Routing Aluminum - DIY T-Slot Track

[ByronBlack]

(I think I used M8).

Is that the 'cool' size of threads?

 

[Benchwayze]

At risk of starting a 'war'..

An overhead router with the right bit is not much different to a milling machine.

HTH
John

They are totally different ...A router is hand fed a milling machine is either fed with a hand or powered rack or ballscrew.

Hand feeding a T slot in ali is Highly dangerous, I would not attempt it with my CNC. By the time you bought the ali and the cutter it would be cheaper to buy the mini-Kreg from Axminster.

I was comparing the principles of how each machine functions. Not how they are fed. And I wasn't envisaging making a 'T' slot with an end-mill.

Having been put in my place, I will now shut up.
:lol:

John

 

[Finial]

Better make sure the conductive aluminium chips don't get inside the router through ventilation slots, specially if using it upside down in a table.

 

[OPJ]

(I think I used M8).

Is that the 'cool' size of threads?

In case you haven't figured it out, that should have read M8 (damn brackets!). :wink:

 

[CNC Paul]

Does not say what material though,Paul

I suspect plastic at their price?

George,

It is ali, I have some on a few jigs, I use Steve Maskery's nuts with it.

 

[CNC Paul]

At risk of starting a 'war'..

An overhead router with the right bit is not much different to a milling machine.

HTH
John

They are totally different ...A router is hand fed a milling machine is either fed with a hand or powered rack or ballscrew.

Hand feeding a T slot in ali is Highly dangerous, I would not attempt it with my CNC. By the time you bought the ali and the cutter it would be cheaper to buy the mini-Kreg from Axminster.

I was comparing the principles of how each machine functions. Not how they are fed. And I wasn't envisaging making a 'T' slot with an end-mill.

Having been put in my place, I will now shut up.
:lol:

John

John,

My intention was not to put anyone in their place, I just wanted to highlight the danger of hand fed maching of ali.

 

[ByronBlack]

, I use Steve Maskery's nuts with it.

I know Steve is a friendly guy, but that is really going the extra mile ;-)

 

[RussianRouter]

I just wanted to highlight the danger of hand fed maching of ali.

Yeah,you can't trust those foreigners.

 

[ondablade]

There are in my experience two very major differences between a router and a decent machine tool - precision, and the strength/stiffness/ability to resist cutting forces.

I wouldn't mind having €100 for every time a piece of aluminium that i didn't fixture strongly/firmly enough on a Bridgeport milling machine moved because of cutting forces and was ruined.

It may be just about possible to rout aluminium using normal set ups, but i can't help thinking it'd necesarily involve only the lightest of skimming and even then that getting a straight set up that wouldn't deflect too much would present some real problems.

Here comes the old sliding table saw again. It's possible with care to very effectively cut aluminium sheet on one, especially using a metal cutting blade. It'd even probably be possible to more or less screw a router to the saw table, or to a magnetic drill stand. But bear in mind that a T track requires a T section cutter which swings a decent diameter.

Not to be rude. There might be reason to do it this way e.g. you need some very odd dimension, but why do it when you can buy the stuff so cheaply? Even if you wanted odd dimensions it'd probably make sense to start with some extruded section and go from there.

The other issue to watch out for is that the stuff is normally anodised, and for good reason - untreated alloy will wear like mad. It'd probably cost you more to drive to the anodisers than to buy a strip.

It might be worth thinking of something like cast acrylic (perspex) or maybe better still polycarbonate sheet if the aim to make something like a home made guide rail - it's easy enough to glue the stuff together.

UHMW is used for friction pads/guide rails quite a lot in assembly machines too, it might even be possible to buy the section you wanted although it wouldn't be all that rigid....

 

[CNC Paul]

, I use Steve Maskery's nuts with it.

I know Steve is a friendly guy, but that is really going the extra mile ;-)

Steve's nuts....... here

http://www.workshopessentials.com/index.php

 

[knappers]

Speaking as someone who works for a milling machine tool manufacturer (that may have been mentioned earlier in this thread..) I wouldn't even attempt to do what you are suggesting - unlikely to work at best, very dangerous at worst. For the cost of buying the cutters etc. you would be better off paying a few quid to a small subby machine shop to do it.

Si.

 

[Benchwayze]

At risk of starting a 'war'..

An overhead router with the right bit is not much different to a milling machine.

HTH
John

They are totally different ...A router is hand fed a milling machine is either fed with a hand or powered rack or ballscrew.

Hand feeding a T slot in ali is Highly dangerous, I would not attempt it with my CNC. By the time you bought the ali and the cutter it would be cheaper to buy the mini-Kreg from Axminster.

I was comparing the principles of how each machine functions. Not how they are fed. And I wasn't envisaging making a 'T' slot with an end-mill.

Having been put in my place, I will now shut up.
:lol:

John

John,

My intention was not to put anyone in their place, I just wanted to highlight the danger of hand fed maching of ali.

Hi Paul,

No problems Paul.

However, I don't think I suggested using the router free-hand on aluminium. I was trying to point out that a fixed overhed router, in principle, worked in the same way as an overhead miller. (I.e it spins a cutter working on material below.)

A router can be used to cut aluminium. Speed, rate of feed of the work and depth of cut are all-inportant though, and certainly I wouldn't want to cut a 'T' slot in one cut!

John

 

[white_sw]

wow, wasn't expecting so many replies. thanks guys. oh, i'll not be trying to make my own after all. :roll:
just they way i am, if i can make it myself, why buy it. in this case looks like axminster will be getting yet another order from me.

cheers,
sam

 

[studders]

If your table thickness allows you could always rout the slot directly into it, you already have the cutter.

 

[RussianRouter]

wow, wasn't expecting so many replies. thanks guys. oh, i'll not be trying to make my own after all. :roll:
just they way i am, if i can make it myself, why buy it. in this case looks like axminster will be getting yet another order from me.

cheers,
sam

Miine came this morning and the rail is machined well but the countersunk securing holes need a bit more depth to recess the screwheads,it is Aluminium.

I'll not be having the convential rail going along the length of the table,instead I'll be having two rails going up the width of the table reaon for this I won't be using feather boards(too dea for what they are)as I have a clamping system that will be better to guide the wood though the cutter with the use of small spring and ball bearing rail guard.

 

[newt]

Paraffin is a good lubricant for machining aluminum

 

[white_sw]

Ah, just what I was looking for and cheapest I have seen so far unless anyone can show me some cheaper. Only down side is I have to buy if from Rutlands :twisted:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... i?promo=22

16 feet is a lot of track though. Anyone in the Bristol area need any track ? I'd buy a pack of both 1/2 and 3/4 (16 feet of each) but would not need all of it. Anyone want to split it 50/50 ?

Cheers,
Sam

 

[wobblycogs]

I'd probably be interested in taking half of each pack off your hands Sam. I'm just up the road in Gloucester so meeting up shouldn't be a problem.

Will need to quickly measure up first and make sure it will fit the table I'm planning on making for the router. Should be able to give you a definite answer tonight if that's ok.

 

[Teejay]

Ah, just what I was looking for and cheapest I have seen so far unless anyone can show me some cheaper. Only down side is I have to buy if from Rutlands :twisted:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... i?promo=22

16 feet is a lot of track though. Anyone in the Bristol area need any track ? I'd buy a pack of both 1/2 and 3/4 (16 feet of each) but would not need all of it. Anyone want to split it 50/50 ?

Cheers,
Sam

I can't see 16 feet of t slot track on Rutlands any more, I need a couple of pieces which are about a metre long.

I also don't know what gauge size to get (1/2 or 3/4), which is more useful for a table saw?

 

[Eric The Viking]

I can't see 16 feet of t slot track on Rutlands any more, I need a couple of pieces which are about a metre long.

I also don't know what gauge size to get (1/2 or 3/4), which is more useful for a table saw?

The first might be because retailers do tend to change their product offerings over a five year time interval.

The second, slightly more serious, answer (from me) would be that very few people have ever made a "homebrew" table saw bench that's safe, reliable and accurate. If you do have the skills to do that, you probably don't need to buy aluminium extrusion T-track!

Bigger table saws use 3/4" slots; smaller saws tend to be non-standard (not 1/2"). I can't think of a reason, nor an easy way, to add a T-track to a saw table that doesn't already have one.

Anyway, you'd be better off with a sled: Do some Googling or use the search function on the forum for "table saw sled". It's an easy-to-make option that will give most of the function of a T-slot for accurate square cuts and mitres. Apart from holding down a guard, I can't think of other uses for a slot on a table saw (than a mitre fence).

E.