Bit of machineing

[xa-mont]

hey guys,

Got an ohlins side mount damper off everyone's mate Pete and it's all good apart from the bearings being a bit seized and the fork mount is too small for my forks.

That's all good though, it just gives me an opportunity to gain some new machining skills :D (using the stuff at TAFE cause our work mill sucks. Also an opportunity to impress the TAFE teacher)

this is the kind of thing that i'm making.
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/54MM-STEERING-DAMPER-FORK-CLAMP-/13/!BZJL7rQ!Wk~$(KGrHgoOKiIEjlLm(KVwBKlP3M5GJg~~_12.J PG

Here's what i've done so far.
Cut and drilled blank
whack it on the rotary table
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/T%20bike/IMG_20130326_135027_zps15dbdcbf.jpg

mill out the outline
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/T%20bike/IMG_20130326_150119_zps27d4e9ee.jpg

mill the radius on the end, then flipped it and faced it down to about .5 from the depth of the part, then i cut/broke off the excess.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/T%20bike/IMG_20130326_160500_zpsedf23e4b.jpg

and here is where i'm at:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/T%20bike/IMG_20130326_162121_zpsfce5cea3.jpg

tomorrow i'm going to whack it in the lathe, face it to thickness, bore the centre to size and the next bit is where i need some advice.

How would i be best to split it for the overlap section? obviously i'll have to cut in from the end (probably with a hackwsaw) and then cut down to half depth on one side of each face. question is how would be the best way to do this in you machining types eyes?

Cheers,
Trav

[Redmohawk]

Slit saw in mill would have been my option while still in the mill.

On a side note I'd have mounted the piece on a waste bit of flat ali so you could mill 105% to depth negating the need to break/cut the waste off.

[xa-mont]

yeah i guess i could have done that, the material i had was too thick anyway so i would have had to face it down anyway.

how would i slit saw the overlap part though? that's the bit i'm struggling with. i'll cut in from the end parallel to the face of the piece, but what would be the best way to cut each side then.

[latheboy]

Slitting saw would be the go, another option is a CNC wire cutter if you can get your hands on one.

I would have made it in 2 pieces.
Much easier to get the detail at the pivot point that way, much more waste but who cares when it's for yourself.

Drill and countbore and Tap the thread BEFORE you cut the part.

The hardest part of cutting you part into 2 pieces will be the angled line on the top face.
If you use a slitting saw for the cut thru the mid plane and across the part, you could use a 2mm or 3mm slot drill to break thru the cuts and join them.

Understand?

[Redmohawk]

Use the slit saw (just an arbor with a 100mm 1mm disk saw) to make your cut parrallel with top face. Then use a thin cutter (1.5mm or 2 mm would be about right by the looks of your original. Use rotory table to cut outside radius of top section to depth of horozontal cut. Move piece to cut second radius on top face, you now have top section cut away from bottom (in the overlap area on the top face).

Flip piece on mill , face piece with mill down to finished thickness (just as easy as lathe just not as quick) Use thin bit to cut underside (of overlap piece) one radius for outside move piece second radius for inside edge.

While your piece is in the mill use the same thin cutter to split the other side where your pinch bolt is going. Move piece and drill hole for tapping for pinch bolt, followed by loarger hole milled for head of cap head bolt (if thats the way your going)

Then into the lathe to do the centre , or if you prefer just use mill again with rotory table to cut centre hole.

[Redmohawk]

Slitting saw would be the go, another option is a CNC wire cutter if you can get your hands on one.

I would have made it in 2 pieces.
Much easier to get the detail at the pivot point that way, much more waste but who cares when it's for yourself.

Drill and countbore and Tap the thread BEFORE you cut the part.

The hardest part of cutting you part into 2 pieces will be the angled line on the top face.
If you use a slitting saw for the cut thru the mid plane and across the part, you could use a 2mm or 3mm slot drill to break thru the cuts and join them.

Understand?

Beat me to it , and prob explained it better to.

[xa-mont]

Thanks a lot for the responses guys.

The plan I had originally was to do it in 2 parts, but my trade school teacher talked me out of it, not sure why but I disagree with him so much I just get to the point of not wanting to piss him off to much, so I do what he says.

Thanks for the little walkthrough Ivan (and Red)

The only problem is that i don't think we have any small slot drills or end mills. the smallest i've seen around is 4mm, which would look shite, hence thinking of doing it by hand.

I'll check out what slitting saws we have around the joint, never used one before so would be another good learning tool.

Thanks for all the advice. it's handy to get some help from people who know what they're doing... not like my trade school teacher.

Cheers,
Trav

[xa-mont]

Something i also just thought, with the midplane cut, i'm going to have to either put a washer in there to space it for the pinch bolt to line up or do the pinch bolt hole after (and mill both sides down a little so they aren't offset if you catch my drift)

[wackyrider]

Like Ivan I think that making in 2 parts would have been easier

[ozzy1100]

I would just have changed the design..
one piece spilt one side with bolt then just a mounting hole for damp just means you take off top clamp to install
a shit load more easy and you dont have to remake what you have done so far cause its comeing to be a ass fuck the way you doing it :-) just my 2 cents

[Gix11]

I would just have changed the design..
one piece spilt one side with bolt then just a mounting hole for damp just means you take off top clamp to install
a shit load more easy and you dont have to remake what you have done so far cause its comeing to be a ass fuck the way you doing it :-) just my 2 cents

That's how I've always seen them anyway. Guess he's just trying to get funky with this one.

[xa-mont]

I would just have changed the design..
one piece spilt one side with bolt then just a mounting hole for damp just means you take off top clamp to install
a shit load more easy and you dont have to remake what you have done so far cause its comeing to be a ass fuck the way you doing it :-) just my 2 cents

True that, but what's the fun in that :P got to challenge myself. if i fuck it up i can always do it again.


That's how I've always seen them anyway. Guess he's just trying to get funky with this one.

I'm pretty much just copying the ohlins one. I did consider doing the one slit type, or even the 2 pinch bolt type. but i reckon this design just had a bit more style about it, and more of a challenge is always a good thing in my eyes.

[Gix11]

I'm pretty much just copying the ohlins one. I did consider doing the one slit type, or even the 2 pinch bolt type. but i reckon this design just had a bit more style about it, and more of a challenge is always a good thing in my eyes.

Nothing wrong with that mate!

[TonyOW31]

Personally, if I was to have to do this job in one piece like that I would not bother with the hinge, I'd just bore it, face it, drill, tap and counterbore for the clamp bolt, and split it down one side, and as Ozzy said, slide it on before you put the top yoke on.

[ozzy1100]

True that, but what's the fun in that :P got to challenge myself. if i fuck it up i can always do it again.



I'm pretty much just copying the ohlins one. I did consider doing the one slit type, or even the 2 pinch bolt type. but i reckon this design just had a bit more style about it, and more of a challenge is always a good thing in my eyes.

nothing wrong with that old boy but by the time you fucked yourself up the ass a few times you learn that tthis game is hard enough at times as it is lol

[Redmohawk]

Something i also just thought, with the midplane cut, i'm going to have to either put a washer in there to space it for the pinch bolt to line up or do the pinch bolt hole after (and mill both sides down a little so they aren't offset if you catch my drift)

If you want an easy fix just cut/mill the lot and forget the gap caused by the midplane cut then once its all apart (use a washer) or turn up a spacer and back bore the holes to fit the spacer into.

If you want it "same same" as your original cut it all out centre etc , dont drill or tap pinch bolt hole. Don't take thickness out of piece.

Turn a round spacer with a semi circle lip one end same size as half width of midplane cut to offset one side " to go into centre of piece. (or just turn a spacer for the centre and use some scrap whatever the right thickness as half the midplane cut to pack piece flush on mill)

Chuck it in the mill bolted to a 90 deg mount then you can drill your holes etc Once you have holes all done bolt the whole kit and kaboodle into the lathe and turn it down to flush one side, flip it in lathe turn down to thickness you want.

[xa-mont]

thinking what i will do (depending on tooling available) is still a similar design, kind of like suggested i'll make a spacer that matches the radius of the mount end and is the width of the cut (whatever it may be) that is counter bored into one side of the mount.

with the parting of the 2, i'll use the smallest end mill/slot drill i can find with the part on the rotory table again and make half cuts the same size as the diamater of the smallest slit saw we have that will work for the midplane cut, then slit saw the midplane... like this kind of (quick SW):

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/dmount_zps7f4e2c25.jpg

[BANDITROD]

you do know those are cheap as fuck on ebay right............

[Redmohawk]

If your after a cheap set of end mills (just for Ali) you can pick up carbide wood bits for routers that do a resonable job on Ali , they're only 2 bladed but a set with 8 cutters a few straight and a few profiled is attainable for $35. I've used em in the past to get me out of trouble and often a 2mm blade can be found, just watch for galling of ali on cutter. Don't go to hard with them and they'll last well.

[ozzy1100]

4 flute is a end mill
2 flute is a slot drill
Most people like end mills but I have always liked slot drills better
Just some useless info....

[Yella]

you do know those are cheap as fuck on ebay right............

LMFAO, just spat my drink on the screen.
Yes they are but now its a custom part :)

[xa-mont]

End result (going to polish or paint it, probably paint cause i hate polishing stuff)

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c287/xacoupe/T%20bike/IMG_20130327_173049_zpsfa7d3bb2.jpg

I didn't do the pivot end after all. Mainly because we have fuck all tooling at trade school. the smallest end mill/slot drill we had was 4mm so that would have looked shit, and the thinnest slit saw was like 2.5 or something, so again would have looked shit.

Ended up just going for the single pinch bolt so i have to take off the triple. I also just cut it with a hacksaw and cleaned it up with emery.

Thanks for all the advice anyway peeps.

[TonyOW31]

4 flute is a end mill
2 flute is a slot drill
Most people like end mills but I have always liked slot drills better
Just some useless info....

So what do you call a three flute then?:p
Horses for courses, 2 and three flute cutters are generally better on ally due to their greater swarf clearance, when cutting ally there is usually greater chip volume, hence the need for more clearance, and why the cutter sometimes gets clogged. Harder materials generally have less chip volume, so more teeth are the go to increase feedrate, in hard materials in hsm applications, 6,8 or even 10 flute cutters are regularly used, and i really like using 6 flute cutters in titanium, even though it's not that hard.

[Redmohawk]

DIY anodise it , all on the web not hard to do . But tricky to do right on big bits , looks good when done right though.

[ozzy1100]

So what do you call a three flute then?:p
Horses for courses, 2 and three flute cutters are generally better on ally due to their greater swarf clearance, when cutting ally there is usually greater chip volume, hence the need for more clearance, and why the cutter sometimes gets clogged. Harder materials generally have less chip volume, so more teeth are the go to increase feedrate, in hard materials in hsm applications, 6,8 or even 10 flute cutters are regularly used, and i really like using 6 flute cutters in titanium, even though it's not that hard.

in my world 4140 is hard
in your world 4140 is nothing but cheese
mow where did I leave my big hammer oug

[ozzy1100]

btw trave looks good mate turned out nice

[xa-mont]

it's good to see some good discussion going on here. i think i'll have to plan some more projects and post similar threads so that we can all learn.

AND Thanks Ozzy.

As for hard shit, at work i turn 4140 all day long so for me it's the norm. Whenever i do anything with ally it just seems so soft and it just machines so easily!

[ozzy1100]

good ol slow speed high feed.......

[oldskool]

Im with Gecko boy I would have made it in 2 pieces.

[xa-mont]

Like I said, that was my plan but the boss man (teacher) thought different and was very firm about it so I gave up questioning his unsound reasoning

[oldskool]

Didn't you say "What would you know Kunt?"
And made it in 2 pieces and proved him wrong!

[oldskool]

How to get top marks and a phat lip 101

[TonyOW31]

Here's an example of a hard milling cutter.
4063

[ozzy1100]

Thanks tony I had never seen on like that
why do I get the impression I don't want to know the $