You could consider drilling out the bulk of the material. Either a series of holes across the width of the slot, or one or two holes in the side down the length of it.?
On Tue, Feb 28, 2023, 3:53 PM Rogan Creswick <
creswick@...> wrote:
I need to cut a 0.190" wide slot, 0.300" deep in a ~1.75" wide chunk of steel, and it's a part for my milling machine, so I can't do it on the mill.
I don't think the tolerances?are particularly tight, but I'd like it to be as close as I can reasonably get it to the part I'm replacing.
Anyway, this is the setup I'm thinking of using -- setting the height relative to the spindle?with either adjustable parallels, gauge blocks, machinist screws, or some other form of shims / spacers.
I'm interested in hearing other suggestions -- I may just use some HSS toolbits as guides and do it with a file (likely pre-cutting some kerfs with a bandsaw).? My test cuts last night were pretty slow (0.015" DOC, top speed on the lathe, and feeding by hand at about 0.5" per minute), I don't think I can run the spindle fast enough for the 3/16" endmill I'd need to use, but maybe I can rough it out with files / saws and do the finish cuts this way.
Maybe I should be doing a series of plunge cuts, though? How much longitudinal force can I put on an endmill in a 4-jaw?
Here's a link to a video that may better show the setup:?
Thanks!
--Rogan
