[TowerTalk] Ham shop metalworking DE K0FF

[K0FF]

Using regular oil is a no-no on cutting tools, it just causes the bit/blade
to slip. I tried WD 40 once, and it's so slik the metal-cutting bandsaw just
stopped cutting altogether until cleaned. Cutting or tapping oil is base on
lard oil and will cool without loosing cutting ability. It actually seem to
make the bit grip better. A small squeeze can of Tappit or Tappit for
Aluminum will last a decade in the home shop. NEVER use a tap- hand operated
or in a press without it.

I took a cheap drill press that had a #2 Morse taper spindle and made a
dynamite drilling/tapping machine out of it by replacing the motor with a
reversible 1 HP unit and wiring a reverse switch, and replacing the cheap
chuck with a Wahlstrom keyless 1/2 inch unit. It is highly desirable to make
your drill press motor be foot pedal controlled, as this will allow both
hands to be free for the table, and also will provide a sort of "deadman"
switch if something goes wrong. A PONY clamp or some other hold-down vise or
clamp will save injuries. Even so, always mentally draw a trajectory in your
minds' eye, as to where the workpiece will spin if the bit gets stuck, and
never put a body part in that line. The joint between the thumb and next
finger of the right hand is a favorite target of spinning-out-of-control
plates. Here again the foot pedal can save injury.

The #2 MT is the same as in the headstock on my Atlas 6" lathe, so all the
chucks are interchangeable between the press and lath.

If you're interested in building a small metal working shop for ham use,
check out Harbor Freight or Enco. There are combination tools available now
that do a reasonable job and take up far less space than conventional
stationary machines, and are pretty affordable. The Triok (Chinese version)
is a nice tool and comes in 3 sizes. It has a sheet metal shear, and a
bending brake as well as a slip roll, all in one unit. The smallest one is
18" wide and only costs $150 on sale, and it's strong enough to cut G-10
circuit board. They also sell a small bending brake only, that attaches into
your bench vice, and secures the bendmetal with C clamps. Crude but cheap,
and definitely workable.

The first tool  in any shop would have to be the drill press(100-300, but
doll it up), then the metal cutting bandsaw(150) followed closely by a 6"
lathe($300), and the Triok (150) would fill it out. A mill is nice but in 30
years of playing with this stuff, I've noticed dust accumulating on the
mill, but the other tools get used almost daily. Anyhow small parts can be
easily milled on the lathe with a milling adapter, and many Chinese imports
include this with the unit. Total price for an all-new complete shop starts
around $750. Add a nice homemade bench, benchvise and some hand tools,
calipers etc. and you've still only spent a grand.

For a really lightweight approach to sheet metal work, there are some tools
available at Home Depot in the plumbing department that deserve looking
into. They are hand tools designed for heating duct work, but make a nice
addition to any size shop. The neatest one is a 3" wide bending brake with
pliers-type handles. Makes a neat bend for min-boxes or whatever. The next
is a nibbler that takes a pie section bite of 30 degrees. Two nibbles can
give a perfect 90, and is great for making CushCraft type element brackets,
or mini-boxes. The third is a type of metal snips that cuts without
distorting. It has 3 blades instead of 2, and removes a 1/4" wide kerf, but
leaves both sides of the sheet uncurled. You'll throw away the aircraft
snips after using one of these. All about 20 bucks each.



73 Geo>K0FF
-----Original Message-----
From: Howard Gorden <GORDENH1@westat.com>
To: 'n1bug@mint.net' <n1bug@mint.net>; vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu
<vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu>
Date: Thursday, August 24, 2000 9:00 AM
Subject: RE: Drilling difficult steel


>Try slowing down the speed of the drill motor.
>
>Are you using any kind of lubricant, such as oil to keep the bit cool?
>
>my $0.02 worth,
>
>73 Howard W3CQH FM19
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Paul Kelley [mailto:n1bug@mint.net]
>Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 7:34 PM
>To: vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu
>Subject: Drilling difficult steel
>
>
>Folks,
>
>I've encountered a problem. I have been drilling steel for many
>years. Have never used anything but high speed steel bits and
>*occasionally* a titanium one. I've drilled several types of steel
>without much trouble.
>
>BUT, now I've got some steel U channel stock that's giving me
>trouble. It's quite hard, but it drills OK... for a while. Then
>suddenly it's like the drill encounters a much harder "thread" within
>the material, and this takes one or more chips out of the drill bit
>rendering it useless! High speed steel bits are dying at the rate of
>about 1 per hole and titanium isn't doing much better.
>
>Anybody have any ideas??? Due to budget and other factors it is
>imperative that I make an effort to use this material to support my
>EME array, and soon (the present wood support is getting a bit rotted
>in places, plus this whole thing is just sitting atop some concrete
>blocks on the ground). I've got a hole all dug under it for
>concrete... just need to get this steel drilled and in place as a
>homebrew tower.
>
>Is there some other type of drill that I should be using? If so I
>probably can't find it here but in about a week I am going to be in
>the Manchester, NH area... I *might* do better there, if I knew what
>to look for!
>
>Obviously, any suggestions will be *greatly* appreciated. This stuff
>is driving me nuts!
>
>Perplexed,
>Paul N1BUG
>
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