Slitting Metal Sheets on a Lathe

I attempted different ways of cutting .042 phosphor-Bronze into strips and concluded that the only way to do this quickly and consistently with the to ols I have is to create some sort of a jig that would hold the work on my l athe bed and then use a slitting saw.

The strips I need to cut will have to be about 0.156 pitch.(Wide).

Can I get advice/ideas on the best way to go about doing this?

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755
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snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com fired this volley in news:7a6085c6-c929-43e1- snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Take it to a sheet metal shop, and have them run it through slitting rollers. Lloyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 6:19:44 PM UTC-8, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote :

d concluded that the only way to do this quickly and consistently with the tools I have is to create some sort of a jig that would hold the work on my lathe bed and then use a slitting saw.

Why not just blue the sheet, scribe an accurate line, and follow it with hand shears? Or buy an inexpensive guillotine shear if you need a big stack of strips...

I've also seen good results from photographic patterning with resist, and e tching (look for 'electrochemical machining' in the yellow pages).

Reply to
whit3rd

Why not just blue the sheet, scribe an accurate line, and follow it with hand shears? Or buy an inexpensive guillotine shear if you need a big stack of strips...

============ The cut-off strip will be slightly bent.

-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Brakes, paper cutters, snips, and etching have already been considered.

First, I need to be able to do this myself because I'll need hundreds of these strips, and that is just in the beginning. And I need *repeatable* results. Like I said I'm aiming for a consistent width of 0.156".

So I was thinking I'll need the use of my mini-lather or mini-mill for this. I'll of course have to deburr each strip after they are cut. And then I'll need a jig for bending them to the desired shape.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com fired this volley in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

You're better off using the lathe to make slitting rollers (knives) than you are to try to cut sheet metal with it.

You can probably buy a Chinese hand-cranked slitter for small bucks. You can buy a brand new US-made unit for under $3K. In any case, the knives (slitting rollers) are less expensive than all the fuss and refuse you're going to produce trying to cut and deburr that stuff on a lathe.

And any good HVAC outfit is likely to have one in the shop. Why not just take the stock down and have it cut up to spec?

Lloyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

How long are they? Stack up a pile of 4 inch by whatever length (plus some), sandwich between two 1/4 inch pieces of flat steel, and tack all around 3 sides. Take said assembly to a wire EDM shop and have them slit almost through,starting at the un tacked side, so when you grind off the tacks, you have a bunch of strips, which look like a book matches. Cut them off as needed. Very accurate, easy for them to set up, and depending on quantity, probably pretty reasonable per unit, especially if you get a bunch of assemblies done at once, to save the set up time.

Reply to
Steve Walker

So it seems as though this cannot be done with spending a lot of money or outsourcing.

But I can't give up. :-)

I was thinking that there should be a way I can use my milling table for indexing to get repeatable results. (The range of thicknesses are actually from .004 to .042).

Then perhaps I can continue to use a box cutter and some sort of guide-jig.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com prodded the keyboard

You've got a lathe & mill ! Make a forming punch and cut and shape in the same operation.

Reply to
Baron

I wouldn't begin to know how to go about doing that. Do you have a pointer to similar projects?

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com prodded the keyboard

Hello Darren,

Unfortunately I don't know of any projects using these kinds of tools, sorry. However I had a similar problem quite some while ago, where I needed hundreds of thousands of parts made in 0.9 mm thick aluminium. I fabricated a form tool that would cut and shape the part, punching two holes as well, all in one go. I used gauge plate for the fabrication and turned and milled the parts needed. The whole tool was tested and then hardened before mounting on a three ton spring press. The tool was later copied and used to make five parts at one go.

HTH.

Reply to
Baron

Already mentioned, but: apply lacquer to the sheet, use the milling table to scribe accurately through the lacquer, and etch (probably with warmed ferric chloride solution). The thing is, you do NOT want the ferric chloride near any good machine tools or electronics.

Reply to
whit3rd

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com prodded the keyboard

Hello Darren,

Unfortunately I don't know of any projects using these kinds of tools, sorry. However I had a similar problem quite some while ago, where I needed hundreds of thousands of parts made in 0.9 mm thick aluminium. I fabricated a form tool that would cut and shape the part, punching two holes as well, all in one go. I used gauge plate for the fabrication and turned and milled the parts needed. The whole tool was tested and then hardened before mounting on a three ton spring press. The tool was later copied and used to make five parts at one go.

HTH.

Reply to
Baron

e:

or outsourcing.

r indexing to get repeatable results. (The range of thicknesses are actuall y from .004 to .042).

oride solution).

Unfortunately, strong chemicals like that are out. I have to stick to the h ardware I have, which is in a limited space.

As for Baron's idea. I'll have to search for "gauge plates". It would seem that one would only have to mill out one face of the gauge plate which woul d be flat in between straight rows that rise up into points. (I then wouldn 't need to deburr the finished strips).

I wish there was a decent free app that allow me to illustrate my projects to show for clarification. (Words can only do so much).

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

[ ... ]

There are various free CAD (Computer Aided Design -- e.g. drawing programs) which could do that. Which ones depends on which OS you are running. You're probably running windows, and the ones which I use are for unix, so I won't bother to name them. And there is a steep learning curve for most of these.

But getting images in a format which will not offend some when you post it (the images are large, and often not welcome in usenet postings) is a different matter.

You *could* put the images on a private web site, and just post URLS to them in the articles.

Enjoy, DoN

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

d concluded that the only way to do this quickly and consistently with the tools I have is to create some sort of a jig that would hold the work on my lathe bed and then use a slitting saw.

Do you have a table saw? Make a cross-slide table for it and cut away!

Reply to
robobass

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com prodded the keyboard

Hi Darren, Here in the UK "Gauge Plate" is an easily machined, high carbon steel that is acurately ground to be flat and to the marked dimensions. It is usually marked as "Oil" hardening but can be water hardened. I have used it many times to make press tools and punches. I think that in the USA it may be described differently.

HTH.

Reply to
Baron

Out of what is said to be free I've downloaded or tried to download about a dozen different apps and hoping one would have promise.

I access the internet at the local library and I have no internet service for my home PC where I do most of my work. Many apps require one just to download and/or install.

What's left out of anything portable that I can download to my flash drive and then install on my home PC tends not to be what I need. That is a simple 3D drawing app.

So I'm forced to stay with MS Paint, which limits me to 2D drawings.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

I think Gauge Plate is basically bar stock of specific geometrical dimensions.

If I were able to figure out how to use my mini-milling machine to grind it to the needed dimensions I'd still have to find someone to harden it. (The width of the strips cannot be wider than .0156", though erring on the narrow side is no big deal).

(I don't think I'd need a heavy duty press to punch out the pieces though).

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

e:

and concluded that the only way to do this quickly and consistently with th e tools I have is to create some sort of a jig that would hold the work on my lathe bed and then use a slitting saw.

Not an option.

My table saw is way too noisy to use where I'm no at and it would probably waste 50% of the stock any way. (The TS blade is probably as thick as the p ieces I'll need to make).

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Reply to
jamesjaddah1755

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