Truing up a block in the mill

[pmerritt]

Hi all,

I am trying to find Bogstandard's post on truing up a block of material in the mill. Can any of you steer me in the right direction? I have tried searching for it but came up empty.

Thanks,

Peter

 

[miker]

Hi Peter, I think this will show you what you need to do. http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/143-machine-shop-6

I remember the thread you are looking for but can not find it quickly.

Rgds

 

[Deanofid]

Whoa!

This video might tell how to square up a block. I already know how to do that, but I had never seen a video from MIT, so I thought, "These guys are supposed to be smart... I'll watch it anyway".

I didn't get through the video except for a few minutes at the beginning. The person doing this is not someone I would want teaching my friends, children, acquaintances, members of this forum, or even someone I don't like.

In the first few minutes the instructor puts his hand into the frame next to the spinning flycutter!
Yikes!

If you watch this vid, realize this person is not showing proper machining practices when it comes to safety. I could hardly watch. This is a blood bath waiting to happen.

Sorry for the rant, but, egads! Keep your tender bits completely away from spinning cutters. Don't do it like the guy in the video, what ever you do!

Dean

 

[Blogwitch]

I would totally agree with you there Dean.

The other thing I noticed was the way he was handling that file. He was doing more damage with it to the finished surfaces and edges than ever should have been done. Why was he filing upwards and raising more burrs onto the finished face, and why oh why was he filing a face he had just machined flat?

In my books, a total prat.

Blogs

 

[Deanofid]

I didn't even get that far, John. I quit watching the second he stuck his hand in with the flycutter. It really made me squirm!

It's distressing that this comes from MIT. It's a university, and for our off shore friends, it stands for Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ironically, their motto is "Mind and Hand". That guy needs to start minding his hand alright!!

Peter, I looked for the post by John (Bogstandard) that you were trying to find, but couldn't come up with it. I just found this video that may help with what you want:

http://littlemachineshop.com/video/sizingmaterail.wmv

Dean

 

[websterz]

Very nice animation and an excellent job explaining the process. Thanks Dean!

Todd

 

[user 284]

Deanofid,
While I agree with you compleatly about the MIT vidieos, Just because I don't agree with some of the procedures doesn't make me stop watching them. With MITs percieved reputation, Then one would think that any vidieo produced by them would be beyond criticism. My dad was fond of telling me that sometimes an incompetent person could teach you far more than a competent one could. You'll learn how NOT to do a job far faster and without a bunch of trial and error on your part. There are quite a few items on those vidieos that I'd disagree with that are not only safety related but in certain instances how the equipment is used and treated. But I have learned a lot from them. That still does not excuse MIT from produceing what are in reality training vidieos with easily identified safety infractions.

Pete

 

[Deanofid]

I would not tell any new machinist to watch that MIT video, Pete, no matter what I thought he might learn from it. The thought that an inexperienced person may watch it and think it's okay to put your hands that close to razor sharp spinning cutting edges makes the video an inexcusable blunder. It needs to be taken down and done right. Someone watching that thing that doesn't know any better will still not know any better.

Dean

 

[user 284]

Dean,
Yeah I'd have to agree with you. Doubtful that MIT would be willing to redo them, But they could at least put up a safety warning video that had to be watched before the rest of them could viewed. When I was first learning this stuff I managed to get away with some pretty stupid habits without any real harm coming to myself. Now, I don't take chances. For anyone that wants some real good tips on milling, They should go over to Glacern Machine Tools web site. That's the best example I can think of on how this type of video should be done. I've still learned a lot from the MIT vid's and would not want them removed. It doesn't really matter how well this information is presented tho, You can't preplan for stupidity. I've had safety hammered into me my whole working career and I still think that a good built in sense of self preservation does far more than any talk or vidieo.

Pete

 

[sportandmiah]

Relax guys. If a beginner finds the link to the MIT vids, they have researched, read forums, and done their homework. Lathes and Mills are such niche tools that one has to research to even know where to buy one.

As a beginner myself, I've watched the MIT vids many many times, and learned a wealth of information FOR FREE, all while not sticking my hands where they shouldn't be. Common sense plays a huge role in machining, and machinists have more than the average bear.

 

[Deanofid]

Sportandmiah;
We're pretty relaxed here. If there are things for a machinist to get worked up about, though, this video would be one of them. Common sense can't be assumed. That's one of the reasons for the amount of on going litigation.

Since you're a beginner, and I suppose having to learn on your own, the least the purported experts could do (and certainly what they should do), is show how an expert is supposed to behave when teaching someone else.

Take care,

Dean

 

[Twmaster]

The point of those videos on the MIT site is to familiarize new students on the basics of how to use those machines. Dean's point cannot be made more emphatically. The kids watching that likely have never even seen a mill yet alone attempted to make chips.

I like having my digits intact. Safety is not an afterthought. It's supposed to be front and center. All the time.

Just my 2 pennies deposit.

 

[Maryak]

OK, RELAX...............

BUT................

When I was a young apprentice our first miiling experience was on a horizontal mill using a shell mill to take a facing cut over a hefty hunk of cast iron. One of our members was, (believe it or not), casually wiping the chips away with his finger it time to the rotation of the cutter.

UNTIL...................

Somebody spoke to him!!! - Lost his timing and then lost the top off his finger. :'(

As he was rushed to sick bay his unsympathetic mates hunted around and found the top of his finger. This was placed in a matchbox and cotton wool, for a presentation ceremony when he returned from sick bay.

This occurred on a Friday and lunch was always fish and chips in deference to those who don't eat meat on Friday.

The said unfortunate arrived at the dining hall with his hand covered in a very large bandage and a sling to keep it elevated.

Some kind soul went back into the scran line and procured his fish and chips.

As he was about to eat his meal, one somewhat sadistic senior apprentice, took said matchbox and deposited the top of the finger in amongst his chips with the comment, "Eat up son and nothing will be missing." th_wtf1

SO.....................

LISTEN TO DEAN.

Best Regards
Bob

PS: Microsurgery, What's that? hadn't be invented yet.

 

[winklmj]

I'm still a novice. Before I got my lathe and mill I watched and read EVERYTHING I could find online about machining. The MIT vids were/are a godsend along with Virtual Machine Shop and YouTube. I watched to learn about the machines and tools and setups, etc. They convinced me even more I wanted to try it. I wasn't watching to find out where to put my fingers and hands or not (that's basic power-tool common-sense) and until ya'll mentioned it here never would've noticed. I love the vids.

 

[Troutsqueezer]

The first time his finger appeared, the cutter was off the block to the side a bit. The second time his finger gets into the video, the cutter is still half way over the block, still cutting and yet he touches the block. I can see it if there is some distance of maybe 5 or 6 inches and you are pointing things out, but he is getting within an inch here. tsk tsk....

He dresses pretty well for a machinist too...

-T

 

[user 284]

Let me say this, If you watch any of the ******* movies and you want to try anything they do and get hurt, Then would you blame the guys in the movie? I've seen guys juggling running chain saws, It's impressive to watch but I'm not about to try it. ALL of life is risk assesment. MIT can and should do better. But the videos are still well worth watching.

Pete

 

[Metal Butcher]

I won't get into the safety issues, that's already been covered nicely.

The haphazard filing technique has me bugged to the point of wanting to grab it away from his hands!

I'm sure MIT could afford to buy him one of these! Of course if he didn't know what it is, or how to use it, it would be a waste of money! They also need to buy him a bigger hammer or a better vise. :big:

http://www.shaviv.com/

Rick

 

[vlmarshall]

Aaaaah! I see what you all are talking about. Man, that's scary. The worst part, I found these videos about 6 months ago, watched part of the first one, and recommended them to a beginner machinist...

I hope he doesn't hurt himself... he'll blame ME for suggesting the videos, and claim I owe him ANOTHER beer. :

 

[Blogwitch]

Rick,

I think everyone who regularly visits my shop has been given a new one of the type of deburring tool that I use, plus a packet of spare blades.

I don't use a tool that is designed for the job, but one which I think does the job much better than a purpose designed one.

They usually get either the P800 (large) or the preferred P450 (small), down a bit on this page. It just depends what I have in stock at the time.

http://www.olfa.co.jp/en/body/kind/8_p2.html

They can be bought very cheaply if you do a good search for them, maybe 4 or 5 bucks apiece. The last P450 ones I bought in the UK were about £2-50p each.

I tend to teach the scraping method for deburring, as I have always found that gives a much better finish and doesn't deform the edges like other methods do. The carbide blades that come with these cutters, as long as you are careful with them, should last for years.

Blogs

 

[websterz]

Interesting tool Bogs...never seen one like that before. I have always used the Vargus roto-burr type deburring tool. They work great until the blade snaps and the ragged broken edge slices RIPS your hand open.