[Crudeau]

Hey guys. I have been researching for weeks and feel like I am getting now where. Anyways here's what I am after. I just want a simple machine that can make an rc chassis. I have a ton of 3/16 aluminum sheets. I can cut it with my jig saw and the drill press makes quick work with all the screw holes. But I want to shed some weighting the middle. I have thought about just getting some bits and putting them in my drill press but I don't want to kill it. I don't really have any money to spend other then for the end mills but I feel like I have what I need in my shed. Can I use a motor off a mobility scooter? I just am not grasping what I need. Like what's the cheapest smallest spindle and bits I can use safely. What kind of horsepower do I need. I am looking to manual feed this no special tables or clamps. Do I need to be only at 100rpm. One flute or two.

I am on overload and can't seem to figure any aspect of what I need. Please help!!

[TiagoSantos]

Other than using something like a dremel or die grinder.. You're gonna have to spend some money. I don't think you can build a spindle and hand feed the material, it'll rip it off your hands in less than half a second.

Id' start start looking through craigslist for a used mini mill, like a Seig X2 or something..

[wizard]

Hey guys. I have been researching for weeks and feel like I am getting now where. Anyways here's what I am after. I just want a simple machine that can make an rc chassis. I have a ton of 3/16 aluminum sheets.

RC covers an incredible array of sizes which will dictate what you need mill wise.

I can cut it with my jig saw and the drill press makes quick work with all the screw holes. But I want to shed some weighting the middle. I have thought about just getting some bits and putting them in my drill press but I don't want to kill it.

If the drill press is worth owning drilling aluminum won't kill it.

I don't really have any money to spend other then for the end mills but I feel like I have what I need in my shed. Can I use a motor off a mobility scooter? I just am not grasping what I need.

Beyond buying a mill there are workable DIY solutions that take a variety of approaches. Everything from Gingery to epoxy concrete to mills/routers made out of aluminum extrusions.

However the problem you got is not grasping what you need. Until you do it will be very difficult to buy the right machine or to put together one yourself.

Like what's the cheapest smallest spindle and bits I can use safely. What kind of horsepower do I need. I am looking to manual feed this no special tables or clamps. Do I need to be only at 100rpm. One flute or two.

What do you mean by manual feed? It is possible to do some manual machining operations on Aluminum but I'm not to sure you have the background to select the safe ones. You would be far better off with a milling table with screw feeds. As far as I know there is no safe way to mill metal without some sort of clamping.

I am on overload and can't seem to figure any aspect of what I need. Please help!!

Seriously take a machining course at a local college or tech school. If nothing else this will give you a feel for the various machining techniques and how they apply to your hobby.

Another option is to read a few books on the subject especially those that apply to hobby engineering.

[arizonavideo]

For small cutouts you can drill a small hole in the metal and get a scroll blade for your jig saw. Bi metal wood blades cut aluminum just fine, no more than 18 TPI.

If you want to cut out a diamond shape or a more complicated shape you would drill any corners too sharp to make with the blade and just follow the line you draw.

You do need to draw what you wish to cut.

For aluminum you want to use a variable speed jig saw on a lower speed. A shot of WD40 will help keep the blade clean.

Stick the metal to a thin piece of wood to stop it from flopping around with hot glue and heat it to release it. Double sided tape works well too, hard to remove sometimes.

Sandpaper and a file will make things smooth.

You can do lots of fine looking work this way perhaps faster than using a CNC if you look at the time it take to CAD and CAM something.

[awerby]

Hey guys. I have been researching for weeks and feel like I am getting now where. Anyways here's what I am after. I just want a simple machine that can make an rc chassis. I have a ton of 3/16 aluminum sheets. I can cut it with my jig saw and the drill press makes quick work with all the screw holes. But I want to shed some weighting the middle. I have thought about just getting some bits and putting them in my drill press but I don't want to kill it.

[It's not so much the drill press that's at risk, but you could kill yourself if you try to use your drill press as a mill. They aren't intended for side loading, and the whole chuck and taper assembly can fall out in the middle of the operation and get flung across the room.]

and I don't really have any money to spend other then for the end mills but I feel like I have what I need in my shed.

[You're wrong about that.]

Can I use a motor off a mobility scooter? I just am not grasping what I need. Like what's the cheapest smallest spindle and bits I can use safely. What kind of horsepower do I need. I am looking to manual feed this no special tables or clamps. Do I need to be only at 100rpm. One flute or two.

[Just stop right there before you hurt yourself. You can't mill metal without clamping it down - that's a recipe for suicide. 100 rpm is way too slow for cutting aluminum. If all you need to do is remove some metal from the middle of a piece of 3/16" aluminum, follow the suggestion given and drill the corner holes big enough to fit the saber saw blades, and cut it that way.]

I am on overload and can't seem to figure any aspect of what I need. Please help!!

[You don't need a mill for this, and you shouldn't try to use one until you get instructions on how to do it safely.]

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Crudeau]

Thanks for all the advice so far. As of now I am having some painfully slow luck with my scroll saw. It seems to be working pretty well. Just breaks a blade often. I have made a chassis and top plate for one of my cars.

By manual feed I ment feed it just like my scroll saw. I move the project around with my hands. I am only working with sheet stock. 3/16th. Not anything thick. I tried the dremel and it doesn't work at all. Scroll saw on lost speed seems to be ok. I'd still before a rotary tool for my cuts. The scroll saw likes to wonder and with thin blades its hard to get it back on track

[manton]

You may want to get some cutting fluid to use with the saw. Aluminum can stick pretty good to blade teeth, and that may be somewhat responsible for your breakage problem.

[wizard]

If so a drill press can reliably and safely remove large amounts of stock if you make use of hole saws or annular cutters. You still need to clamp the stock and use lubrication. Given a drill press with suitable torque at lower speeds this is a good make do approach. You would still need to square up holes where they can't be round but hole saws are a minor investment if you already have a drill press. Another tool that works well to make big holes in thin material is a Unibit. A Unibit can be used with a handheld drill of suitable torque if the stock is clamped someplace.

Thanks for all the advice so far. As of now I am having some painfully slow luck with my scroll saw. It seems to be working pretty well. Just breaks a blade often. I have made a chassis and top plate for one of my cars.

I'm fairly sure that you can shop around and find metal cutting blades for a scroll saw. If not heed the suggestion to use lubricant.

By manual feed I ment feed it just like my scroll saw. I move the project around with my hands. I am only working with sheet stock. 3/16th. Not anything thick.

No! Really don't even think about trying to mill aluminum like that, you will loose body parts. There are ways to machine aluminum without a mill but not in the way you want, it would be extremely dangerous to try to mill aluminum like you do on a scroll saw.

I tried the dremel and it doesn't work at all. Scroll saw on lost speed seems to be ok. I'd still before a rotary tool for my cuts. The scroll saw likes to wonder and with thin blades its hard to get it back on track

There is a technique call chain drilling where you drill a series of holes to remove bulk material, cut the thin webs with a hack saw and then clean up with a file. This is low cost but labor intensive. If you layout your profiles properly you can get any sort of shape you can imagine. Again this works best on a drill press. An XY table can really help here if you need to chain drill straight profiles.

Your best approach is to concentrate on safe methods that use the tools you have now while saving up for a real mill.

Another possibility is to make a CAD drawing of what you want and seek out a water jet company to cut out your parts. Sometimes contracting out a piece is the smart move. Also considering alternative methods gives you more options.