Milling With a Router Bit: Aluminum Connectors II

[@fivefingersfree]

Sir, this is very impressive..... I did not know you were accustomed to dealing with such finite specifications. Very nice!

[@joell439]

I just love your videos. They are fantastically produced! Thanks for sharing.

[@joell439]

Just re-watched how you were making these a year ago. Wow, this approach must have cut your cycle time by 80%. Great job!

[@JTZshokunin]

It just about did! I think it was like a 70% improvement.

[@jackrichter6400]

I tried the same cutters today and was amazed ,the finish was excellent.

[@JTZshokunin]

Cool! I've found the best combination for aluminum is much faster feeds and speeds than I used here, and of course a little WD40!

[@IHTWCOY]

Very well done! Great video and excellent music you created.

[@oxtoolco]

Hey Toby, Good deal. Those came out real nice. Sure beats belt sanding right? Couple of things to improve your process. Use a little WD-40 on the corner rounder when doing the radius. It should improve your surface finish. Also when you use your edge finder always set the Y axis off the fixed jaw of your vise. When you flip the parts to do the opposite end keep the first reference edge against the fixed jaw. This way variations in the width of the parts don't mess with you. You could see a slight variation in the countersink land which was probably caused by part width variation. All in all a great job and excellent video. Keep up the great work! All the best, Tom

[@JTZshokunin]

Wow, Thanks! That makes a ton of sense.

[@AnthonyBonaviso]

That was cool.

[@honestinsincerity2270]

So I was always told by other machinists that all WD40 or lube does is keep the bit preserved for much longer, rather than improving the actual cut or finish? But that didn't make sense to me cause I figured some sort of lube would not just keep the temperature down (therefore improving bit life) but also help that bit cut thru material, albeit marginally. So I guess my question is, does lube definitely help the quality of cut or is it just to protect the bits sharpness and life (and help future cuts with that same bit down the line)?

[@eduardosampoia5480]

@@honestinsincerity2270 yes

[@Mosfet510]

It did a good job on the part, well done!

[@ldwithrow08]

I've used carbide router bits to mill aluminum, brass and cast iron. You have to keep your feeds light but it works fine. I tried it on steel a couple of times but the rake and relief angles aren't right and it tends to break the inserts.

[@JTZshokunin]

Yeah I've tried it, I've found I can get away with about up to a 1/4" radius in steel, larger than that they start chipping no matter what feeds and speeds you use.

[@wilkoslavakia]

Very nice editing easy to follow the steps you used

[@JTZshokunin]

Thank you!

[@YCM30cnc]

That's another great vid Toby; I like your format; text, content, stills all mixed together nicely. Cool approach to making the parts. I see a Tormach or HAAS in your future; but no rush as you seem to have a good handle on using what you have available to do what you need to do. Nice work young man.

[@JTZshokunin]

Thank you very much! I dream of one myself, but first the space to put one!

[@mooman4836]

Works great I've been using these for 10-12 years good carbide router bits will chew just about anything! what's the worst that can happen? It breaks!! Just use a cutting oil I found that to work well, also you can use a router or router table freehand no different then routing hardwoods..

[@JTZshokunin]

Wow I'd be pretty scared to cut these freehand...

[@gianlucasalvador3691]

Ok, thanks to this video (and also some others) it's clear we can use regular woodworking bits on aluminium... but also with a regular woodworking router?And what about the speed and the amount of material to remove each pass?

[@rajatbaria3096]

For the rounding over tool did you have the pulley belt at the lowest pulleys or above? Great job, I ordered a Trend 15mm radius tool in Australia. Should get it tomorrow on my Bridgeport and will try to machine it as easily as you seem to have. Also have you tried a 38mm round face tool?

[@robgerrits4097]

Nice cool clean running machining!

[@JTZshokunin]

+Rob Gerrits Thanks!

[@justinbltn]

you might want to get in the habit of stopping the spindle when you are removing parts. accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.

[@sovietelectioncollidingtro6231]

time is money my friend.

[@Mosfet510]

I almost made a really bad mistake one day while using a drill/mill machine. I had thick rubber gloves on to get the work piece and almost forgot to take them off. Get a pair of those snagged on the chuck or work piece , well, I think you get the idea...

[@eduardosampoia5480]

@@sovietelectioncollidingtro6231 idiot

[@mariusb6035]

What is the tool called that you use to measure the hole diameter (not the micrometer, but the part you place in the bore) ?

[@lukasbitterli]

telescopic gauge

[@RobertWelchman]

nice video, picked up a couple tricks. What are the parts for?

[@JTZshokunin]

+Robert Welshman They replace plastic connectors from a set of screens designed to contain debris while grinding stumps

[@howimade3309]

nice vid! do you think a chamfer bit can cut through thin flat stock of titanium? removing very small bits at a time of course.

[@JTZshokunin]

How thin? Titanium + thin can be a very trick situation...

[@Lifecoachram2024]

great work and amazing editing. thank you!

[@Moogentro]

was that round over router bit made specifically for metal? or is it a woodworking set?

[@EscapeMCP]

Woodworking bit - the bearing at the bottom is the most obvious sign that this is the case.

[@parkermusselman9824]

A general rule or thumb is that anything you can cut wood with you can also cut aluminum with.

[@tbirdpimp07]

carbide doesnt care

[@rat4spd]

OXtool used one to radius a steel hand wheel.

[@hinduspl]

brass as well or not?

[@machiningmule5525]

you should set your y axis zero position on the none moving part of your vise you will get a much more percise result

[@yaseribrahim3593]

Where did you get the part stop in the video? Thanks

[@JTZshokunin]

+Yaser Ibrahim It is a standard design, handmade by a retired machinist who sold me that Bridgeport.

[@SrStew]

what Kind of vise is that? and drill press? I am clueless but very curious about cnc

[@JTZshokunin]

It's a 6" Kurt vise on a Bridgeport Milling Machine.

[@backyardcnc]

GOOD JOB! But to keep churning these out a small CNC mill and a dedicated fixture might be a good investment! Keep the videos coming we like-em!

[@JTZshokunin]

Thanks, dreaming of a Tormach... Currently working on my "What's In Your Box?" video with another job video to go with it.

[@Honzishek]

pretty good job , easy and precise like it !

[@JTZshokunin]

Thanks!

[@lollogdm]

wich rpm did you use?

[@eduardosampoia5480]

yes

[@tiitsaul9036]

nicely done. Cool video. did you make the song as well?

[@JTZshokunin]

Thanks! I did.

[@tiitsaul9036]

you are awesome

[@glenndavis2762]

nice vid - thanks - you should try annular cutters, they are great

[@JTZshokunin]

Thank you - yes, and very expensive!

[@Micscience]

Hey man this was a cool video I just wanted to check out the router bit and finished watching the rest of the video because it was kick ass. Good Luck

[@JTZshokunin]

Thank you!

[@AslanAtreyu]

Are these regular router bits?

[@JTZshokunin]

Yup, economy too! I think I paid $12.00 for the 7/8 radius...

[@AslanAtreyu]

Mind blown!!

[@Prankerpranker]

Awesome video, was just researching if milling aluminum was even possible with router bits, I see where my hobby life is going now. Question: what rpm are you turning the bits? Similar to cutting wood like 10k rpm? Thanks! (Also for a good laugh check out my phone prank vids, they are gut-busting knee-slappers)

[@andrelopez6279]

yo opino lo mismo se pasooooooo

[@WilliamCooperoverdrive]

+Pranker pranker Calculate Surface feet per minute based on material and that gives you rpm

[@gabrielsalinas9662]

¿How RPM work the router? ¡ ¿A cuantas revoluciones por minuto esta fresa labra el aluminio?

[@JTZshokunin]

Google Translate En este video fue demasiado lento, luego descubrí que 2000RPM era mejor.

[@luciancaliman1617]

what are you connecting with ???

[@JTZshokunin]

Aha, now that's the secret! www.sherrilltree.com/sherrilltree-tri-guard-plastic-connectors

[@SupraSmart68]

Cool music..... "I've heard it all before, I've heard it all before". Madonna would be proud! :-P That's what it reminds me of anyway..... I've used router bits as a joiner and cabinet maker for over 30 years now and I'm not surprised to see that they can cut aluminum as some woods are even harder. Please do not ever do this on cast iron or steel of any kind though as the carbide is too brittle and formulated for abrasion resistance rather than stress toughness so just keep the overhang or 'stickout' as small as possible if any of you are thinking of doing this as the cast shanks break easily when they deflect, particularly the 1/4" ones of course but I've seen many 1/2" straight fluted cutters break. It's always predictable too. You'll hear someone chuffing along, screaming the bejesus out of the bit and eventually the high pitched tone will go dull just before the lower half of the cutter falls off onto the table or workpiece. Thankfully they don't generally go flying across the room as you would expect as the workpiece absorbs most of their energy before they catastrophically fail. Half inch shanks would be much better and you can get them in small cutter diameters too but again, the whole item is cast, not rolled and forged like proper HSS mills and the whole geometry is for rapid woodchip breaking and clearance rather than strength. If only router bits were made with proper spiral flutes like milling cutters! Some are angled slightly though, so a 'downcutting' one would be best if you have the choice and it won't try to dig in and lift the part. Note also the runout of the yellow painted cutter body casting in this video. It's fairly typical for the cheaper wood bits to be all over the place, even the carbide tips are sometimes badly brazed on castings. I wouldn't try this with a cheap set of 'free' cutters that came with your cheap Chinese router. You know, the grey ones that are all blunt before you've even used them! Certainly do not ever use a straight cut two flute parallel wood router bit for anything other than wood or plastic, even as a quick fix. Even Trend ones will crack the shank or shatter the tips. As always, wear safety spec's and/or a face shield, just incase one goes walkabout and yes, always stop the machine before going near moving cutters as the other guy said. Twice. It only takes one injury to end your career. I find that simple drilling holes in metal is the most dangerous hazard if you don't break the chip by backing out frequently. You're right about the higher speed too. Wood bits work best between about 8-28,000rpm and only 3000rpm by hand would take way too big a chip in a router and chatter like hell unless you pushed extremely slowly. So it's high speed & fine chips with very low stickout to avoid shank vibration and plenty of coolant as brazed bits can soften and separate when hot, unlike solid carbide.

[@JTZshokunin]

Good info, thanks!

[@chrisman3673]

I don't have a milling machine so I came up with the idea of using the router to mill a few small pieces of aluminum.

[@grantpatullo]

Nicely done.

[@laurentcnc6662]

Great video ! lot of passion :-) like it

[@JTZshokunin]

+Laurent CNC Thanks!

[@dLikesDDs]

you can cut steel with these...not just aluminum

[@johnware5312]

A lubricant of some sorts is almost MUST if you want to get some life out of the tooling with that soft strange silver looking stuff. The common 6061 aluminum is an alloy made to make machining aluminum easier BUT it dosent cure the most annoying effect of basically welding to steel cutting tools turning them to scrap if the feeds and speeds are not dialed in exactly on the sweet spot where it dosent happen. Its almost always impossible on the average manual bridge point as both are a series of discreet steeps and not linearly adjustable across the entire range like a good basic cnc version of a bridgeport is. .. Anything will work to some degree, wd40 the drippings out of the oil can from the last oil change that didn't make it to the trash and even cooking spray. Its the best insurance against destroying some tooling you can get even if that sweet spot is possible.. I chew up a lot of it with my homemade CNC router. While I have total control of all feeds from slower than snail snot to around 400IPM and spindle speeds from around 500 rpm all the way up to about 15 thou With a closed loop speed control using a trim router. Even with that fine of control I dont find the effort worth it to find that sweet spot. Most of what I do is basically woodworking but often It can be a mix of anything that's somewhat reasonably stable at normal tempts. Ice dosent qualify but once I did do a nice 5 inch 3d sculpture out of ice for a friends birthday. I often use brass aluminum or anything else short of steel as basically "paint" on various woods. I have even been known to use tooling made for stuff like titanium to get the exact look I want. You can get some neat looks by screwing around with feed rates and/or doing more passes with the same settings from different directions without messing with Z. My go to 3 in 1 oil. It IS a lubricant, wont evaporate away and stays put far better than WD 40. Just squird some of it in say a bottle cap and dab it on the surface right where the bit is fixing to cut with a cheap tiny artists paint brush or a q-tip or the old stand by, the acid brush thats most likey setting on one end of the table of that bridgeport with a bit of tapping lubricant in the can. WD 40 is NOT a lubricant by any stretch of the imagination. It was created back in the intercontinal nuke tipped missle days stuck into hardened silos to withstand anything short of a direct hit from a nuke. The problem was the moisture in the silos was slowly destroying the missiles making them unusable and in a severe case possibility self destruct by setting off the nuke while setting "in the hole with the lid shut" The airforce put out a contract to anyone who could solve that water problem. One did AFTER 40 different attempts of various chemicals. They called it WD-40... Shorthand for water displacement formula 40. The Missles are history, That stuff is all over the place and still called WD-40. Its actually some form of a carrier fluid used with what feels and acts somewhat like some sort of silicon spray. That liquid you see when its sprayed on is something that just evaporates away leaving the silicon like stuff on the surface. It can act like some lubricant but only until that carrier fluid evaporates away.

[@joaogoulao8315]

trabalhar alumínio bits👍😊

[@MachinistHands]

👍👍

[@Keithhenagan]

Way to much RPM on that drill, Long stringy chips like that are also dangerous

[@TheMetalButcher]

Hmm. You seem to be getting away with a lot of climb milling. Be careful, endmills aren't cheap.

[@JTZshokunin]

I guess it's all a matter of "feel" and a good sense of how tight your gibbs are...I tend to adjust the locks a lot while milling. btw I like the turtle.

[@Bookerb2004]

Great video,

[@MrManta2012]

nice music

[@fredfarnackle5455]

Neat!

[@Omegadoomship]

Well I'll be damned. :O

[@kevinotoole885]

What a soul destroying job.

[@freakboynv2000]

am i up in the club? whaaat? :)

[@JTZshokunin]

.........?

[@freakboynv2000]

your sound track kinda sounded like club music

[@lerolerocandelero8024]

????????????????????????????????????

[@JTZshokunin]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@justinbltn]

you might want to get in the habit of stopping the spindle when you are removing parts. accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.

[@JTZshokunin]

+justin Bolton Justin - Good tip and I do that routinely now. The machine in that video was run on a VFD that did not lend itself to stopping and starting efficiently.

[@EscapeMCP]

+JTZshokunin The finger chopping machine doesn't care about excuses!!