The real deal is water jet cutting. Its actually reasonably cheap, and it leaves a super smooth cut.
All this talk about cutting is naturally only an issue if you havnt got some sort of acces to a CNC milling machine. I have acces to pretty much any sort of machine (laser, plasma, revolver punch and so forth), but i rarely use anything besides a CNC milling machine and a CNC or manual lathe. The tooling just makes it all so much easier.
Magura
All this talk about cutting is naturally only an issue if you havnt got some sort of acces to a CNC milling machine. I have acces to pretty much any sort of machine (laser, plasma, revolver punch and so forth), but i rarely use anything besides a CNC milling machine and a CNC or manual lathe. The tooling just makes it all so much easier.
Magura
water cutting always amazes me. dont they have a core of sand or something which is carried along by the water?
as the chap who started this thread said he was an absolute beginner in all forms of metalwork and case construction im assuming he wont have much access to machinery. Though he could get it done elsewhere, given time and patience it can be done just as well by hand (just on about cutouts and such here) and he gets the satisfaction of doing it all by himself. All options though, but if it was me in his shoes id do it by hand
Steve
as the chap who started this thread said he was an absolute beginner in all forms of metalwork and case construction im assuming he wont have much access to machinery. Though he could get it done elsewhere, given time and patience it can be done just as well by hand (just on about cutouts and such here) and he gets the satisfaction of doing it all by himself. All options though, but if it was me in his shoes id do it by hand
Steve
when you're fastening two pieces of thicker material with a screw, are you supposed to tap both pieces, or just the inner piece?
I was thinking about this the other day, and if one were to tap both pieces, the threads would have to line up perfectly. Otherwise, you could end up with up to 1 thread pitch worth of gap between the two pieces.
I was thinking about this the other day, and if one were to tap both pieces, the threads would have to line up perfectly. Otherwise, you could end up with up to 1 thread pitch worth of gap between the two pieces.
baggystevo82 said:
125 is a typo, it should have been 525C
It is a matter of wich alloy we are talking about. The regular alloy you will see most is 6000 series, and for those 525C is correct and nessecery.
I have been making aluminium bicycle frames a few years ago....Im dead sure of this being right....if I would be able to avoid typos that disturbs the meaning of what Im saying that is.
Magura
oh cool, so it's 525degC and quenched. im sure you're right now, it agrees with everything ive just read and remember(ish, crap memory). it wouldnt really be that necessary for machining would it? more of benefit to cold working id imagine....like in bike frames. Road bike frames was it?
Steve
Steve
baggystevo82 said:
Its a drawback to anneal aluminium prior to tooling it in any way. The only reaso to do so would be to press shape it.
I treated the bike frames like this to get rid of the tension that builds up during welding, and to harden the entire frame.
It wasany type of frame you could imagine...and more to it. Made to custumers specs.
Magura
my personal preference is for capheads. not sure why, i just like them. also if its a screw going into a blind hole, and its not self tapping or anything nasty like that, dont forget to use the second and plug taps, or just plug at a push. And I think parafin is a good cutting oil for aluminium, but again this is relying on my memory so feel free to correct me here too.
Steve
Steve
wow, this thread is like IM, thanks for the answers!
A tip I remember reading in another thread, was to drill the holes in the outer material first, then use it as a guide to drill the inner holes to make sure they all line up perfectly.
So I guess the process is to use the appropriate drill bit size for the tap used on both pieces, then to enlarge the outer hole with a bigger drill bit or ream?
A tip I remember reading in another thread, was to drill the holes in the outer material first, then use it as a guide to drill the inner holes to make sure they all line up perfectly.
So I guess the process is to use the appropriate drill bit size for the tap used on both pieces, then to enlarge the outer hole with a bigger drill bit or ream?
If you have a lot of holes that need to be accurately aligned, try this...
Drill all the holes in the piece you are using to template (and make sure it fits before risking the second piece), and use it to drill your first mirror hole. Then, tap it and mount the template. Position the Tplate perfectly, and drill the second hole. Dismount the Tplate piece, tap the second hole, and remount the Tplate w/both fasteners..
Get yer gun...
E
Drill all the holes in the piece you are using to template (and make sure it fits before risking the second piece), and use it to drill your first mirror hole. Then, tap it and mount the template. Position the Tplate perfectly, and drill the second hole. Dismount the Tplate piece, tap the second hole, and remount the Tplate w/both fasteners..
Get yer gun...
E
theres always pop rivets as well, if it doesn't have to come apart again. saves on time tapping, and the pop riveting tools arent too expensive, less than a good range of taps definitely. Can look a bit ugly if its too in view though imo. again some people might like that look. Theyre sturdy enough for making car monocoques so i don't see a strength or duability problem, AS LONG as the holes are deburred really well so the panels fit really snug against each other, or the burr gets pushed down over time and the joint becomes weak and rattly, which could be redone but not really the point. hmmm, i think i made that sentance i lil too long there now!
Steve
Steve
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