Milling from a sheet

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Milling from a sheet

This topic has 59 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 14 November 2011 at 13:36 by Steve Withnell.

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8 November 2011 at 15:36 #77475
Geoff Theasby
Participant
@geofftheasby
Hello,

I want to use the milling machine to cut out a square from a piece of 1mm steel sheet.

I will need to pack it up to protect the bed from the milling cutter.

I have melamine faced chipboard or plain 3-ply to pack it with, would the 3-play be a better bet as less likely to slip, even when clamped, even though it would be thinner? Is there anything else I need to be aware of?

Regards

Geoff
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8 November 2011 at 15:36 #5739
Geoff Theasby
Participant
@geofftheasby
How do I pack up a sheet to mill?
8 November 2011 at 16:33 #77478
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
I’d go for the ply because melamine is very abrasive, I often cut it with TCT router bits and can get through a few of teh disposable tips in a day, there is a distinct notch where the carbide cuts teh melamine so your HSS cutters will suffer even more. Not to mention the c**p that you get in chipboard.

Just watch that the cut piece does not get caught by the cutter as it is released from the clamped part.

J
8 November 2011 at 16:54 #77481
John Haine
Participant
@johnhaine32865
Try Melamine with double-sided tape all over to stick down the sheet as well as clamps, keeps it flat as well as holding down the cut-out piece. Depth of cut so it only just kisses the melamine surface to minimise the abrasive problem. And, do you mean melamine of the modern plastic-foil covered stuff? With this the smooth layer is much thinner and I suspect much less robust, which is good for us as it should minimise cutter wear.
8 November 2011 at 17:04 #77482
JasonB
Moderator
@jasonb
Yes I do mean the “Conti” board type MFC (Melamine faced chipboard) though I use a far better quality board, just having the tip of the cutter kissing the board will soon take the corners off it.

Foil and Vinyl wrapped boards are a differnt product.

J
8 November 2011 at 17:09 #77484
Geoff Theasby
Participant
@geofftheasby
I wondered about double sided tape.

Thanks for the detail about melamine being abrasive.

I don’t know its origins, it was in the garage when I moved in.

I am worried about how to get the sheet square with the bed before I stick it down with the double sided tape. Or should I mill out a piece irrespective of the size of the original material?
8 November 2011 at 17:13 #77485
DAVID POWELL 4
Participant
@davidpowell4
Would anyone consider using a magnetic chuck?

Can you saw it? Good excercise as well.
8 November 2011 at 17:17 #77486
Tony Pratt 1
Participant
@tonypratt1
I used to use a few sheets of A4 paper for this type of job, about .005″ thick for each one if I remember correctly.

Tony
8 November 2011 at 18:13 #77488
Gray62
Participant
@gray62
Don’t use Melamine faced board as a ‘packing’ or underlay board for this process. As Jason has said, Melamine is extremely abrasive and will destroy HSS cutters, it has a detrimental effect on carbide cutters!

I would agree with the use of ply or even MDF, although both of these can cause premature cutter wear due to the nature of the adhesives used to bond the particulates which constitute these man made boards.

For best results when machining thin materiels, i use a sacrificial aluminium plate beneath the workpiece and a smaller mdf plate above the work to provide support and prevent lifting of the workpiece.

regards

Graeme
8 November 2011 at 20:01 #77503
Sub Mandrel
Participant
@submandrel
If you have some decently flat pine board, that’s (i)deal.

Neil

(Wandering off into the distance chuckling at his own little joke).
8 November 2011 at 21:36 #77515
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Hi Stub,

Is that red i(deal) or white i(deal). I’m ‘pining’ for an answer.

Regards

Terry
8 November 2011 at 21:36 #77516
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Sorry about the double post, My browser was hanging.

Regards

T

Edited By Terryd on 08/11/2011 21:37:52
8 November 2011 at 21:41 #77517
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Posted by DAVID POWELL 4 on 08/11/2011 17:13:07:

Would anyone consider using a magnetic chuck?

Can you saw it? Good excercise as well.

Hi,

You could always use a cold chisel and a vice. Don’t laugh, it can be very accurate and fast. Sharp corners and accurate. Probably faster than setting up a machine. Much underused and underrated these days is the chisel.

Terry
8 November 2011 at 22:40 #77522
Anonymous
Well shiver me timbers, is that a square deal, or just a pine in the ash? I surely hope it wood be, so it will be plane sailing for yew.

Andrew
9 November 2011 at 01:42 #77531
_Paul_
Participant
@_paul_
Posted by Andrew Johnston on 08/11/2011 22:40:04:

Well shiver me timbers, is that a square deal, or just a pine in the ash? I surely hope it wood be, so it will be plane sailing for yew.

Andrew

Leaf it out….

P
9 November 2011 at 05:27 #77534
Springbok
Participant
@springbok
Hi lads

Do not think you can get anymore puns out of this one so seriosly

Geoff

I am presuming you have a mill with a bed withT slots so

A bit of scrap ply then put your work on top

use your T clamps and 2 scrap bits of steel clamped down to avoid marking the work

carefuly align the job and only when you are happy that you have the X Y

correct start gently cutting down a few thou at a time. You will end up with

round corners so then go to your vice if it has serated jaws once again use packing to avoid marking job.

On the matter of cutters, I use the Fleabay offers of bulk lot of say 10 new “high quality”

joke cutters for this type of work and keep all my Dormer cutters separate for more precision work.

Hope this is of minor help

Bob
9 November 2011 at 08:04 #77540
_Paul_
Participant
@_paul_
I must ask why does this sheet have to be cut on a mill? @ only 1mm thick will there not be buckling/distortion problems if any significant heat is generated.

My personal choice for cutting shapes out of thin sheet is to cut with an air nibbler and then true the edges up with a file.

Regards

Paul
9 November 2011 at 10:48 #77545
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Hi Geoff,

How big is the sheet?

Regards

Terry
9 November 2011 at 14:35 #77549
Geoff Theasby
Participant
@geofftheasby
Hi all,

The sheet is 300 mm square. I could saw it, but I thought that the mill would produce straight cuts and sides at 90 degrees first go. I don’t have an air nibbler. My hand operated nibbler isn’t man enough for steel sheet.

Regards

Geoff
9 November 2011 at 15:03 #77551
The Merry Miller
Participant
@themerrymiller
Anyone remember the “Goscut”, that could manage 1.0mm bms easily.

(sorry to digress).

Len. P.
9 November 2011 at 16:11 #77553
modeng2000
Participant
@modeng2000
Yes, I’ve still got one that gets used from time to time.

John
9 November 2011 at 16:48 #77555
Anonymous
Posted by The Merry Miller on 09/11/2011 15:03:09:

Anyone remember the “Goscut”, that could manage 1.0mm bms easily.

Len. P.

No, never ‘eard of it; obviously not old enough!

What is it then?

Regards,

Andrew
9 November 2011 at 16:58 #77556
Clive Hartland
Participant
@clivehartland94829
It was a hand shear that had a central blade and the body acted as the anvil and you progressed the cut and a long curling piece of metal came out about 2mm wide.

It was a very tiring tool to use for long periods and I am sure it has caused me a lot of trouble with my wrist.

You could change the blade for a different cutting angle. ie curves.

You were able to adjust the width of the slot to accomodate the curves you were cutting.

Like a lot of tools it came out as a handyman thing and I bought one and had it for years but I dont know where it is now.

It would cut 1mm steel or 1.5 Alu. Dont know about braas though.

Clive
9 November 2011 at 17:09 #77557
Clive Hartland
Participant
@clivehartland94829
Geoff, set up the piece of plate with a thick cardboard under it of the same size, place it over one of the Tee slots on the table and clamp it both ends, cut along the edge, the cutter can go in the T slot.

This will give you one straight edge to work from, deburr the cut edge and then rotate the metal and measure your width and cut again.

Again deburr the cut edge, rotate the metal and using a square set it up again over a T slot and repeat the cut, deburr and rotate 180 and measure length and finish the last cut.

Job done, I used this method on an engraving machine and it works fine.

To be extra careful, use three clamps, one each end and one at the middle of the rear edge.

This method will not cause any problem with the tool on the table surface.

Clive
9 November 2011 at 19:37 #77570
The Merry Miller
Participant
@themerrymiller
I’ve found it!

The cutting edge had very fine teeth, and this blade was one of three each used for different materials. Where the other two went heaven knows.

Len. P.
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