Mill End for Cutting Framelock Slot

[Burchtree]

Anyone have any links to good bits for cutting the "slots" in titanium for a framelock?

Thanks in advance --

 

[Don Robinson]

I suggest you get a copy of "My Way" from my web page. All the details with pictures.

 

[george tichbourne]

I use a carbide end mill, no brand perferance, and clamp the Ti down on a plate that I mount in my milling machine vise but I put a piece of lexan under the Ti to cut into instead of the metal plate. Takes a long time but is accurate and very clean and tidy when you are done.

 

[Sean O'Hare]

I use either a dremel reinforced cut off wheel or a diamond coated cutting wheel on a mandrel. I put the piece of titanium in the mill reinforced on each side with a piece of scrap steel so that it doesn't move around from the pressure of the cutting wheel. This allows me to speed up the cutting but I can't say it is really fast just faster than not having the steel there.

Sean

 

[J. MacDonald]

I'm about to approach this issue as well and my plan was to use a mandrel with a 1/16" carbide tipped mill cutter. Looks sort of like a slotting saw blade but is a mill cutter. Any opinions on this approach?

John

 

[Will52100]

The couple folders that I've done were free hand with a cut-off wheel in a Dremal, figured I'd get a slotting saw for my mill before trying a frame lock. Mike Sanders gave me an idea, he uses 2" (I think he said 2") air sander cut-off wheels mounted in a mandril in his mill. His slots in both frame lock and standard folders are very neat and clean, pluss the cut-off wheels are a lot cheaper than the dremal size ones.

 

[Matt Shade]

I'm forced to do them free hand with a dremel. I clamp a long 2X4 in my vise horizontally and then use a C clamp to hold the liner/slab flat on the end of that where I have lots of room to work. First I drill a small hole just a little larger than the width of the slot at the corner of the locking tab and back where the slot should start, then cut from one to the other. I use the larger reinforced wheels. Do linerlocks and framelocks alike that way....my dremel is running out of magic smoke though :grumpy:

 

[Will52100]

I know the feeling Matt, mine I have to sometimes shake to get going. When it finaly craps out I'm done with Dremal and gonna get a Foredom tool.

If you've got a drill press and cross slide you could chuck the disk up in the drill press and use it to cut the slot.

 

[Tom Anderson]

I use a .025" thick Robb Jack carbide saw on an arbor:

It takes a little time, but you end up with a nice narrow slot that is always straight and smooth.

 

[Dan Gray]

yeahup
slotting saw
and it should be a lot faster than an end mill

 

[J. MacDonald]

Tom,

That's kind of what I had in mind, but using a .625 mill cutter. Do you think that would be too thick?

John

 

[Tom Anderson]

Try to keep the slot as narrow as possible. Otherwise, the lock might flex as you grip the knife.

 

[Dan Gray]

Tom,

That's kind of what I had in mind, but using a .625 mill cutter. Do you think that would be too thick?

John

john put a 0 in there .0625 that way it's a lot less than 5/8"

 

[Will52100]

Is it carbide tiped, or solid? And where can I get one? carbide is the ticket for working with Ti

 

[Tom Anderson]

Is it carbide tiped, or solid? And where can I get one? carbide is the ticket for working with Ti

It's solid carbide. I get mine from MSC.

 

[J. MacDonald]

john put a 0 in there .0625 that way it's a lot less than 5/8"

Doh! I guess that might work a bit better.

John