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Author Topic: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...  (Read 13863 times)

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Offline Graham Waterworth

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2007, 12:00:43 PM »
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Hood

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2007, 12:01:46 PM »
Quote from: VOTS on February 04, 2007, 10:57:49 AM
:)

I might as well accept the fact that I'm going to have to use a lubricant system here eventually. I was trying to find one of these 'Micro mist' systems that Chaoticone spoke of, but the ones i found look like they could be just as messy. At least with a flood system, I could predict where the lube would go. Are there like full systems available? Like a pump, filter, lube, catch pan, etc, etc. out there?
I have a Bijur spray mister and flood on my Bridgeport, the Bijur is great for Alu and there is hardly any mess with it. The drawback is you need a compressor to supply the air.
 There are flood systems sold here in the UK, I am sure there must be the equivilent in the USA. Have a look on eBay under coolant tank and you might come up with something.
 BTW what kind of mill do you have?
Hood
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Offline VOTS

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2007, 12:57:39 PM »
Already out there snooping on eBay for a coolant system. I found the Bljur system out there, but I think that was is a little over kill for my little mill.

My fist mill was the Harbor freight Micro mill. I absolutely love that thing and have made oodles of gizmo's with it. A fella out on eBay is using the Harbor Freight mill as the base for a full blow 4 Axis CNC mill, so, I bought one of those.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=12584&item=220068969126

So far I really like it!!

Going to make a CNC router one day.... one day.
hehe
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Offline Chaoticone

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2007, 08:15:54 PM »
Google McMaster Carr, MSC industrial, J and L supply. All three should have either system.


Brett
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Offline chad

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2007, 01:15:16 PM »
Hi VOTS,

I have a fog buster ( www.fogbuster.com ) and am very happy with it!  Here is the deal with cutting aluminum. You have to use lubricant and you need a nice sharp bit. When cutting with small bits if the aluminium galls (sticks to the bit) then it looses it's cutting power and will just try to push the metal out of the way resulting in a broken bit and a crappy cut. Some people say not to use carbide bits with aluminum but that is all i use had have had great luck!

.02

Chad
 
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Offline VOTS

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #15 on: February 09, 2007, 02:36:24 PM »
Thanks Chad... Still debating whether or not to get one at all. Been having decent luck with just plain ole WD40 and a shop vac. (Redneck CNC milling!) Allot of my issue was also due to feed rate, I've taken to r-e-a-l-l-y slow milling. It is a bit frustrating to do so, but the success rate compared to before is significant. Trial and (expensive) error at this point. I also am piddling with using a larger bit, and using offsets. Marginal success here as the stuff I'm mill is pretty darn small. Using a 1/8th bit I'm getting decent result with the exception of (the obvious) over lap in the width of the cut. Ordered some more 1/16th bits, as my last one went to that great machine shop in the sky....

:)
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Offline chad

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2007, 02:51:30 PM »
I have been using these. It is a 1/8 carbide end mill 3 flute high helix angle. http://www.discount-tools.com/endmills/3300.cfm I use 33008.

I order them from my local tooling supplier but the prices are comparable. They work very well.
Just a comment on the fogbuster ( i have no affiliation) the nice thing is you can adjust how much lube you use and the air blows the chips out so you don't re cut them and keeps the bit cool. I can not imagine milling now without it. Sorry I keep harping on it but it has made that big of a difference in my machining.

Chad
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Offline bicycleguy

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Re: 'Mill dust' and breaking bits... Advice please...
« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2007, 11:11:33 PM »
Hi,
You didn't mention what kind of aluminum you are machining but it looks soft.  The hardness of the aluminum makes a great difference in machinability.  The hardness is determined by the kind and treatment.  Dead soft aluminum such as 1100 series gums.  6061-T4 is probably the best for machining and general use and is not that much more expensive. Look up aluminum at http://www.mcmaster.com/ for some good info.
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