A Familiar Ring
Trial Bell
This has been a very interesting and rewarding weekend for me. I have been involved in some creative effort refreshing long unused skills in 3D CAD drawing (Rhinoceros 5) and 4 axis RhinoCAM generation and then the operation of my 4 axis Taig CNC mill.
All this so I can get to work on my bell making project. What it has done is really perked me up for using the skills I have let set idle for a bit longer than I ever intended. After this long weekend I feel that I am back on track.
My plan is to design small bells in three dimensional computer assisted drafting (CAD). That is one set of skills, learning all the components of a very powerful drawing program. Rhino is one of the top rated software packages for 3D drawing and certainly worthy of high praise.
Once the drawing is made, the designer must then have the knowledge to visualize how it will be milled, in my case from a cylinder of wax. It is definitely NOT a push the button and out pops the tool path for the CNC mill, far from it. The cool part is the cutting can be simulated with graphics before ever taking it to the machine tool.
Once I have simulations that run good, I take the code out to the shop and actually run it on the CNC milling machine. It isn’t loaded for actual cutting but what I call a “dry run” just watching all the moves the machine makes. That is to make sure it will run well on the real machine and where I can see how much room I have on my small machines to make all the moves.
This is where I discovered my first design was too… Continue reading
4 Axis Spruce-up
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- Centering Axis
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- Looks Good
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- Chuck Adapter
I have found a good project for my 4 Axis CNC mill and also my Rhino 5 software. If you have read recent posts I have mentioned I am pursuing carving some small bells from wax for lost wax casting. Here I am re-configuring my original Taig micro mill back into 4 axis operation.
I need the tailpost to be able to slide into any length position I need. The stock Taig slotted table is perfect for that. I don’t need the multi hole set-up table for 4-axis. I set the rotary table up so I can just slide the tailpost against the back of its slot and it is in perfect Y alignment. The height is taken care of by the shims and the small adjustment in the tailpost itself. After this set up it will be a very quick reset for the tailpost.
You can see I have placed a Chuck adapter in the middle of the table. I will use that (with a chuck) to hold the wax cylinder as I mill out the center of the bell.
I have a few seconds of video I made of a dry run of the 4-axis profiling run. It makes some interesting sounds as the X axis is moving very slowly and sometimes “jiggling” a bit. Not sure why, but it is playing that CNC music. You will have to imagine all the missing parts. Hey! Just do it! 🙂
Bells and CNC Thoughts
example
I have found a niche for my casting and CNC machining desires. It is the designing and creating small custom bells to be cast in silver, brass and bronze; also using bell metal if I can find or make it. Bell metal is high tin content brass.
I am currently working on obtaining the correct wax for CNC detail machining of the designs. My two Taig mills, one of which set up for fourth axis millings are perfect for the size of bells I am considering. That is, bells with a diameter between one and two inches at the open end. I figure they may be one to two times the diameter in height for the bell section. Then whatever is used as the handle or bell mount.
I will pocket mill the bell interior from the end of the wax cylinder, probably using a ball end 2 flute tool. Tool size will depend on the bell diameter and depth. Perhaps 0.250″ on larger size bells down to 0.125″ on small bells. No interior details, just hollow out. The 2nd set-up to do the exterior will be milled on 4th axis rotary, roughed with perhaps 0.25” ball end before details. As far as the detailing I have used as small as 0.003 tapered wax milling bits Like an engraving bit (many hours of run time) making medallions. That is probably not typical for my bell project but could be the extreme. Most likely I will use 0.010-0.020 mill end sizes. I buy my wax bits from Bits&Bits and they are especially made for detailed wax carving, spiral open flutes, etc. Initial trial runs will not be detailed. Just get something basic to carve then cast and see results.
I am thinking this is a perfect combination of my skills and… Continue reading
Vertical Lathe
Maybe not true vertical, but the X tooling moves in that direction…
If this photo grabs your attention then follow this link for the whole story in The Hobbyist’s Machine Shop — Visitors tab. http://thehobbyistmachineshop.com/cms/visitors/george-moorehead
George Moorehead hails from Gig Harbor, Washington and is currently in the process of setting up a new workshop in his home for his retirement years. Sounds like we share a lot in common. This is a mod George made to two machines to create a CNC vertical X movement lathe. Interesting!
Thanks for sharing George.
Just Do It
Promoting Micromachining
At this moment I don’t want to take time away from my wax carving and lost wax casting but I am still enthused about my machine shop activities. Some of that is because I use my machine tools to machine wax models.
I love all my machine tools. It is just so cool to turn things from raw stock into dimensional accurate parts. I am totally hooked. Here is a size comparison of a micro lathe to my manual midi sized lathe. I also love CNC but it is not for everyone. I do not own a CNC lathe.
What really stokes me at the moment are the smaller machines like the Taig Tool products that I sell in my e-store. There is so much that can be done with this size of machine and so many people who really like to use them. It is a great product. The really interesting part is that many owners customize their Taig machines to make them unique. Why not? They use their machines to make parts and accessories for their machines. It is a part of the culture.
The Taig Micro lathe is very popular for custom modifications. It is one of those machines that have no intrinsic value to keep stock like an antique car. Accessories make it more valuable when done correctly.
I wouldn’t actually do it right now, but I can imagine myself choosing the Taig micro lathe and mill as my initial manual tools and modifying them to my needs the way JR Bently AKA “The Engine Man” has done. Yeah, he has moved past Taig brand but he and many others have shown what can be done with small machines tools. His modifications of the tools are inspiring. You see where he started. I’ll never stand next… Continue reading