Machineability of steels

I LOVE machining Stressproof. Easy to turn, beautiful finishes with HSS .

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Plain hot-rolled steel is OK for both. I like to anneal it before machining if the part needs a good finish, like a bearing

316L stainless isn't too bad either. You can stick weld it (watch out for the fumes) and then machine even the welded area. I made some non-rusting roller-bearing wheels for my Wesco lift by welding 316L pipe to plate, then boring the hub with an HSS boring bar and reaming with an adjustable reamer, both of which work poorly in difficult materials.

jw

Learning to grind HSS is not a big deal. If you had someone to show you, it would take about ten minutes to learn 90 % of it. Out of a book a bit longer, but basically there are three surfaces to consider. The side, the front and the top. On cut off tools there are two sides, but still not a big deal.

Dan

manytoys wrote:

Depending on the type of steel and the vendor, you may as often find that 12 feet is the standard bar length. At least it was for 1-1/4"

12L14 and 7/8" 1018 CRS when I bought a copple of pieces at American Steel in South Portland, Maine a couple of months ago.

It was a nice surprise to find that they were again consumer-friendly, even taking credit cards. A few years back, they wouldn't sell to me and insisted I go down the street and order through a customer - he phoned in the order, I paid hoim, and I picked it up - even though I knew exactly what I wanted, a single bar of 1-1/2" 12L14, and had cash.

Only disappointment this time was finding I'd left a hacksaw and measuring tape on the step bumper....

John Martin

Harold,

Is there a good reference with (explanations and illustrations) that teaches the ins-and-outs of tool grinding?

Thanks,

Greg

Just the other day, Gary Brady posted this link:

-tih

Sorry to say, I'm not familiar with one. I was fortunate to have been trained under experienced machinists. I can't even say with certainty which amongst them taught me anything about grinding toolbits, although I did run cutter grinders for a brief interval and that solidified the concept. Strangely, my tutor in grinding was a terrible machinist, but an outstanding grinder.

Some folks seem to have the ability to grind cutting tools that work, and I'm one of them. The bulk of what I've learned came from using the tools. When you grind a chip breaker that isn't working, it doesn't take long until you understand why, and how to correct it. The best advice I can offer is to understand the features, and how they affect a cut---then practice what you know until you're grinding good tools. That worked for me.

Good luck! You can do it.

Harold

snipped-for-privacy@segway.com wrote in news:1124883194.953407.120730 @g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

I need to mill a 3/4" slot in 1/8" thick 316. I've been wondering what kind of cutter I should be using for this operation. Suggestions would be appreciated!

-- Geoff

I'd use a cobalt roughing end mill. Probably a 1/2" or 3/8" size depending on the machine.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Yes, I noticed they've been much more accommodating as well. They've always been willing to sell to me as a business, but getting them to make a small delivery down here in Harpswell was like pulling teeth for a while. Last time it was no problem - "We deliver down there twice a week."

You might want to check out Yarde's Drop Zone as well. Very good prices and delivery isn't too expensive for stock coming out of CT, if you arrange it in advance. I use Leighton's express (in Falmouth, I think). 300-400 pounds of steel is usually around $40 for the freight. UPS isn't too bad for aluminum.

Ned Simmons

Chiming in a bit late...

We call CRS BMS==Bright Mild Steel. We call HRS BMS==Black Mild Steel.

It's simple and it avoids confusion

regards Mark Rand RTFM

Those Brits! I always knew that they are crazy in a pleasant way. :-)

Nick