Aluminium suitablity as angle plate?

[jack404]

G'day folks

i am making a angle plate to mount my 4" rotary table and other bits and peices
and started in useing a peice of 15mm thick 2011 T6 Aluminium when a friend dropped by and asked

"will that be ok?? its only Aluminium"

i am NOT a expert so am asking before i go further is this strong enough??

the angle plate in the machine with one pass

full dims are 15mm x 150mm x 100mm or 11/32" x 6" x4"

cheers

jack

 

[Mainer]

It will certainly be strong enough; the real question is, will it be stiff enough? My guess (not knowing your design) is that it will be fine, especially if you can add a stiffening gusset to the back.

Another concern is the relative softness and susceptibility to dings and dents, but care in use can mitigate that problem.

 

[bentprop]

If it is square,I think it would be good enough for Gu'mint work.On the other hand,if you're making parts for the space shuttle,go 'n buy a $400 angle plate.
She'll be right,Jack .Couldn't resist that :big:

 

[jack404]

Thank you Gent's

the plan is to weld a 1/2" chunk of plate on each end to give it the support but was milling out
6 slots first when my mate dropped by and got me thinking ( he has a TIG to weld this heavy Alu)

expect him to join in when he gets home , not a hobby engine fan but a home machine operator who has just retired,

they use this plate as mounts for aircraft so thought it would do my little peices

and my little 4" rotary table is fairly light but its for lathes and not a dual angle version so i am making this and it should help out with some other bits i intend to make ( spent my $ on a hand held band saw instead of a new rotary table so gotta get more use from the one i have)

thanks again to all your input :bow: i try and fail often eh saves the fail so often if i have some experienced brains to bounce ideas off :big:

back to slot cutting


cheers

jack

 

[CrewCab]

OK ............. I confess to not be the leading expert in this field .......... but ........

it looks to me that your mill is an X2 .... like mine, and so I believe your angle plate will be fine for small parts ......... if you were using a Bridgeport and machining 4" steel tube I'd think it would not be suitable .......... horses and courses

CC

 

[CrewCab]

back to slot cutting

Jack ............. surely there's more to life

CC

 

[Divided He ad]

Hi Jack, just read this and noticed one thing that stands out....

the plan is to weld a 1/2" chunk of plate on each end to give it the support but was milling out
6 slots first when my mate dropped by and got me thinking ( he has a TIG to weld this heavy Alu)

I was told once by a very proficient tool maker that you never weld any part of a jig after you have all the surfaces correct as it distorts your work. He always doweled and bolted all his jigs together.

I know that some may dismiss this but that man knew his job, no doubt about that.


Good luck, let us know how it all goes.


Ralph.

 

[jack404]

Divided He ad,

yep thats why i have my mate here to weld it for me he does Boeing work for Qantas so will take it to his shop ( Qantas's ) at work to mount it and do what they do to keep it straight. I Hate Alu for that reason and need this to be straight/ parralell etc.. when in doubt get a expert, beside he works for beer! ( and i make my own!)

he said to cut the slots first as once he gets its straight and welded it may move again if i weaken it so am doing what the experts say, he's one of those i listen too as do many folks on welding here. but he has also said to not put more than light stuff on it and not some of the items he has seen me work on , that advise i'll follow too , its only for the X2 and small fiddly bits.

CC

Yes Sir

its a x2 grizzly ( from www.titanmachinery.com.au ) but we cannot call them grizzly here as thats a BBQ and shoe company with fancy lawyers here so we call them Titans after Stuarts company ( the agent for grizzly in OZ)

i pick up the matching mini lathe in a week grizzly designs good stuff even if they are china made and i can do more work at home ( my little flat here) with the smaller stuff the big stuff is in a rental shed down the road

Howard rifling lathe, 4' BC
Thomas machine Lathe, 22" BC
clamshell mill from Century
heat treating ovens and welding bench

yes there is better things in life, fishing, shooting and my girly but
1 its raining today so the first two are out ( wimpy i know)
2 theres 8000 miles between me and the girly ATM

so this is the next best thing
making tools,
to make more bits,
to make more gadgets,
and learning heaps along the way ( lots from here and you blokes!)

lifes good.

cheers folks

jack

 

[CrewCab]

Dam good point Ralph 8)

but ....... more input required chaps ............... get posting

CC

 

[tel]

I agree with that Ralph, any welding will cause distortion - far better to bolt 'em in.

Other than that Jack, the piece looks fine to my eye - wouldn't mind a chunk of that meself.

 

[rake60]

I'm anxious to see how it hold up myself.

They are comfortable with packing a couple hundred people in a machine
made mostly of 2011 aluminium and putting that machine through the
most extream temperature and pressure ranges.

I'll be watching this thread closely!

Rick

 

[CrewCab]

its a x2 grizzly

OK Jack .......... lets call it Xavier2 or if you prefer "Bert" ....... and hope to hang on to whatever assets we have left

Keep posting Jack, it's always enjoyable 8)

CC

 

[wareagle]

I am a proponent of dowels and bolts in this case. The reason is 1) of the warpage that will be caused during the welding process, 2) the fact that the fixture will be brittle around the weld area, and 3) no need to send something out when you could easily do it yourself with the by product of conserving your precious beverages.

For light work, you may be fine. But, if something were to bind up, you might find yourself with some issues around the weld in the form of cracks. Just keep an eye on 'er and make sure there aren't any surprises about to present themselves.

 

[jack404]

tel

see george ( offcuts-galore ) on www.oztion.com.au

i asked him what he could get in largish 2011 angle and a few days later he put this online and let me know it was there

http://www.oztion.com.au/buy/auction.aspx?itemid=5163190

i think he has more, send him a bell via the link on the above page, costs nuthin to ask eh


as for bolting it that was the first suggestion but i specifically asked for welding.. just me and my bright ideas again, when he returns ( gone for fish and chips) we'll chat some more and sort it out

i have some HT 8mm bolts and drilling and tapping is no drama's so three bolts ( one top edge one on the corner and one on the bottom edge) do the job ?? as stated i am no expert on Alu ( generally only use it for grips or packing)

thanks gents for the input but i wont talk him outta the beers he prefers my home made 9% brew, as for precious i have 200+ bottles (750ml) down at the moment the brewing tank is a 46 Gallon copper water heater converted for the job its my standard trade item seeing a dont drink so much the last couple years ( i do make a ripper guiness clone at 15% or so but not too much as that will get you into strife fast!) i stopped making poiteen, ( ask a irishman) i live in a flat now no room for mistakes thats 65% BV not proof.

cheers

jack

 

[greenie]

Jack, have a real good look at this site.

http://www.siegind.com/Products/blackred_milling-machine.htm

Notice the mills, does one of them look very familiar with the one you own?

Now change the red colour to yellow, griz green, blue or any other colour of the rainbow. These little machines were made by this mob, for all the different sellers world wide, it's called badge engineering. Change a da badge, different paint colour, bingo, different machine, yeh right, same stuff, no matter who sells it.

They ALL use the exact same parts manual.

Bloody good little worker tho, got meself a red one from Scary Forbes.

regards greenie

 

[jack404]

G'day greenie

I do understand that part its the specs from grizz and the support

i have a mate in WA ( western Australia state) that imports too but all his are 250w motors

and the small control box like in the pictures

my mill has the 400w options the tables a inch or 2 bigger and has bearings

the same factory makes for 30 odd different brands ( i found a web page but cant find it a UK site anyway has them pretty much all listed)

its the final product that counts

i'll pay $769 for the mini lathe but if i buy from another place its $689 whats he difference??

250w motor v's 400w motors

shims v's NSK bearings

3 jaw chuck no-name v's 3 and 4 jaw branded ( chinese made) chucks

dead centre v'd dead and live

etc etc etc

yes they are made in the same place but its how they are optioned and put together

titan also back everything here, need a part? no worries and he knows his stuff..

go to www.mcjing.com.au then ask em about parts yes they sell parts then once you have the machine try to get parts HA! no chance

mcjings are great for tools and bits etc do not buy machines though.

its horses for courses and if you shop hard and check specs you'll see you do basically get what you pay for

but some places do rip folks hard..

yes seig is the home of the options but just because they make all the bits dont mean when you buy them they are the same as the next place as its up to the importers to spec out the actual gadgets and too many cut corners to offer a cheaper product

i dunno about the US or UK but here 5 differnet stores will offer the "same thing" but they are 5 very different machines, weird i know, but thats life

cheers mate

jack

oh for comparison here four options all the "same" which would you buy ???

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-MACH-MIN...ryZ92083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/C2-12-x7-VAR...ryZ92083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/mini-metal-lathe-ideal-home-handyman-or-professional/


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/METAL-LATHE-...ryZ92083QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


my choice is the last one check the specs all the others are 250w motors ( one has a cheezy cut depth DRO)


gotta go theres a steak sanger with my name on it waiting next to a schooner at the ary

cheers

jack

 

[John S]

It all depends on the importer and how much they are prepared to pay for the machine / enhancements.
The machines are basically the same but you can get the factory to fit certain additions at extra cost like motors and bed lengths.

In the Uk the Super X1 can be had with a larger table and travels than the X2 but still with the smaller motor.
LMS carry the same table as a spare in the US but the complete machine is special to the UK importer.

This is the packing shop at Sieg and in this shot they are doing X2's but zoom in and notice the differences depending on who has ordered what .

 

[jack404]

John you aint dealt with aussie importers, think leeches cross bred with great white sharks , then throw blood

( or getting a order from hub la bas :big: )

that privaledge ( custom order ) will double the price as a minimum and with the south pacific peso biting the dust the past few weeks, maybe quadruple it now.

Australia has never been great for choice the market is a bit small

London has the same population as all of Australia

great pic!! i see one like mine WAAAAYYYY down the end

 

[Dhow Nunda wallah]

Glad you mentioned Oz businesses Jack.
Just had a look at mcjing(wotever)

Saw some carbide router bits there (I run a CNC router)
The site allegedly has a shopping cart.
Clicked on order, hmm, nothing.
Clicked on "about us", the usual Oz BS about phone or fax.

And aussie businesses wonder why we order offshore!

This is far from an isolated incident. I encounter it constantly, especially with heavy items which get pricy when bought offshore.
Aussies seem to think that a web presence will see huge profits falling from the sky!
It takes more than a phone/fax number though.

That said, I have encountered a few small Oz businesses who will go out of their way to serve a (very) small business like mine.
None, so far, on the WWW though

 

[tel]

That's odd Mr Wallah, I've had no trouble ordering online with 'em