It's the Little Machine Shop 3960 HiTorque Mini Mill. None of the electronic motor controls work so I do it manually. Lots of cranking. The machine is not bolted down so there's vibration and movement. C'est la vie, I'm getting the job done. It will be acceptable for what I need it for, but obviously I'm less than thrilled. Oh, I forgot to mention it's not well light back where I am so I brought my own lights. That at least helped me see what I'm doing. Tomorrow or Thursday I'll take a fan with me, because there is no AC either and it's hot as blazes in there.
I'll post a few more pictures in a few days or so.
Very sorry for this very tardy reply. Somehow I missed the notice. Wow, that was a lot of detailed info.
So, for anyone that's interested, here's what I've done so far and how it's going. I came up with the idea of creating a crosscut sled for the Bandsaw. I checked Youtube and found a very helpful and simple video.
I made the sled and whizzed through cutting up to copper busbars. I have not cut the aluminum yet, but expect no problems. I used the sanding disc with fine grit to smooth ends which were straight and square but a bit grainy form the half inch bandsaw blade. I used the bandsaw for a couple reasons, but the main one was the narrow blade kerf.
Here's my attempt at a video:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsFA-UXNG4[/youtube]
I decided that I really didn't want to try and mill with the Shopsmith as I came to understand the difference between a vertical mill and a drill press. Definitely two very different machines. I found a local place called 757Makerspace it's a membership kind of place with all kinds of grownup toys. Woodworking equipment, CNC machines, laser cutters, milling equipment, and so on. I joined for the month of August to use the milling equipment and see what else I might like about the place. Unfortunately the equipment is proving to be poor quality and it has not been kept up. At least this is true of the milling equipment. I've glanced at the woodworking equipment and it appears old and also in varying conditions. I will say though, that it seems to ready made for some of the younger adults here as they are using it to start fledgling businesses.
I'm cutting slots in my busbars, it's a slow process with not great results. Not being terribly experienced with milling it's hard to explain the problems, but lets just say that the machine I'm using doesn't exactly hold alignment very well. It's the Little Machine Shop 3960 HiTorque Mini Mill. None of the electronic motor controls work so I do it manually. Lots of cranking. The machine is not bolted down so there's vibration and movement. C'est la vie, I'm getting the job done. It will be acceptable for what I need it for, but obviously I'm less than thrilled. Oh, I forgot to mention it's not well light back where I am so I brought my own lights. That at least helped me see what I'm doing. Tomorrow or Thursday I'll take a fan with me, because there is no AC either and it's hot as blazes in there.
I'll post a few more pictures in a few days or so.