HELP! Custom Metal Work Idea

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Couldn't for the life of me decide where to stick this thread, so I put it here...

I need some advice from you metal workers out there, and am calling on the more experienced custom hilt builders. I do not have a CNC machine or the money to purchase one, however I find myself desiring some of the results that CNC'ing can give and wanting to do some of this myself.

This obviously leaves me asking for quite a bit and sounding a little foolish. I fully recognize this. But hear me out and tell my why it will not work/what I can do instead.

The idea I will focus on in this thread is the ability to customize a choke or hilt section with a "milled" window. Normally a CNC would be able to handle this with ease. Trying to do this at home however provides limited opportunities. My thought is that using a vice and a drill press, one could use multiple "presses" (for lack of a better word) of the drill bit to make holes slightly under the diameter of the window for later filing/sanding, shifting the piece in the vice after each drilling. This would of course be time consuming and represent heavy wear on the drill bit I am sure. My idea however is represented in the image below...

Black is the aluminum, gray is the area wanting to be milled out, white circles represent drill radius...it is a rough ms paint approximation...be kind :)

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x116/TaiDashan/Random/DrillMill.jpg

Will this work?
Why not?
Any ideas to make the idea do-able without resorting to a CNC?

There are a lot of you Sabersmiths out there that have shown time and time again that your saber crafting skills are fine tuned and well above my own. I humbly submit my clumsy attempts at innovation for your aid. :D

[ARKM]

I'm not quite sure what you are wanting done but from your description, it sound like what you want to use is a mill, not a drill press with a vise. Mills have a avise and can also be used as a drill press. Plus with a mill, the vise is on a movable table that has an adjustable X and Y axis. Most home consumer drill presses do not come with such a table (but one could be added aftermarket).

Edit: Ok, the way you worded your post made it sound like you were modifying a choke that ALREADY had a milled window. After re-reading your post, I'm guessing however that you want to add a milled slot to a choke. A CNC machine is definately not needed for that. However, a mill is. I would not try this with a regular drill press and drill bits. You could get some "end mill" bits and put them in a drill press if your really set on doing is that way and have no access to a mill. but it will probably come out looking a bit "off", even after filing. Plus, it's a lot more work doing it the way you suggested.

[acerocket]

It won't work very well with a standard drill bit. Unless you step over more than the radius of the drill bit (about 135-150% radius stepover) you won't be starting the drill bit on the material surface, you will be 'hitting' it fromthe side which will cause the drill bit to wander all over and, in all likeyhood, move the part instead of drilling the hole (or just break the drill bit). For example, if you want to drill a 1/2" hole, I would make sure I moved the part at least 3/8" between each hole center. The trouble with this is that it will leave a lot of tall peaks to dremel/sand down.

You could try to do it with a bi-metal hole saw. These are essentially saw blades wrapped in a circle that act like a drill bit. When you cut something out, you get the hole and a circle from inside the hole saw bit. You might be able to do it this way if you are slow and careful.

Another option would be to drill a couple holes and just settle for dremel/sanding the peaks off. This would be the best bet, but would also take a longer time.

One other option would be to make a ring around the part using a small drill bit. Maybe a 1/8" or something. Just drill holes all around the inside of the cutout and space them so they are always a new hole and do not cut into the holes next to it. This would be a bit easier to dremel ot the center and leave small peaks to sand down.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

I'm not quite sure what you are wanting done but from your description, it sound like what you want to use is a mill, not a drill press with a vise

How much is a mill? is this something I could buy for a couple hundred dollars? Or is this something on par with CNC costing thousands?


You could try to do it with a bi-metal hole saw. These are essentially saw blades wrapped in a circle that act like a drill bit. When you cut something out, you get the hole and a circle from inside the hole saw bit. You might be able to do it this way if you are slow and careful.

Another option would be to drill a couple holes and just settle for dremel/sanding the peaks off. This would be the best bet, but would also take a longer time.

This is a good thought although i don't have access to a Bi-metal hole saw :( I'm ok with using a file/sanding paper to do a lot of the removal...but not a ton, your second idea sounds do-able...

[ARKM]

How much is a mill? is this something I could buy for a couple hundred dollars? Or is this something on par with CNC costing thousands?

A mini mill (which is what I use) goes for about $500. However, you may also have to get a vise for it. The vise I use cost me $90 but there are cheaper ones out there. Just remember, as a rule, you get what you pay for. Then you need either many collets or one drill chuck (my mill came with a drill chuck) and some mill bits. Collets are more accurate than a drill chuck but also more time consuming to swap out. I just use a drill chuck. It's worked fine for me so far. Most of the work I do requires only one type of mill bit, that being an end mill bit (for boring straight down and for shallow sideways milling). They come in different amounts of flutes. I prefer the 4 fluted ones.

[sithlordfaust]

Iv done what your describing but not on a choke and not for a hole that was visible. if the need for the tool is one time or short term you might also look into finding a local machinist who can help you out.
alot of the time I buy MHS knowing that Im going to want customizing done but not sure what that will be until I have the parts to look at in hand. then I take them to a local guy to have milled/turned to my spec. its also easier to communicate what Id like done in person than via Email.

but if you are determined to DIY, then Id go find a mill or a lathe/mill combo.

I would but I dont do enough saber building or any metal working to justify the cost whn I can pay way smaller increments for someone elses experience.

[Shadar Al'Niende]

Thank you so much guys for all of your help, it looks as if I am better off having someone do the work for me, purchasing the equipment, or drilling small holes and finishing it myself.

Once again thank you for your input, it has helped me understand greatly. If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to contribute!