[rwestbr]

Thanks Steve,
I assume you mean Direction Of Cut (forgive me I am a novice at best)......well, I used the option to cut from the inside out for the equaldistant offset cut which is the finishing cut using the 1/16 ball end and the cut was going counterclockwise....is that climb milling or conventional?

Robert

[SScnc]

Thanks Steve,
I assume you mean Direction Of Cut (forgive me I am a novice at best)......well, I used the option to cut from the inside out for the equaldistant offset cut which is the finishing cut using the 1/16 ball end and the cut was going counterclockwise....is that climb milling or conventional?

Robert

Well your work doesn't look like a novice did it ! Especially if you didn't break any bits in the process. Actually I meant Depth Of Cut on each finish pass.

Going counterclockwise is conventional.

Steve

[rwestbr]

Well Thank You!!!

Ok, here goes....I first did a radial rough cut leaving .005 for the finishing cut to remove so the finishing cut made only 1 pass.....However I discovered that since I was only stepping over .005 per pass with the eqauldistant offset tool path, I can go strait to the finishing tool path and skip the rough cut and still make only 1 finishing cut....The DOC is .09 inch at the lowest point.

Hope this makes sense ......

Robert

[SScnc]

Well I consider myself still a novice too. I've been using a .050 end mill and doing light depths and larger step overs (.025 DOC and 30% step overs) but I'm going to try your way and take deeper cuts but much lighter step overs.

One more question for you, where are you getting your end mills from ?

I have some 1/8" EM's from R.L. Schmitt that are micrograin carbide and are extremely sharp and super tough. I'm getting ready to order these 1/16" from them as the ones I've been getting from Enco are good but I expect the R.L. Schmitt one to be much better.

BTW, I recently got some from Drill Bit City and they are pure junk!!! Definitely a case of getting what you pay for.

Thanks,

Steve

[rwestbr]

I mainly get the ball ends from Enco and a set of the small flat end mills from Little Machine Shop. Please let us know if the ones from Schmitt are better.

FYI: I started my finish cut at 3ipm and once it was going good I moved it to 10ipm....

Robert

[SScnc]

Will do on reporting on the RLS end mills.

Yeah, I forgot to include the IPM I've been using, 2 IPM.

I just realized that I've caused this thread to run off course but I appreciate the info and all of you have done really nice work ! Keep it coming.

Steve

[ozzie34231]

I primarily make custom car emblems with my machines. One of these days though I am going to rebuild my X2 that just sits in the corner unused into a decent machine, with an auto tool changer and all.

Hi Austin, Just came to this thread via Bob Warfield. Incredible work you do. Brings to mind a lot of questions. What kind of paint do you use? Is there a problem with it sticking to the plating? Can you explain more about your sanding process. How are the emblems stuck to the car?

Many thanks, and again beautiful stuff!
Ozzie

[austin.mn]

I actually quit using the plating. I had some issues with it, however I later found out that it was a problem with my part hanging method. I figured do to the symptoms that I was loosing contact with the parts occasionally causing chrome to discolor over time.

Also during that time, I had some complaints of paint falling out of the lettering. So, I went to a local body shop and talked with the painter there, and then went to the auto body supply store and spent a bunch of money on proper paints. I now use a self etching primer, and base + clear system. All the emblems that Bob had pictured on his site, http://www.cnccookbook.com/ are just polished aluminum.

Sanding:
1. start with a palm sander with 220 grit and do as much as I can.
2. Same palm sander and switch to 400.
3. I use a Dremel contour sander with 220.
4. Continue with the contour sander with 400.
5. Paint the emblems
6. Palm sander the paint with 400 to get rid of the extra clear, that went outside the lines of lettering.
7. Wet sand with soapy water and 800
8. Start the buffing with an automotive style buffer with a wool pad and 3M perfect it rubbing compound.
9. After the paint has been properly smoothed I move back to the contour sander. This time I put a microfiber cloth on it, instead of sand paper, and use some mothers billet polish.
10. Laser cut some double sided tape, using the Rabbit HX40B, and apply it to the emblems.
11. Finally I go back over the emblems with the mothers billet polish by hand using the microfiber cloth.

The sanding getting them ready for paint is about an hour per emblem. The final sanding and buffing is a good 2+ hours per.

Wow, that's a lot of work.... I need to start charging more!

[ozzie34231]

Thanks Austin,
Very informative. If I understand, the aluminum has no protective coating except auto polish?
Since you mention it, might I ask what the range of prices are?
Ozzie

[keithmcelhinney]

I have been doing motorcycle parts for about 6 months now. Never had any experience before I bought my machine. After a lot of hard work and many, many headaches I am producing a few parts.







-Keith

[austin.mn]

Thanks Austin,
Very informative. If I understand, the aluminum has no protective coating except auto polish?
Since you mention it, might I ask what the range of prices are?
Ozzie

Most emblems are $2-300/pair. I really don't charge what I should. I had been doing them for a while when I was at a local machine shop with a friend talking to the owner there. He showed me a couple of pictures of some emblems he did, they were fairly simple, in fact they were very simple in comparison to most of my emblems. I asked him how much he charged for them, $500 a piece.... I was shocked anyone would have payed that. But after looking around for custom emblems and shops that specialize in it, I found his prices were really pretty standard.

One of these days I will learn to charge for my time... well maybe. I have always looked at as I am turning two bucks worth of metal into $200.. sure it takes all day to do it.... but, where I live I would be lucky to get a job that payed $15/hour. And with four kids... It's nice to not have the worry that I am going to get home from work and find that the house burned down, since I am only 20 feet away. The kids don't get by with too much, which is sadly not the case for many of there friends, who seem to not have anyone at home ever.

Back to your other question, that is true, the only thing protecting them is polish. I would never put polished wheels on my car again... ever. But the emblems have been just fine. They really don't see the abuse that wheels do, and most of my customers take pretty good care of there cars.

Recently I have been experimenting with powder coat, I think in the near future I will clear a set of polished emblems and torture test them and see how it holds up.

[austin.mn]

Nice work Keith!

[keithmcelhinney]

Nice work Keith!

Thanks! I feel a really humbled by the skill on this board. The members here have always been so quick to help and it has helped me so much.

-Keith

[ozzie34231]

I thought while here admiring some of these really beautiful CNC parts, I'd show you what keeps me out of the pool room.

Ozzie

www.gatsbyflytyingvise.com

[keithmcelhinney]

I thought while here admiring some of these really beautiful CNC parts, I'd show you what keeps me out of the pool room.

Ozzie

www.gatsbyflytyingvise.com

I don't fish, but I am thinking of buying one of those just to inspire me...

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I thought while here admiring some of these really beautiful CNC parts, I'd show you what keeps me out of the pool room.

Ozzie

www.gatsbyflytyingvise.com

Beautiful piece of work! But what the heck is it??

Regards,
Ray L.

[TXFred]

I designed, machined and built the crank position sensor for my motorcycle. I shot video of the shutter wheel being made here.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEOktt40BBA"]YouTube- CNC milling a crank position shutter wheel.[/ame]

This is on the school's Benchman MX mill, not my X2.

Fred

[Mr. Technical]

Ozzie,

I gotta say, that is a thing of beauty! :cheers:

Mr. Technical

[alex781]

Great thread. I hope people look at this and actually build stuff 'cos the Hobby projects section of the forum is basically empty! Especially (no offense) of creative mechanisms and widgets rather than art.
Most of the CNC on youtube is guys with $4000 servos and ground ballscrews gushing about the smiley face they cut in a piece of delrin like they just built the Mars exploration rover.

[CROSSHATCH]

I'll post up my snowboard camera mount I made last year. I need to clear the shop out from all the business and have some fun again! Sigh.