Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 I did price buying some 40mm thick aluminium plate 400mm x 400mm but £300 was a tad too steep for me Regards Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 Unless you make a huge hole-saw / fly-cutter then you can have a lightweight aluminium flywheel. I know it's a fair wad of cash but if you pilot drilled it and then cut out the centre with a jigsaw and the same with the corners at least you haven't "wasted" it and I'm sure a man of your talents would find a use for the offcuts. The Milwaukee jigsaw blades I've found to be bloody good at cutting aluminium although not tried on that thickness but perhaps flooding with some coolant would help clear the chips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 6 minutes ago, Ed Poore said: Unless you make a huge hole-saw / fly-cutter then you can have a lightweight aluminium flywheel. I know it's a fair wad of cash but if you pilot drilled it and then cut out the centre with a jigsaw and the same with the corners at least you haven't "wasted" it and I'm sure a man of your talents would find a use for the offcuts. The Milwaukee jigsaw blades I've found to be bloody good at cutting aluminium although not tried on that thickness but perhaps flooding with some coolant would help clear the chips. Bit of WD or isopropanol on the cut stops the ali sticking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 A couple of thoughts Is there any mileage in converting an existing adaptor ring from a different engine to the LR g/box? I have one for a 4203 to S3/Defender box and another of unknown engine side kicking around here.. On the casting side , you will need a lot of heat to melt the volume needed and pre-heat the mould. Volume of cast could be estimated using sand to fill the cavities to be cast and a kitchen measuring jug Cutting the source aluminium into small pieces will speed up the melt too Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 18 minutes ago, Ed Poore said: Unless you make a huge hole-saw / fly-cutter then you can have a lightweight aluminium flywheel. I know it's a fair wad of cash but if you pilot drilled it and then cut out the centre with a jigsaw and the same with the corners at least you haven't "wasted" it and I'm sure a man of your talents would find a use for the offcuts. The Milwaukee jigsaw blades I've found to be bloody good at cutting aluminium although not tried on that thickness but perhaps flooding with some coolant would help clear the chips. On a separate note do you have a Milwaukee cordless jigsaw, if so what's it like Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 8 minutes ago, steve b said: A couple of thoughts Is there any mileage in converting an existing adaptor ring from a different engine to the LR g/box? I have one for a 4203 to S3/Defender box and another of unknown engine side kicking around here.. On the casting side , you will need a lot of heat to melt the volume needed and pre-heat the mould. Volume of cast could be estimated using sand to fill the cavities to be cast and a kitchen measuring jug Cutting the source aluminium into small pieces will speed up the melt too Steve You've read my mind, was already thinking of filling mold to give me an idea of volume required, also I'm digging out my bandsaw to make smaller bits. The heat side of life is less of an issue, I can leave the mold next to the kiln shell ( external shell temp is 400° C in places )to heat up, after a couple of hours I will need leather gauntlets to handle it Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, landroversforever said: Bit of WD or isopropanol on the cut stops the ali sticking. A smear of grease on the underside of the cut works much better when using a jigsaw, as it gets pulled up into the cut. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, miketomcat said: A smear of grease on the underside of the cut works much better when using a jigsaw, as it gets pulled up into the cut. Mike I've found that just makes it all stick together rather than the others being enough lube to stop it sticking to the blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 Not that I've tried it but candle way makes a hell of a difference when cutting aluminium with a slitting disc, I have also found that normal cut lube also helps when cutting aluminium plate, it's what I used when cutting plate for 1uz adaptor Regards Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 I give the slitting disc a squirt with WD40 before cutting Ali, possibly advisable, but never had one explode. Makes the cutting much smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, Stellaghost said: On a separate note do you have a Milwaukee cordless jigsaw, if so what's it like Regards Stephen You're not going to like this answer (because it means more money spending) but yes I do and it's great. Got the M18 Fuel top-handle version, so nice not having a power lead dragging behind you. My only very minor criticism is that the notch / locking system to keep it vertical (you can twist it over up to 45° to do chamfered cuts) could be a bit more precisely made. It's got a lever that unlocks it and then you can either clamp it at any angle or it's got regular notches for positive stops but there's a wee bit of slop in them so you can get it not cutting perfectly at 90° sometimes. It's just a case of slackening it off and whacking it back hard against the stop and clamping back down. Having said that as a rule if I need a precise cut I'd usually try and use a more appropriate tool, I am being really finicky over it. Worth keeping a supply of blades in stock though - I always keep using the same one and then eventually decide to swap one over and think I should have done that a long time ago. It's also pretty damn good at cutting thinner sheet steel with an appropriate blade and so much cleaner than using a grinder. You can adjust the rake of the blade (forwards / backwards slope) which helps a lot on clearing chips out of the way, you won't get a perfect 90° finish at the end if you finish on that but for the bigger sections it's worth kicking the bottom of the blade out so that it makes it easier to throw the chips out. You can always twist it back to vertical to finish the cut. It has also survived a 4m+ fall onto a 40mm thick slate slab. Was using it for some demolition in the old stable block and stood on the floorboard it was on - which was loose so the jigsaw got ejected upwards about a metre before falling down through the hole in the floor onto the slate floor below. Thought - that's it, nope just broke the blade and it's been fine ever since. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 Mold completed, need to look at a crucible now... Some flat plate Some clamping bits Plate cleaned up, drilled tapped and formers cut in half Sorted, slight gaps will be filled with ceramic wool prior to having ago at casting Regards Stephen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 21 minutes ago, Ed Poore said: It has also survived a 4m+ fall onto a 40mm thick slate slab. Was using it for some demolition in the old stable block and stood on the floorboard it was on - which was loose so the jigsaw got ejected upwards about a metre before falling down through the hole in the floor onto the slate floor below. Thought - that's it, nope just broke the blade and it's been fine ever since. See what I mean.... "Rough A#se" !!!!!!..........lol Regards Stephen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 I used WD40 a lot when milling ali but it does make all the swarf stick to everything - IPA is nicer as it evaporates quickly and leaves no trace but I worry about the risk of it catching fire / going "FOOF" with the electrics etc. Also, single flute cutters for ali are a great thing - Cutwel do some reasonably priced ones (and a lot of extremely expensive ones too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said: I used WD40 a lot when milling ali but it does make all the swarf stick to everything - IPA is nicer as it evaporates quickly and leaves no trace but I worry about the risk of it catching fire / going "FOOF" with the electrics etc. Also, single flute cutters for ali are a great thing - Cutwel do some reasonably priced ones (and a lot of extremely expensive ones too). Single flute work nicely on plastic too. I've got loads in the box that started as twin or more flute cutters that I've 'modified' to make them single flute/point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 My cauldron and witches brew of materials, a lock of @Ed Poore's hair and I will be ready to go regards Stephen 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wytze Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 12 minutes ago, Stellaghost said: My cauldron and witches brew of materials, a lock of @Ed Poore's hair and I will be ready to go regards Stephen From his head or out of his ear/nose?? 😁😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 19 hours ago, ped said: what capacity has your mill width Bed width on my Bridgeport is 9" and from mill body to outside edge of bed is 15" on my universal mill bed width is 8" but only 10" compared to the above, so quite a bit more scope Regards Stephen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous doug Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 2 hours ago, landroversforever said: how do you gif on here?! I feel my ability to convey my true feelings lacking without being able to gif! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 32 minutes ago, dangerous doug said: how do you gif on here?! I feel my ability to convey my true feelings lacking without being able to gif! Google and copy/paste is my usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous doug Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 1 hour ago, landroversforever said: Google and copy/paste is my usual. Lies 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 2 hours ago, dangerous doug said: how do you gif on here?! I feel my ability to convey my true feelings lacking without being able to gif! Don't think a picture of an A###hole is appropriate on this forum..........lol Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous doug Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 3 minutes ago, Stellaghost said: Don't think a picture of an A###hole is appropriate on this forum..........lol Regards Stephen Can’t work out if that’s a swipe at me or not…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 Just now, dangerous doug said: Can’t work out if that’s a swipe at me or not…. Never at you At me for faffing around and screwing up my adaptor Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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