[sdantonio]

Hello All,

I’m upgrading my CNC router for increased stability and want to fabricate a few parts out of steel (consider me a total newbie when it comes to steel or metal working in general). I have extensive woodworking experience and some (very little) metal working experience.

The first part I need to make is essentially a flat sheet with a lot of tapped holes and a few through holes. My initial choice of steel is hot rolled A36 or hot rolled 1045 (based on cost and local availability). I’m leaning towards the 1045. My available machinery is all woodworking (drill press, etc. no Bridgeport or anything good like that), as well as a standard big box store tap and die set. Of the two types of steel mentioned is 1045 my better choice or should I go with the A36 (because it's typically softer)?

I assume softer means easier to work, but I could be wrong about that too. Since many of the holes will be threaded and since 1045 is sometimes used for threaded pieces that is also part of my decision making process.

Thanks
Steven

[dkowalcz]

There's not THAT much difference, but I'd lean toward 1045 if those are your only two choices.

I find A36 to be generally of much lower quality, usually it's recycled stuff, and annoying to machine with its gumminess. A36 just guarantees a min yield strength and not a specific composition; whereas 1045 is a specific alloy chemistry and tends to be more carefully made.

But they're both decent enough low carbon steels, if all you're doing is drilling and tapping you should be fine with either.

12L14 is the best if you're new to machining and want something pleasant to work in (and have lots of chips to make), usually available in bars rather than plates though.

Have fun!

[juergenwt]

My advise - Stay with wood. Have an experienced Metal worker do it for you on his equipment.

[zero_divide]

If you used to work on wood, the feel of working on steel will be different.

That said, drilling and tapping a bunch of holes is a no brainer. For drilling speed keep below 70 SFM a regular drill and some colant. If you wish to drill dry, might drop the cutting speed even lower.
Cutting threads is a piece a cake with a tapping head, but can be done on drill press, if spindle direction can be changed, or even with a hand drill which i did many times in a hurry.

[sdantonio]

My advise - Stay with wood. Have an experienced Metal worker do it for you on his equipment.

That's what I have done in the past. The Machinist at my old grad school is very good about letting me in on the weekends or after hours. I just don't want to keep bothering him with the simple stuff.

SD

[sdantonio]

If you used to work on wood, the feel of working on steel will be different.

Yeah, I keep looking to see which why the grain is running only to realize metal doesn't have one. In that way t is kind of strange to cut. I'll probably start my taps in the drill press then finish them off by hand. At least that is the way I'm used to doing them. I've always drilled and tapped with some kind of cutting fluid, even if it is only a drop or two at a time, never dry. My father was an excellent machinist and engineer and I tried to learn what I could while he was around.

SD

[sdantonio]

There's not THAT much difference, but I'd lean toward 1045 if those are your only two choices.

I find A36 to be generally of much lower quality, usually it's recycled stuff, and annoying to machine with its gumminess. A36 just guarantees a min yield strength and not a specific composition; whereas 1045 is a specific alloy chemistry and tends to be more carefully made.

But they're both decent enough low carbon steels, if all you're doing is drilling and tapping you should be fine with either.

12L14 is the best if you're new to machining and want something pleasant to work in (and have lots of chips to make), usually available in bars rather than plates though.

Have fun!

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the advice. I tried looking for 12L14, but as you said, I could only find it in bars and rounds. Interesting how pricing varies dramatically though. The 1045 in the local outlet is slightly less expensive than the A36 at online metals (a place a lot of people referred me to). I think I'll give the 1045 a shot. If I screw it up it's not a huge financial loss considering the price.

SD

[acannell]

Hello All,

I’m upgrading my CNC router for increased stability and want to fabricate a few parts out of steel (consider me a total newbie when it comes to steel or metal working in general). I have extensive woodworking experience and some (very little) metal working experience.

The first part I need to make is essentially a flat sheet with a lot of tapped holes and a few through holes. My initial choice of steel is hot rolled A36 or hot rolled 1045 (based on cost and local availability). I’m leaning towards the 1045. My available machinery is all woodworking (drill press, etc. no Bridgeport or anything good like that), as well as a standard big box store tap and die set. Of the two types of steel mentioned is 1045 my better choice or should I go with the A36 (because it's typically softer)?

I assume softer means easier to work, but I could be wrong about that too. Since many of the holes will be threaded and since 1045 is sometimes used for threaded pieces that is also part of my decision making process.

Thanks
Steven

need some more information:

how many holes
what diameter holes
what tap size
how big is the piece

working in steel is not big deal at all. if you have no or very little experience, here are some guidelines:

use coolant and/or lube of some kind on every operation. this could be WD-40, tap-magic, etc... dont drill or tap dry

google FSMwizard or download some freebie feeds and speeds editor and calculate some numbers as far as RPM and feed rate for your drilling. this can give you a little more confidence about setting the drill press to the right speed, and how fast the hole should be drilled. if this sounds too difficult, then just tell us your hole diameters and what kind of drill bits and taps you have and we will give you recommended drill press rpm's and how fast the hole should probably be drilled.

how difficult it will be to tap the holes is heavily dependent on what equipment you have and what size the holes are. if you need to tap 100 4-40 holes in 1045 and all you have are chinese hand taps and some harbor freight tap wrenches, you are going to have a bad day. on the other hand, if you have a couple brand new USA made cobalt taps and a tapmatic, you might even have fun doing it.

depending on the quality level you need to maintain on this work, you may be able to get away with using a power drill that has an adjustable torque clutch to tap the holes. it really depends on the tap size. if its 4-40, dont try this. if its 10-32 or bigger, it might make life alot easier for you. i do this all the time in aluminum and its fast and works great. im not sure how it would work in steel though, it may be asking too much of the battery powered drill i use. and its not great for making perfectly straight threads although it does self-straighten to some extent.