Hi All, I'm new to these boards; I've just started lurking around this week and learned a ton. Right now I'm considering a Taig 4 axis CNC mill. It's been a while since I've been in the industry and used to use a HAAS mini-mill to prototype and build production parts for a small business about 7 years back, so I'm a bit rusty.
Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone could advise if something like the attached could be cut fairly easily on this mill? It's a basic u-joint shaft from 3/4" aluminum rod. The only strict tolerances I'd need are the holes where the sleeve bearings would be pressed in (.25") and the angle symmetry would have to be quite exact.
I'd figure you'd cut the roundstock to approx length first (>1"), then mount it in the rotary table, have the mill cut the hole for the bearing (.25") and the side contours in the first part of the operation, then have the rotary table rotate the part 90 degrees, and cut the center slot (.5")? Or you could do 4 90 degree operations where half the depth of each side would be cut to complete the part. The top hole I could imagine I can cut using the tailstock and rotary or a separate lathe. Could a 1/8" endmill be used for the whole operation? or would a tool switch using a 1/4" be advantageous? Would the mill spindle have enough clearance to cut that close to the rotary jaws or would you need to leave the roundstock extra long and cut it after the operation?
I'm sure there's someone with more experience that has some thoughts on this. Thanks, this site has been a wealth of information.