Bandsaw Table Insert

[Woodlee]

I had a bit of trouble with the blade on my woodie bandsaw .It wandered a bit when I was re-sawing a log the other week and destroyed the plastic one that came with the machine.
I decided to machine one up from some 6 series aluminium alloy that I have .
Last week end I turned the diameter and parted it off ,faced to the correct thickness and marked out the holes and drilled them.

This weekend I set the plate up in a three jaw mounted on my milling slide to mill the slot for the blade .
Then I realised I didnt have a 6mm end mill or slot drill .
I dont throw much away and dug through an old cake tin I have full of broken drills and found a 6 mm drill that had been broken off.
I ground it up on the bench grinder to resemble an end mill ,placed it in a 1/4 collet and centered the fashioned cutter on the job .

I put the lathe in high gear and started to cut the slot , drill seemed to work ok as long as I feed the cross slide slowly and took light cuts.
After an hour I had a full depth slot .

next I had to make the under side edges at 45 deg so when the table is tilted the blade dosen't foul on the under side corners of the slot.
I planned to file these chamfers by hand ,but while I machining the slot I had a brain fart ,,maybe I could use a router bit .
Once the slot was finished I ferreted about looking for an elcheapo set of router cutters that I bought at the big green.I found a 1/4 " shank 90deg cutter , removed the now new end mil from the collet and fitted the router bit.

Leaving the settings I stepped up the speed on the lather and started to mill the chamfer , the cutter machined the alloy like butter ,and in a few minutes I had the job finished.

Pics below of the milling of the slot with the modified drill.
and the finished insert.

Kev.

[wheelinround]

Kev excellent WIP TY some give it a go engineering there with top results

can I ask what speed router was used at.

[Waldo]

Beaut job Woodlee , much better than the plastic insert that come with bandsaws. Mine gives me the ships, it sits below the table and so stock occasionally catches as it passes over the insert.

[Big Shed]

Beaut job Woodlee , much better than the plastic insert that come with bandsaws. Mine gives me the ships, it sits below the table and so stock occasionally catches as it passes over the insert.

WHS Mine is about as useful as t*ts on a bull. Like Waldo said, every time something catches on it because it dips below the table.

Getting my new metal lathe on Wednesday, so will have to learn how to make one like yours. Probably be a while ad I will have to get a milling attachment, good excuse anyway.

Thanks Woodlee, greenie sent.

[Penpal]

Using a glass inverted marked the circle, cut the circle, using another bandsaw cut the slot and the circle in perspex, disk sanded circle. , all done in 10 mins works great. I did not bother with the holes in the plate,have fitted a fish tank pump to clear the swarf from the cutting line. This for the largest Carbatec saw.
My solution. Peter

[Woodlee]

Kev excellent WIP TY some give it a go engineering there with top results

can I ask what speed router was used at.

Ray ,
I just used a router cutter in the lathe collet chuck .
It would have been running at about 1200rpm ,so a slow feed was used .

Kev.

[BobL]

Kev,

I would have screwed the circular Ally blank onto a piece of MDF and cut the slot with a TC tipped table saw and a little wax on a TS (it will easily cut 6000 series ally) two cuts would have cut the 45º either side - OK you would have had to file the hole round at the end but no big deal. In fact I might have a go at this meself.

Cheers

[wheelinround]

Ray ,
I just used a router cutter in the lathe collet chuck .
It would have been running at about 1200rpm ,so a slow feed was used .

Kev.

Thanks Kev

Kev,

I would have screwed the circular Ally blank onto a piece of MDF and cut the slot with a TC tipped table saw and a little wax on a TS (it will easily cut 6000 series ally) two cuts would have cut the 45º either side - OK you would have had to file the hole round at the end but no big deal. In fact I might have a go at this meself.

Cheers

I see another great WIP coming.

[BobL]

I see another great WIP coming.

I just gotta make sure I dodge the CT teeth as they come off the TS blade - remember this little adventure ! Actually now I have a dedicated triple chip negatively raked sawblade which cuts through 1" thick ally plate like butter. Leaves a pretty reasonable finish too.

[Woodlee]

Kev,

I would have screwed the circular Ally blank onto a piece of MDF and cut the slot with a TC tipped table saw and a little wax on a TS (it will easily cut 6000 series ally) two cuts would have cut the 45º either side - OK you would have had to file the hole round at the end but no big deal. In fact I might have a go at this meself.

Cheers

Bob I don't have a table saw just yet ,but I have the lathe and wanted to practice some milling work with the sliding table ,and my new home made Myford threaded chuck mount I made that bolts onto the slide table .
New practices for me as I've always had access to a milling machine ,but now I don't so my lathe has to double up at the moment.
The end of the slot was supposed to be square but I run the modified drill right to the line ,when I chamfered it it looked too sexy to file square.
Now I know I can make end mills from broken drills .

I jut realized I have a set of 3 solid carbide up cut router bits I could have used the 1/4" one.

BTW I just bought three machines , I will post further on these when I've got them home.
Unfortunately one is not a milling machine.

Kev

[BobL]

BTW I just bought three machines , I will post further on these when I've got them home.

Excellent!

Unfortunately one is not a milling machine.

Too bad!