Thank you so much for making these parts! I'm sorry about the trash imperial units. Normally I design everything in metric, but I had a severe lapse in judgement. The turbo and cabbulator turned out amazing, and I'm grateful for your help!
i've been using pb blaster lately as a lube for steel and aluminum on my shapeoko. Its definitely messier. But IT was the only thing I had at hand at the time, and i have been thoroughly pleased with the results and surface finish. Also speaking of problems with double-sided tape. Might I suggest putting fasteners into the areas that you are going to be removing anyways. For example the center where the port is going located. Is more than large enough to put a deck screw(with fender washer to avoid part deformation) or several. To hold the part down to the bed. There is also several places on the sides where you could also place the faster if needed when you go to finish the center bore. I just feel like they hold alot better and you can often put a hole where you need it (even if removed later) Rather than be lacking on support.
At some point I had to tweak the toolpath generator for my HDM for a design to lift the spindle a bit (while air blasted still on the part) every minute or so for 10 to 20 seconds to keep aluminum temperatures under control....
Been burned by double sided tape so many times that I only use double sided tape to hold stock while I get some holes machined into the part -- haven't run into anything I needed to machine that didnt have holes that I would be able to drive some screws into that would hold the part down. The inner puck -- I expected that to jump out (had that happen too -- machining a stepper mounts and the puck at the center of the nema 23 mount jumps out, and never fun when it jumps out during the last pass and gouges a perfect part. That would have been where I'd drill a some fixturing holes as part of cam. Impressed that you were able to salvage it. I would have been freaking out reaching for another blank and redoing cam. I guess stock to leave is something I need to keep in mind.
Hi Winston, long time since new content really like your projects and hope that there would be some more/new content soon. Keep up with the great quality for your videos.
This just happened to me today. So I go to YT and search for "machining aluminum". The first toolpath was boring a bunch of holes, which went fine. The contouring cut in the 0.064" AL sheet generated enough heat that the double-sided tape failed. I got another sheet yesterday and will try again today. After boring the holes, I'll put a few sheet metal screws through them into the spoilboard so I'm not depending on the double sided tape after that. I don't have much experience with aluminum; 'nice to know I'm not the only one dealing with this 😉
5083 cast aluminium (the base material for tooling plate) can also be had with a 2mm material markup. So 20mm stock is 22mm thick and perfect for making 20mm thick parts.
Hi Winston I know you have previously done a comparison of super glue and masking tape for work holding i would highly suggest polyester tape if you need more adhesion and temperature resistance it works very well and it more heat rated than other adhesives I have used but still has the same ease of cleanup as masking tape.
Winston, I was scanning your videos and saw that you did one on leather working a few years ago. Have you ever tried CNCing leather ? I made a campaign chair a few years ago and it required a very large one piece leather seat and back. I bought a whole hide from my local leather shop and CNC'd it. IIRC, I used a 1/16" cutter. I did a bit of experimenting on smaller projects like key fobs and they worked out quite well.
Hi Winston, another great video as always! I found your videos super informative and really helps with the steep learning curve I find myself diving into the world of CNCs. Definitely keen to see more videos on know-hows and techniques in toolpathing, feeds and speeds, materials and salvaging failed operations. Keep up the great work and congrats on your new workshop!
Nice video as always. I would like to see you encouraging more people to step up a litte and start using vices specially for working on metals. Also, there are 3d edge finders out there pretty cheap that can help locating the parts or vices to be used. Something to think about it. Great work as always. :)
This is why I upgraded to the Saunders Machine Works table and mod vise setup. I'll still use painters tape and super glue depending on the part but I want rock solid work holding. I've learned these machines start breaking when kicking a part around like a pinball.
Great video. I'd definitely enjoy seeing more CAM focused content. I appreciate the inspirational videos as well, but once you're inspired you need to make the part, so the CAM is just as critical.
This is very helpful (and gives a good idea for CNC Content). A good series would be tips on how to salvage partial parts, if your job comes off the bed. In my experience, most of the time, the part gets destroyed. But, sometimes, it just comes off the bed, I stop the CNC in time, but I can't get everything properly re-zero'ed..
Hi Winston, love your content man. On your last video you said the a atc is one of the only things you lust for on a desktop cnc these days. Have you seen the Carvera yet? Mines scheduled to come in by the end of the month, so I can't say from experience. But from all the videos I've seen with it, it appears to be a pretty good machine, thought a little expensive.
I have seen it. There's elements of it I think are nice. But there's also specs that make me feel like it's trying to appeal to a broader audience, but really only good for a niche application. ATC is in theory great for productivity. Low spindle power and a vacuum canister that fills up quickly is only really good for light cutting/PCBs. Seems like a contradiction to me. And from what I've learned on the Neo, any serious machining using a direct shank clamping spindle is going to be trouble if your tool shafts get dusty. Can risk the tool pulling out. Again, not an issue for a low power machine, but that means that architecture will probably not get much more productive.
I'd recommand using ethanol for cooling, its not the cheapest, but damn, after running an agressive adaptive toolpath with a 1/4'' tool for 40min, the part was feeling as if it rested in the fridge for an hour. (I actually use the stuff they put into fireplaces)
that's what I do -- I have my air blast setup with mist. Even with mist it goes through a lot, but worth the piece of mind that cutter doesn't gum up from chip welding as aluminum get gummy as it heats up.
Agree. Ethanol is great on the Datron, but I don't enjoy it as much on the HDM. That airblast nozzle I have can mix alcohol but it's hard to get a consistent "minimum quantity" stream that doesn't feel like I'm wasting a bunch. Might just need a better one.
I approve of any Star Wars related content! I was just typing that the material also likely stress relieved and warped.......but then you filled us in on that not being the case. :D Put me in for more videos that discuss toolpaths/strategies. But more, not all. :)
Just curious, did you consider using discs as blanks for this project rather than bar? A 4in diameter, 1in thick disc is $15 from mcmaster, and would get you closer to net shape. You also wouldn't need to waste material between each part you make (from either machining or saw-cutting blanks from the bar). Main drawback would be the time spent indicating, but with a similar fixture plate you could machine a pocket to locate.
It's a good question, and I don't have a great answer other than I thought it would be simpler from a single setup perspective to just stick a bar to the table instead of lining up and spacing out 3 pucks. Would not have been much work to pocket out locations to mount. But then each piece would have been separated from it's neighbor and I'd be more cautious about speeds and feeds. A single bar with shared surface area is held down more securely than 3 individual pucks.
Couldn't you have rotated your work piece 90 degrees? This means you could start with 4 thru holes that would be out of the part cut area. You could then bolt the aluminum to Teez Nuts in the HDM extrusion slots. Of course the heat from slot cutting around the bolts could be an issue, but not too bad if accounted for.
On the HDM, it would be tricky, but actually on the Shapeoko 5 Pro which has a T-slot spacing of ~4" vs 100mm I would have been able to basically center each part over a slot and bolt right through the middle. In hindsight, that would have been a perfect way to supplement my adhesive workholding.
This spends a lot of time facing a part that is later machined away. Just go straight to an adaptive clear and then the only thing you need to do is final machine the tiny flat at the top of the hole opening. Save a lot of time and wear and tear on the tip of the end mill. Thanks for the videos!!
Really good question, and I don't have a great answer other than I thought it would be simpler from a single setup perspective to just stick a bar to the table instead of lining up and spacing out 3 pucks. But that could be solved by just machining some locating pockets for the stock...🤷🏻♂️ If I had to do it again, I think there's a more than 50% chance I'd give the round stock a shot.
In the future, I might be open to it, but right now since my garage is still a work in progress, that's my first priority. Hopefully in a few months, things will calm down at home and at work.
