machining 6061 aluminum

[txcowdog]

Hey Steve,

Thanks for the referral to Discount Machine Shop.

[Geof]

It is close to impossible to consistently get a good finish on aluminum without some coolant or lubricant. One cheap and easily obtainable lubricant you can use is automatic transmission fluid; just brush it on down the path you will cut, even a small amount will prevent the chip welding to the tool.

[scubasteve_911]

Originally Posted by txcowdog Hey Steve, Thanks for the referral to Discount Machine Shop.

No Problems! When you're a poor engineering student like myself, you just have a nack for smelling out the best values

Steve

P.S.- Discount Machine Shop is actually a company called Shars at www.shars.com , but they offer pretty much everything that is listed online at Shars at a discounted price on Ebay. To place an order, I give ebay links in an ebay with quantities. If there is something in the catalog that isn't on ebay, I can order it this way from them via a part number. I have been very happy with their stuff and won't go anywhere else. I ordered a 31$ screwless vice and I was astounded by its quality.. Maybe because I am new to machining, but I couldn't believe that I cannot see the seam where the vice closes, even under very good lighting...

[bnocturnal]

Originally Posted by conlimon hey all - i'm a newbie with my Taig 2019 er16 setup from Deepgroove1,

Hello,

I was wondering if this is the setup you purchased: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ksid=p3907.m29

And are you happy with it? I saw one other post on here that was not happy with Deepgroove1, but they seem to have a really good price on the Taig.

Thanks,
Dave

[fredhh47]

Here is a trick I use when I need to lubricate the cutter on my milling machine. It can get a little messy, but works well enough that I haven't invested in a dedicated mist sprayer. Put an acid brush in a can of dark cutting oil and have it sitting near your machine. When the cutter gets into the cut, take the oiled-up brush in one hand and an air hose in the other. Put the bristles of the brush into the air stream while aiming the air stream at the cutter. Voila', a do-it-yourself mist spray. This really works very well when flycutting or face milling, but also is fine for slot milling. If this fails, buy a cheap mist spray unit and some water-soluble coolant and mix it very thin. I use about one to two ounces of WS concentrate to a gallon of SOFT or de-ionized water (like for steam irons). My hard water makes a goopy mess and the crap doesn't dispense well. P.S. when using the dark oil, be warned that it smokes and stinks. Open a window or a door for ventilation.
Fred