I got an AWESOME new cutting tool!

J

J. MacDonald

Joined
Jun 8, 2000
Messages
3,140
This post should probably go in Shop Talk but I thought I'd share it here first.

I always liked metal working and worked in the field for a couple years when I was a younger man (before I got into sales).

I've also always wanted to make knives and build a small machine shop to achieve that goal. Like many folks I've accumulated the normal bench grinder and drill press and a few more things.

This past weekend it all got better when I got a nice medium sized vertical Mill!!! I bought it second hand and while it's not quite a Bridgeport, at 700lbs it's a lot beefier than one of those Harbour Freight bench mills.

I can't tell you how jazzed I am. It's a 2hp Rutland Tool vertical mill with a 8" x 28" table in great condition. I got it for a song with a ton of extra stuff (like a whole meatloaf pan full of new end mills in their protective packages, clamping package and a couple drill chucks).

:D :D :D :D :D :D

jmx
 
Well, I don't know what a vertical mill is, but you sound excited, so congrats! Have fun with it.
 
Congrats! Sounds like a fun toy!

A verticle mill lets you move what you are machining, fly cut it... drill holes etc.

Lets you do most anything to a piece of metal but sand it up an weld!

Sweet piece of machinery :cool:
 
Oh yeah, that is awesome! I'm envious. You'll be cranking all sorts of goodies out in no time.
 
Looks like a winner! What kind of stuff are you going to start out making with it?
 
I've been trying with a Craftsman 2"x42" belt but it runs too fast for finer grits and is a pain in the A to change a belt on. I've been working on modifying an old machine that was originally made for relapping reel to reel tape deck heads on Tandberg tape recorders and ran a 2"x64" belt. The most common size belts that are idely available with the widest variety of abrasives are 2"x72". I'm modifying this old machine to take an 8" contact wheel on one end and a 72" long belt. Once I get that part done, I have to fabricate a support frame, a mount for the platen and a tool rest that will swing away for easy belt changes.

When I'm done, I should have a machine that will have variable speed belt drive through stepped pullys that will let me grind on a contact wheel with or without a tool rest, flat grind on a platen and grind on a slack belt. It should have the usefullness of a Hardcore grinder like Tru-Grit sells, although a bit different in execution and much less refined than their design.

After I get the grinder done, I want to make some sharp pointy things, I think they call them knives. I'll probably start with a few straight ones, but my real love is knives that bend in the middle. I think I want to add a small surface grinder to my little shop before I attempt to make a folder, but for now, I want to finish this grinder.

As an interesting aside, I'm trying to finance this project by buying neat stuff at garage sales and selling it on ebay. It means that I have to get up early on Saturday mornings to beat the crowds, but I've found some neat stuff. I got some old tube electronics and a couple microphones for about $8.00 at one place and made almost $1100.00 on it (paid for the mill, a LNIB Buck Mayo and a little cash left over!). Last week I scored a vintage Bausch & Lomb stereo Microscope with all kinds of accessories for $45.00. The optics are still awesome and I figure I'll get $200.00 or so for it (I'd keep it but I already have a better modern scope for shop use and want the cash for my shop project). With the profits from that scope and what's left from the other stuff, I've got a fund started to add a small lathe next, unless of course a surface grinder turns up first.

jmx
 
Cool, thanks for the pics and the ebay advice. I may have to give that a shot, there's a big flea market in the area that might be worth looking at. Just out of curiosity, how does one go about learning how to use equipment like this? I'd like to try making knives and other things once I get out of the Army, but I don't know much about operating tools like this. Thanks for any info.
 
I started in 8th grade with a shop teacher who made custom knives. He inspired me. After that first class, I took several more and was in two shop classes most of the way through high school. By my senior year, I was the teacher's assistant in the vocational class and was maintaining the machines and helping the other students. When I left high school, I went to work in the metal working business as a machine operator/ machinist's apprentice working on learning CNC equipment. After two years I left to pursue a different career path and ended up in sales but have always missed the metal working. There's something about taking a piece of raw steel or aluminum and making something useful out of it. It's hard to explain.

In many places there's a community college program that will get you an introduction into the manual arts. I'm sure in today's national budget crisis that this kind of program is in jeopardy, so find your local offerings and enroll.

jmx
 
We machine angles into blades here constantly on CNC's, and Bridgeports.
Machine an aluminum plate to desired angle offset, then just clamp your blade material to the plate, and you have yourself an easy set up that does not require fancy tooling to achieve angled cuts. You can use off the shelf mills or fly cutters to rough out clearance angles perfectly. If you get an inexpensive turntable you can machine radiuses on your knife right to the tip of the blade, perfectly, every time. some of the blades require only a few minutes grind time to bring to edge. Mills are incredibly versatile, enjoy !
 
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