Cutting up some bronze backs...

Discussion in 'Saw Makers Forum' started by TraditionalToolworks, Dec 19, 2011.

  1. TraditionalToolworks

    TraditionalToolworks Most Valued Member

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    189
    Making bronze backs...

    These are not slotted yet, and quite honestly, this didn't work out as well as I had thought. I tried to use a Kurt 675 vise with a pair of hard jaws in it to secure the bronze while I cut it lengthwise. That was a dumb thought, and I realized there were several problems with the idea. I didn't take a pic, but will take one later to show the setup.

    1) the blade started to bind between the bronze as it was cutting it.

    2) bronze was pulled from the vise at one point as it was not tight enough.

    Better would have been to just clamp it to the table and cut along one of the slots as I have one in the past...the problem with that is getting a large enough blade so that the teeth can clear the top of the table, between the table slots.

    I'll be able to clean these up and use the 2 on the left, the piece on the right still need to be split in half lengthwise, which will not be done in the Kurt vise as I had planned...*sigh*

    [​IMG]
     
  2. ray

    ray Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    671
    Hi Alan,

    Nice to see that horizontal mill still going strong, my workshop has expanded a bit lately, I've now got a surface grinder and a shaper, in addition to the lathe and mill.

    I'm planning to try a bit of taper grinding with the surface grinder.

    Look forwards to more pictures of your slitting set up.

    Regards
    Ray
    PS I'll take a few pictures of the surface grinder.
     
  3. TraditionalToolworks

    TraditionalToolworks Most Valued Member

    Messages:
    189
    Ray,

    Would like to see pics of the surface grinder, although I'm not sure if that is a good way to go with taper grinding or not. If you can keep the speed down, it probably is. Do you have a coolant system on it, that could help.

    I heard Mike Wenzloff does his taper grinding on a Tormek possibly, and that would make sense.

    This bronze is way tougher than brass to cut, you can see where I horked it about 1/3rd the way up from the bottom, the blade jammed between the pieces and I had to flip the power off...it will clean up, but it would have been better as a clean cut.
     
  4. ray

    ray Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    671
  5. TraditionalToolworks

    TraditionalToolworks Most Valued Member

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    189
    Can't get the video to play, will try later after I get home from the yard...time to go work on a log or two...;)

    Looks like you have more than one video up on YouTube, but they don't want to play at the moment, possibly they are stored down under...I'll try later.

    Definitely with coolant that could be the way to go...

    A surface grinder like this could be more accurate in how it tapers down.

    How accurate is it? Is it accurate to .001" ???
     
  6. TraditionalToolworks

    TraditionalToolworks Most Valued Member

    Messages:
    189
    Ray,

    My net connection is finally back to normal, seems a router got wacked...

    Nice machine. That looks handy.

    The Nichols mills also use a panel similar to what you describe there, but I have never understood what they do. Those mills have hydraulic on them to operate the table feed. This stuff is kinda fascinating as it pre-dates CNCs.

    Does your surface grinder have hydraulics, or how does it control those functions???