Making guards

H

Hagar

Joined
Aug 15, 1999
Messages
147
I am tired of drilling holes, using a dremel tool and files to clean out the slots to make guards. I cant afford a milling machine. Is there an easier way?? and I dont want to pay someone with a milling machine to do it.
Thanks for your help

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There is no such thing as "good enough", either your work is good or it is not. How is your work?
SGT BLADES www.therockies.com/hagar/
 
I do all my guard work with the drill press and files, slow but it works well for me. George, that cross slide vise sounds great. Only thing I'd be worried about is ruining the bearings in my drill press from the side pressure. Have you had any problems with that? Also what kind of money are we talking about to get it set up (bit, etc.)?
 
I agree, sounds like the cross slide vise may be something to look into. What kind of drill bits do you use George when milling with your drill press?

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Lead,follow, or get the hell out of the way!
 
I checked with Harbor Freight and they also have cross slide vises for the drill press.

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Lead,follow, or get the hell out of the way!
 
I learned a handy trick from Rob Hudson. Instead of drilling a series of holes and then filing, Rob showed me how fast it is to drill one small hole and use a fine jewelers saw to cut out the slot, staying just inside the outline and then cleaning up with a file. Same principle, but I can cut much closer to the line than I can drill to it. It works on stainless guards (416 stainless) but eats up blades a lot faster than brass or NS.
Ron
 
Thanks for the tips.....
I'll have to go down to Princess auto and check it out.

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There is no such thing as "good enough", either your work is good or it is not. How is your work?
SGT BLADES www.therockies.com/hagar/
 
I cut mine with a metal cutting bandsaw. Just use a caliper to scribe the outline and cut into the end of the bar to the correct depth, file to exact width and depth. of course, this only works on single guards. for doubles it's drill and file
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I've seen a setup that uses a cut off wheel turning on a shaft and a work rest that looked nifty, but I'm not sure how much of a pain it is to keep the wheel dressed to the correct width. Also got a tip to use a slitting saw with the mill, haven't tried that yet.

James

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Those who are willing to trade freedom for security deserve neither, and in the end, seldom retain them!
 
some of these replies seem to be addressing the making of one quillion guards that have an open slot that slides over the blade, others double quillion guards that that a blind slot that must be slid down over the tang. this latter type is undoubtedly the more difficult, and gives me fits. I drill first, laying out location with prick punch and center punch under magnification, the proceed to file, maybe remove excess with jewelers saw, or a chisel. I have a couple of small narrow chisels i made just for this purpose(for use on annealed steel and mild steel only) These work very well for clearing the waste out of a slot. Like a lot of other things practice makes perfect, and I have a long way to go, but getting better!
 
For single slot guards, I have taken a old, small table saw, and replaced the saw blade with a worn down cut-off saw blade. The cut off blade is one eighth of a inch thick. When I slot the guard, I leave some room so I can file to a exact fit. I find this saves me a lot of time, and I am able to use up whats left of the cut-off blades when they get too small for the cut-off saw.
For double guards, I still drill holes and file to fit.
Hope this helps.
 
Yeah the end mill in a drill press works for me.Get a cross feed vise about 50$ at Harbor Freight.Make sure all the adjustment screws are fairly tight to eliminate slop.The other thing is to find end mills that will cut 3\8 deep.They're availble. With everything tight and the drill press locked down just turn the crank real slow. A little wd 40 works as a lube.For a open end slot start at one end.
For cleanup I use a dremel with a 1\2 inch cutoff wheel. Just hold it against the edge of the slot gently to clean up rough spots and to fit the tang.
Take Care
TJ Smith
 
This is really a no brainer, but I did the drill and file thing for years. Get a milling machine! Drill presses are sloppy and end mills walk terribly. A milling machine will improve the quality of your work overnight. Worth every penny. Not to mention time saved.
 
This is really a no brainer, but I did the drill and file thing for years. Get a milling machine! Drill presses are sloppy and end mills walk terribly. A milling machine will improve the quality of your work overnight. Worth every penny. Not to mention time saved.
 
Do those of you who use end mills use the 2 or 4 flute design? Aren't they designed for use in milling machines, or can they be used in drill presses, too?

Also, I've never used a milling machine; the ones in the catalogs I've seen look exactly like drill presses... what's the difference?
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Thank you

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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23




[This message has been edited by Ryan Meyering (edited 02-25-2000).]
 
A friend of mine has one, and it is COOL! I'm thinking of getting the same model, but convincing the wife that the $900.00 is really worth it. I just shelled out $500.00 for the Grizzly and accessories, so I think it'll be a cold day in my forge before I buy another tool.
They're basically a drill press that's designed to cut sideways. You can cut out guards, precision grind, and treat them like a metal router, but mounted in a way that's inverted. They have slides for determining x and y axis, making them work sort of like an etch-a-sketch. I used my friends to plane down the sides of a knife for scales, while leaving the pommel and ricasso areas thick.
All kinds of fun. I want one.

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Oz

Always remember what to do to them if they can't take a joke.

Check out my egostistical homepage!
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Two flutes cut faster than 4 flutes. Sometimes too fast But, they also tend to walk less. You can use one in a drill press, but you really have to take it slow. The main difference between the two is that a milling machine is much more rigid. Less slop, less chatter, more versatile. With a little imagination, you can do most anything. I had a hard time convincing my wife, also. My machine was $2000. But, after she saw what it could do and the time saved, she is now convinced. I've been a full-time maker since 1982. A milling machine took my work to the next level. http://home1.gte.net/rocket05
 
Thanks for the tips on the drill press; there's no way I can go with a milling machine. Besides the money, there's no way I can fit another power tool in my bedroom... er... shop... after the grinder, disk sander, drill press, bandsaw, scroll saw, etc.! My wife has been understanding enough already!

Thanks,

Ryan

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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23


 
I'm going to try the slide vise, mill cutter way, I think I have a way figured out to make the drill press more rigid. For thinner stock, like when I'm doing a stacked guard, I drill a small hole and cut the slots with my variable speed scroll saw. I clamp a piece of 1/8th steel, with spacers a tad thicker then the stock I'm cutting, next to the blade to keep the stock from moving up and down with the blade. I use a beeswax lube and set the speed as slow as possible. I'm thinking of using shortened jewelers saw blades since they are so much cheaper then metal cutting scrollsaw blades and my saw takes pinless blades.

Jake
 
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