To repair my son's toy, I have to make something from a plastic bar. I bought a white cutting board at Walmart and cannot help but notice that it machines very well. For a very large board, the price is about $10 (which is kind of expensive), but it gives a large quantity of very easy to work with plastic material.
i
You just discovered UHMW PE. Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethelene.
Handy stuff, and not very expensive. Check ebay, "Plastics International's" website. etc.
VERY wear resistant. Used as conveyor liners, box car, and cargo ship liners, chain drag wear strips in lumber mills. Used as ski bases, water skiis, snowmobile skiis. Etc.
LDPE is Low Density, used for bread sacks. HDPE is High Density, used for milk cartons.
All are hydrocarbon chains.
Methane (single chain) various gasses, Butane, propane, etc. solvents, gasoline type stuff light oils Oils Tars Parafin/wax LDPE HDPE UHMW
Each one a longer chain of hydrocarbons, UHWM is up the the 6 million long chains.
AND UHMW, unlike most plastics, does not absorb any water (that's why Nylon bushings squeak, BTW - they absorb up to 25% of their weight in water, expand and bind on the shaft.)
If you're looking for some tips on how to machine UHMW, I have a fairly extensive help centre dedicated to UHMW at;
All cutting boards I have seen are HDPE, not UHMW PE.
Indeed a ready source in a pinch.
I've found mini cutting boards at the dollar store. Kind of curved, and has 'handles' at the sides, but useful area about 6" x 5" x 3/8" thick. Machines very nicely.
Best regards, Spehro Pefhany
I am reading a very fun book "machine shop practices", and it makes a great recommendation to reduce speed and increase feed on these plastics. Works great.
i
Stick a 2-4 flute LEFT HAND endmill in your lathe tool holder.
Works a treat for turning when you use the tip of the flute as your turning tool
Gunner
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