On my HDM I tried the Bush Machine Tools 1", facemill with a 1/2" shank. 0.010" DOC (0.002" of that being a finishing pass), 50 IPM, 0.875" stepover. Came out pretty.
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V carved pink flamingos in cedar with cork bottoms. I tried using the stingray on the cork, but in the end a down cut 1/8" bit was what it took. I used stencil material on the top so I could spray the pink and then peel the plastic to leave only the flamingo in pink.
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I haven’t been able to cut anything on my Shapeoko today… because I just got it assembled!
Pretty excited to get started!
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It’s not assembled until you affix the nameplate.
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Looks like you’re in your kitchen. Will it cut sandwiches? Anyone tried that?
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Potato Chips?
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All 3 inserts installed? Or just one?
All 3. It seemed to like it better as I went faster.
Just brilliant.
But what next?
What are you using to make your casting molds?
So, finished and installed my 4 piece fixture plate.
What would I have done differently? A lot, but then most of my projects are learning experiences.
First and foremost, a single piece of ATP5 instead of 4. The 4 evolved from the fact that I had one on hand and figured it’d be cake to just do three more and fit ‘em up. Not. At least for this aspiring machinist.
Also, thicker, at least 5/8” maybe 7/8”, add some mass to the machine.
Next, countersink the anchor bolts deeper.
Finally, chamfer after facing. You will note I surfaced all my chamfers away. It turns out ATP5 may be reasonably flat but thickness can vary by several thousandths from plate to plate.
Next - see how flat we are.
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Not sure if this is a question for me Johnny? but I haven’t seen any other metal casters post here.
Up until the end of last year my preferred moulding sand had been Petrobond. As it was unavailable when I went to re-order I switched to Bentomix, still an oil bonded sand but much finer, it gives far superior results, much more detail and an almost polished surface.
This also depends on what “stock” you use for your melt. Mine is 100% alloy wheels which are cut up to fit in the crucible. Some people use beer/soda cans which give a hopeless finish, and create lots of dross. I tried them. Once!
Welcome to the forum. Lots of useful info. here.
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Thanks for the reply Graham. I plan on casting .999 silver pieces. Any advice for working with silver?
Thanks again.
Behind the spotty dog above you will see two cufflinks cast from silver. The molds were routed from jewellers wax, cast and polished. I need to check what casting material wax used
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I wish I could help Johnny but my casting is limited to Aluminium, Bronze, Brass & Copper.
Copper is a real pain to get right as the molten metal absorbs oxygen, which it gives off as it solidifies, if you don’t get it right you end up with the casting having a “cauliflower head”.
Having said this; I am more than happy to try casting Gold, should anyone wish to donate some…
That looks very nice Griff, congratulations! How flat is it? Will you shim it if necessary?
Surprisingly, in the areas I’ve tested so far - in X over a 500mm span, varies from 0 to +1.5 thou. In Y over a 250mm span, varies from 0 to +2.5 thou.
Some sweet spots maybe 200mm square at half a thou. And, no hiccups passing over a joint line between plates.
I’m pretty pleased. Will be mapping as much of the plate as I can given the constraints imposed by the gage arm.
@CNCInspiration EDIT: I skimmed a few more thou off in 1 thou bites at a slower speed. Now within a consistent thou front to back and 1.5 thou right to left.
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The casting medium used is Delft Clay
