Mill a stop pin track without rotary table?

Justin Schmidt

Justin Schmidt

Joined
Feb 18, 2016
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2,209
How would I go about doing this? I read through bing's WIP but he doesnt really state HOW he does it. Any suggestions?
Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!!!!
 
Only the endpoints are critical... I'd mark the arc then drill a series of holes along it and connect with a needle file.

I can think of a couple ways to do it with a drill press or mill and no rotary table, but they all involve some unsafe type practices;)
 
WValtakis said:
Only the endpoints are critical... I'd mark the arc then drill a series of holes along it and connect with a needle file.

I can think of a couple ways to do it with a drill press or mill and no rotary table, but they all involve some unsafe type practices;)
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Well I have the mill. That's what I was thinking was just a bunch of holes. I've thought about trying to just mill it bu locking the spindle down and moving the blade by hand but I have a feeling that would rip it out of my hands
 
Justin Schmidt said:
Well I have the mill. That's what I was thinking was just a bunch of holes. I've thought about trying to just mill it bu locking the spindle down and moving the blade by hand but I have a feeling that would rip it out of my hands
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Yeah, that was one of those unsafe type ideas I had...I wouldn't recommend it;)
 
12345678910 said:
Start watching at 12:30 the link does not work like ti should

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I just watched this last night, and thought about linking it as well.

Personally, I'd drill your end points first, that way you don't have to worry about stopping at just the right spot when you're swinging the arc. Other that that, it's just a matter of fixing a pivot to a fixture plate and positioning your end mill the proper distance from said pivot. You'll probably want a bushing of some kind to allow the blade (or handle material) to pivot freely, but not to lift off the table/fixture. Remember, the piece you're milling will try to "climb" up the bit, and the bit will also try to pull your piece around. Take light passes and this won't be as big of a problem.
 
If you're make a clamp-on extension for the blade, you'll have more control - and if it gets loose, your hands won't be right there.

BTW, look for "clamp collars" or "shaft collars" - could be just what you need for the pivot.
 
I was going to say you can use a 4 jaw chuck and bolt a stub to the table that fits the hole of the chuck. Clamp the blade in the chuck and position it where you want with the jaws. Then rotate it by hand. The extra mass of the big chuck makes it easier to control.
 
Justin Schmidt said:
I've never used a mill until I got mine let alone a rotary table so I'll have to see how bad it is
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Did you ever finished folders you start to work on ? Justin ,you invest lot of money in mill and other equipment and now you will use it as it is bench drill press ? Buy real rotary table and LEARN how to use them .... Machine don t work alone .... Don t waste titanium , steel and time anymore !
You are trying to make something that you intend to sell..........right ?
 
You will still need to build a fixture that you can clamp to the rotary table and it should be made from sacrificial material like Aluminum because you have to screw the blade to the fixture. Someone else mentioned just making a Pivot Fixture to clamp in your vise that you attach the blade to and manually rotate the blade on the Pivot really an easy process just have to go slow. Do some youtube video searches because you will have to learn to center the Rotary Table with a taper so it's perfectly centered under your Quill very important!!!!

 
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I copied a fixture I used with John Doyle. It was made from G10. A base plate with several different threaded holes and a precision reamed hole for pivot pins (which can be used for other operations, as well). A second piece of G10, also with threaded holes and pivot pin hole, rides on top of the base piece. Slide the blade over the pivot pin, clamp it to the top piece, all of which goes onto the base and it’s easy to rotate the top piece by hand. Drill the end holes for the stop pin track prior to milling and away you go.

Jeremy
 
Busto said:
You will still need to build a fixture that you can clamp to the rotary table and it should be made from sacrificial material like Aluminum because you have to screw the blade to the fixture. Someone else mentioned just making a Pivot Fixture to clamp in your vise that you attach the blade to and manually rotate the blade on the Pivot really an easy process just have to go slow. Do some youtube video searches because you will have to learn to center the Rotary Table with a taper so it's perfectly centered under your Quill very important!!!!

Click to expand...

Planning on using this video as a walk through on how to center the rotary table and mill the track
 
Natlek said:
Did you ever finished folders you start to work on ? Justin ,you invest lot of money in mill and other equipment and now you will use it as it is bench drill press ? Buy real rotary table and LEARN how to use them .... Machine don t work alone .... Don t waste titanium , steel and time anymore !
You are trying to make something that you intend to sell..........right ?
Click to expand...

Well I never finished the other folders because I was having problems with alignment due to using a drill press that had too much run out. Hence why I bought the mill. Although I'm sure I'll find a million more ways to use the mill.
And depending on how bad this rotary table is I will likely upgrade in the future
 
Justin Schmidt said:
That bad? What makes them so bad?
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They’re a bit sloppy and likely not very “true”. You can take a lot of the slop out by tightening a screw or two, but then they’re a pain to rotate due to the small handles. I wouldn’t say they’re unusable necessarily, but I’ve had as much luck with manual means.
 
I did some 10mm curved slots in 6mm aluminium just by turning it by hand. It was much easier than I expected and finish was pretty good too.

Use a long lever arm and take small cuts and you should be fine. Make up some end stops for your lever arm and you will not overshoot.

Not done Ti yet but I keep avoiding that type of stop pin and will have to try it someday. Will wait and see how you get on :-)
 
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