Sterling Dump

[Heavy Metal]

Okay guys...been wanting to do this one for awhile. I imagine this has been done before but I haven't seen any myself. This is pretty much my first model project so...hope it turns out. :o Was going to wait until I got my backhoe build thread going but there is soooo much waiting for parts and drafting plans that I was looking for something to tinker with in between. (BTW, the backhoe project is alive and well...tires on way from Germany, booms and cylinders all sized and mocked up in balsa wood and most remaining pre-manufactured parts on way from PMD or Germany).

I don't know all the details but the first Sterlings were pretty much the Aeromax with a new front grill. Even the most recent class 8 models, (prior to the Sterling line being discontinued), continued to look a lot like the Aeromax - just sleeker...in fact, the last model before they shut 'em down was a **** good looking truck (IMO).

Anyway...some back story here...my pop retired from a management job with an oil company in 1999 and set out to "enjoy" his retirement driving a truck. He was a truck driver earlier in life and that's what he really enjoyed most. So he landed a job with a local concrete company hauling stone and they set him up in a Sterling dump with a single drop axle very similar to the white truck pictured below but in blue (Mom is looking for pics for me but no luck so far). Well, in January 2001 he had a massive seizure driving the Sterling through town in a 25mph zone. Lucky for all he was giving a guy a ride to pick up a repaired truck and they got the truck pulled over without anyone getting hurt. Turns out he had brain cancer....and that's the last time he ever drove a big truck. Happy to report Dad is alive today and doing pretty well considering....so this one's for you Pop.

On to the build...so here's the general inspiration...you can see what I mean about the newer models looking pretty cool (yellow and blue)...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/10055114062005SterleingDump03.jpg

:

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/4587_106739075375_643200375_3015317_4074516_n.jpg

:

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/4587_106739085375_643200375_3015318_6593053_n.jpg


Picked up this Aeromax from Vince a couple weeks back. I'm sure some of you saw the truck on Buy & Sell. Vince seems like a pretty good guy. Thanks Vince.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03602.jpg

An hour later...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/AeromaxStrippedDownSmall.jpg

Cab disassembled and sleeper cut off...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03608.jpg

Mocked up with cardboard dump body to get the feel...definitely on the right track here...frame length pretty close as is but I got some frame rails from Freddy and will be starting from scratch to fine tune the length after I finish the design on the dump body.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03611.jpg

Now to make the all important Sterling front grill. First to remove the Ford grill and carve away the vertical sections and Ford emblem. (Before I did this I transferred the shape of the grill by wrapping a piece of paper around the front real tight and shading w/ side of pencil point to pick up the lines).

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03630.jpg

The little Taig CNC in action...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03616.jpg

...and the prototypes after some scroll saw and pan brake trickery.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03628.jpg

Temporarily set in place...not bad.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/SterlingGrillProtoSmall.jpg

I'm in process of reworking the grill (hopefully for the last time). Will have the Sterling S milled in and ends of grill slots will better match the original. Have some miniature stub end mills on order that should be able to do the job on the S logo. Hopefully the Taig is up to the challenge...I've never done anything that small in aluminum.

Might post some more tomorrow with mock up of the lower grill piece. Need the new end mills before I can attempt the STERLING relief carving. Doubt I will have anything on the new front bumper but maybe...still mulling over fabrication methods on that one.

As for rest of truck?
- New frame rails from Freddy
- Truck came w/ PMD 4:1 gear reduction so that will stay
- Wedico telescopic hydraulic pump/cylinder on the way
- Fabricating the dump body

Rest I will work out along the way. Thanks for looking. Comments and suggestions welcome!

Joe

[DieselKid]

That is AWESOME! Can't believe the progress made on this already in just a short span of time!

And your CNC mastery!, very impessive!!! Amazing work on the grill....cool to see how it transformed the whole image of the truck with just that detail alone.

Will be checking back on this one frequently! What kind of box did your Dad's truck have?...an Alfab like the first pic?

-Alex

[rc_farmer]

WoW is all i can say!!!

[Espeefan]

First of all, glad your dad is still with you and your family! Secondly, you are certainly off to a great start. The grill looks really nice, and I can understand having to re-work it a few times to get it perfect, but it's darn close. Nice job. I've always liked the Aeromax. My favorite box stock Tamiya rig. Nice to see it rendered as a dump truck.

[Scalerlover]

Very nice, ill be watching this one for sure.

[fhhhstix]

Looks great Joe keep up the good work and you will be happy with the results in the end.

Travis

[Bigrigger]

WOW! That is a great start, and that grill is amazing!!!:D

[Izzy]

Boy - someones go thte right tools for the job! That grill is awesome........really transformed that cab....... Really nice start to great project.....

[nenard]

Very kool!

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Guess I might be an addict now. I should probably warn you this won't move too fast.

Alex - I'm actually a novice at the CNC stuff but I did CAD work professionally 15 years ago so that was a big help. I'm not sure what box was on Pop's Sterling...curious myself so hoping Mom finds some pics.

Nate - I was tempted to just move on with that grill...but so much nice work on these boards...just gotta give it one more try for the cadillac version!

Izzy - Ya well...I wouldn't have the CNC or half my other tools if I didn't happen across these boards 2 1/2 years ago, (GT forum but same guys). I saw all this cool mini truck and hydraulic equipment and decided right then I wanted to learn how to machine and work metal and see what I could build. Stay tuned I guess. :D

Joe

[tc1cat]

Very nice CNC work! Does the Taig have high enough rpm to handle the small end mills needed for making the Sterling name plate and "S"?

Lynn

[SmallHaul]

Very nice work on the grill! It is going to be a very nice truck.

[Dreamweaver]

Wow Joe, very impressed. The grill looks great. I'm watching this build.

-Mike

[Heavy Metal]

Very nice CNC work! Does the Taig have high enough rpm to handle the small end mills needed for making the Sterling name plate and "S"?

Lynn

Lynn - Uh...how about "I hope so". Could be an expensive experiment. (Broken or dulled end mills, right?) Taig has max spindle speed of 10,500 RPM. I'm no machinist but plan is to do the math and just slow my feed rate down to achieve end mill manufacturer recommended chip size for 6061 alum. 4-flute end mills help as well. Have to admit I haven't paid as much attention as I should to spindle speed, depth and feed rate so far. I kind of combined math from books with trial and error tests a couple years ago and wrote a few notes on garage wall for approx feed rates and cut depths for 1/16" thru 1/4" end mills and just run the mill at 6500 RPM all the time (Taig has 6 speeds via belt change). (Machinist are cringing, I know). Obviously I will be moving the belt to 10,500 for these 0.015" thru .040" end mills.

Machinist in the group: Tips and suggestions on this welcome!! :confused: :D

Joe

[tc1cat]

10,500 rpm should be fine if your feed rate is OK for the .015" end mill. 6500 rpm for the .250" is a little high but again OK if you are using any type of cooling. I noticed that you either have air or coolant lines for the tooling. If you use either, you should be fine.
That is one of my problems. No cooling of any type for my mills. Need to get an air compressor and start running air lines!!

[Espeefan]

Lynn - Uh...how about "I hope so". Could be an expensive experiment. (Broken or dulled end mills, right?) Taig has max spindle speed of 10,500 RPM. I'm no machinist but plan is to do the math and just slow my feed rate down to achieve end mill manufacturer recommended chip size for 6061 alum. 4-flute end mills help as well. Have to admit I haven't paid as much attention as I should to spindle speed, depth and feed rate so far. I kind of combined math from books with trial and error tests a couple years ago and wrote a few notes on garage wall for approx feed rates and cut depths for 1/16" thru 1/4" end mills and just run the mill at 6500 RPM all the time (Taig has 6 speeds via belt change). (Machinist are cringing, I know). Obviously I will be moving the belt to 10,500 for these 0.015" thru .040" end mills.

Machinist in the group: Tips and suggestions on this welcome!! :confused: :D

Joe

Joe, I'm not a pro either, but what you do sounds about what I do. I usually just go by feel (manual milling, no CNC for me) and how the cutter sounds. If it starts squeeling bad, I know I'm either cutting to deep, spinning the RPMs to high, or something is dull! I almost always spray some light oil onto the material I am working with, by hand using a spray bottle, and the end mill. Especially with aluminum. It machines nicer that way. Aluminum can get a little sticky.

Thanks for the kind words guys. Guess I might be an addict now. I should probably warn you this won't move too fast.

Nate - I was tempted to just move on with that grill...but so much nice work on these boards...just gotta give it one more try for the cadillac version!

Joe

Can't blame you one bit! That's how I feel.

[Heavy Metal]

10,500 rpm should be fine if your feed rate is OK for the .015" end mill. 6500 rpm for the .250" is a little high but again OK if you are using any type of cooling. I noticed that you either have air or coolant lines for the tooling. If you use either, you should be fine.
That is one of my problems. No cooling of any type for my mills. Need to get an air compressor and start running air lines!!

Thanks Lynn. VERY helpfull. I do need to figure out what feed rate an .015" and .025" end mill can handle as well as safe max depth. Any experience there? Can I do .02 in one pass?? These are stub end so mill ends only .063" long w/ .125" shafts. I'll be doing some reading but always nice to find someone that already knows the answer!

Yes, I run an air coolant setup. Actually came with the mill - I bought it second hand from a custom cycle shop that had upgraded to a Tormach (drool). Little gizmo makes some pretty cold air! Coolant mist systems look pretty nice and seem affordable. Messy I suppose and would require air compressor anyway.

I know you are right about 6500 RPM being too fast (at least for the .25"). Maybe I left it there because I'm was always working in the 0.125" range. I better do a little homework so I don't dull my end mills running 'em too fast! :o

Joe, I'm not a pro either, but what you do sounds about what I do. I usually just go by feel (manual milling, no CNC for me) and how the cutter sounds...

...I almost always spray some light oil onto the material I am working with, by hand using a spray bottle, and the end mill.

Nate - Glad I'm not the only one! It's amazing how much manual milling helped me understand what works and not. Can't "feel" anything w/ CNC and the math is only good so far anyway. I jumped straight in to CNC having never milled anything manually or otherwise. After a week or two messing around I sat in the garage one night running the Taig by hand (no graduated hand crank but does have big beefy knobs on it) and that did me more good than a weeks worth of reading books and web sites. Any specifics on the oil you are using in the spray bottle? Sounds like a good idea.

Joe

[Izzy]

The "machinery's Handbook" is a fine wealth of knowledge - first book I was told to purchase when starting classes at Purdue - a little pricey but will help for many things....

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Machinerys-Handbook-28th-Edition-Toolbox/Oberg/e/9780831128005/?itm=1&USRI=machineries+handbook

- it's a book that will last a lifetime

[ihbuilder]

joe nice work :) that grill is right on :eek: the well drilling outfit my 1 friend works for just got a couple of those trucks 2 w/a flatwater body(flat bed on top of a water tank ) and 1 w/a drill As for feed don't push it , the slower you move the table the better finish you'll have . I'm doing stuff manually and I go by feel . most times on my lathe I'll hog it down with the power feed then do a finish pass by hand to get a much slower feed speed . I'm starting to learn cnc but it is still a little greek to me yet .

Steve

[Heavy Metal]

Few updates here. Mom and Dad stopped by today - they found some pictures of the Sterling my Pop used to drive. He was pretty excited seeing the old pictures and looking at what I was working on so that was pretty cool. Pretty good looking machine too. Don't think I can do white wheels though...will look way better w/ alum wheels and dual stacks. :D

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/dadssterlinga.jpg

Showin' off the box in action...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/dadssterlingc.jpg

Did some more work on the grill. This is the first prototype of the lower grill and turned out pretty good.nice. If all goes well the final part would not have the big oval cut out...just cut down in relief with raised word STERLING. Then I would paint the relief section black.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03634.jpg

That's probably it until next weekend...busy days ahead. Thanks again for the kind words and all the machining tips. Joe

[RCTech9]

Looking good!!!

[Zimms Customs]

I want a CNC machine, you do awesome work with it. Ever thought about doing some work for other people?

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks RC and HV! I'm having some fun with it.

I want a CNC machine, you do awesome work with it. Ever thought about doing some work for other people?

Zimms - CNC is a nice tool to have...steep learning curve though if you are not in the biz. (I am not). As for doing parts for hire - I have some daydreams about it but not stickin' my neck out too far - don't have a lot of hours on it yet so not sure what my range is. Have had some contacts about it though so you might see somebody on here show up with my parts. We'll see. Want to make sure I save some of my spare time for my own projects. ;)

Joe

[Heavy Metal]

Okay boys and girls....miniature end mills came in mail tonight so of course I had to stay up til 2 a.m. messing around with CAD/CAM files and doing some milling. Gonna be a long day at work tomorrow!

Worked out pretty good except for wierd glitch in a couple spots. Might have to figure that out someday. Should look pretty sweet after she's polished! Ready to try the do-over on the main grill now... :D:D

Taig at work...
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03650.jpg

New lower grill dry fit in place...
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03655.jpg

[JAMMER]

This is some very nice work for just starting out. I know you spend more time setting things up then it actually takes to run them. Keep up the good work. Ed

[Tamiya Cowboy]

That is really going to look good! keep up the great work

[tc1cat]

The grill and name plate look GREAT:eek: Can't wait to see the rest of the truck!!

[Zimms Customs]

I am glad to see someone taking something and making it into something else, instead of just badging it the other brand. Great work!

[spudd]

as i said before totally stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i wish i had your skill and tools LOL

[russisloud]

O' thats kool. i've got to get a mini mill some day

[Dreamweaver]

WOW... That looks great.

-Mike

[RCTech9]

This is amazing!!! If there was a top builds section i think this should go in it. Keep it up!!!

[Rogue]

Now that's impressive. ;) Nicely done.

[Hos1880]

Joe,

sweet build envious of the mill I would probably make myself crosseyed doing it. Can't wait to see more of the project.

Merritt

[Izzy]

I love - you better make a good sized batch ...... Cause I know I want one......

Great work

[RAIDERS]

nice job on the grill...

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks guys. I'm just having way too much fun with this. VERY gratifying to finally be producing parts. Lot of ideas in my head almost within reach now.

For the machinist...found my glitch that had the T, R and N buggered up. VisualMill has a ramp-in and ramp-out feature for pocket milling (guess it saves wear and tear on end mills vs. plunging). Would seem they have a bug in the program because it was ramping in (or out, not sure which) and clipping the edge off some of the letters. I changed to 90 deg ramp angle (basically vertical plunge) and nice clean lines now! Job ran a good bit faster w/ out the ramping too. Pic below.

Izzy - I cranked out a couple of the bottom grill after work. Hand worked stuff was pretty repeatable so looking good for making at least a small batch of these. :D

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03660-1.jpg

[Rogue]

Now that's even more impressive !!! Nice sharp, clean edges on the lettering really makes a difference.

[roadranger]

Outstanding work!

You ought to market these pieces...
fairly easy conversion of the 'ol AeroMax for the average guy.

[fhhhstix]

That is just so cool great job.

Travis

[Bigrigger]

This build just keeps getting better and better!!! :D

[MACK Daddy]

Very Very Nice Joe......that came out awesome


Alfy

[Mustang]

Awesome build and very nice machine work! Now everytime I walk by my Aeromax it tries to hide! :D

[Spliffy]

very nice machine work you got going there, had to pick my chin up off the desk!!

[Heavy Metal]

(Note:I changed my screen name from jbothell to Heavy Metal. Thought it was time for proper screen name. I dropped a note in Welcome section too. Joe).

Okay, you might be tired of hearing about the grill for this truck so good news, I think we got a winner and can move on. This thing gave me a real a$$ kicking last night but somehow I saved it. Broken end mills. Circuit breaker tripped in middle of job (don't ask....it was dumb). When this thing finally emerged from the mill it required serious hand work attention. I really should have taken a picture of it...it was a mess. Anyone that thinks you buy a CNC machine and it just makes parts...man...it can test your patience. There's a defect in the S on the grill...and the whole S relief was actually cut with a broken emd mill (again, don't ask). I think you will agree it was worth it though.

I'll make a batch of these in a few weeks but need to work on some things with the mill files. Thinner grill slats look a lot better but were a problem. Also thinking I was taking too big a bite and burned up and broke a couple end mills. The bottom piece has been easy. Already made a few of those and they are cranking right out.


So here's how we got here...all the prototypes and mistakes...learned a lot about CNC milling along the way....

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03666.jpg

And here's the final top and bottom grill set....got the S emblem and made the slats a lot thinner. Did a styrene piece for below bottom grill that will be painted same as cab body. Filled in background of relief milling w/ Sharpie marker for now.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03683.jpg


Thanks for looking! Joe

[RCTech9]

Looking good jbothell wait oops...Heavy MEEETAL!!!

[sneaky-pete]

Nice work on the grill....WOW!

[SmallHaul]

Wow, nice finished product!:eek:

[Izzy]

Fabulous!

[Dreamweaver]

Joe that grill, specially the Sterling and the S came out great.

-Mike

[MACK Daddy]

Spot On !


Alfy

[Snochaser]

Real nice! I bet you will have a few inquires on those if you haven't already.

[Brian in PA]

WOW!!!!!!!! That is insane detail!

Brian

[Cossett]

Hi Heavy Metal, they are fabulous as they improver the front end alot you might have broken a few bits and and done some stressing but the grills look like they were worth the trouble :D

Cheers Tracy:D

[chaseracer]

those grill pieces are awesome. very nice work. this is going to be a nice build

[RAIDERS]

WOW great work on the grill!!!!

[will916691]

for a .015 endmill you want to try and stay around .0075 depth of cut a good rule is half the dia of you endmill smaller depth of cut will be less stress on the endmill what did you work out with your speed and feeds?

[ddc333]

The finished product looks outstanding

[td9clyde]

awsome work like the sterling

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks all for comments. Looking forward to doing some more work on this but will be another week or two before I have any more to show...business travel coming up right thru weekend. At least I'm headed to Orlando where it's a bit warmer!

for a .015 endmill you want to try and stay around .0075 depth of cut a good rule is half the dia of you endmill smaller depth of cut will be less stress on the endmill what did you work out with your speed and feeds?

Will - Thanks. I did finally find a good source for these calculations and that's pretty much what I learned...no more than 1/2 endmill width for DOC. For the bottom grill plate with STERLING letters I had no problems. I used a .037 2 flute endmill w/ .01 DOC at 3IPM w/ 10,500 RPM spindle. I have since read that I should have been running about 10 IPM to keep from burning up the bit. I was hesitant to run that fast for fear of bit snapping. ?? On S relief pocket for the main grill I was going with the .015 endmill and went for same .01 DOC and the bit snapped almost immediately. Having not learned my lesson I loaded a .025 EM (not what the CAM file called for but figured it would be fine for test) and...same thing. Wha?? I ended resetting the Z axis height and cutting the S relief with the broken .025. LOL. As it turns out I had accidentally ordered standard length mini bits instead of stub. I think stub might have handled the .01 DOC but I'm staying under 1/2 endmill width for DOC from now on!! The correct miniature stub endmills have been ordered so I have high hopes for next set of parts.

Any thoughts on this next issue would be appreciated as well. I also had problems with slightly bigger end mills (more rookie stuff). Cutting the slots for the main grill with a .0625 2 flute EM (still at 10,500) w/ DOC .03 and Feed at 3IPM things looked real nice for about two or three slots then started looking rough...then real rough, then SNAP. I actually did the same thing with a .125 EM the night before cutting profiles out. After digging in to some metal cutting reading I'm pretty sure the issue was that I was actually running too slow on feed rate and overheated the bit causing it to clog w/ melted chips...calculations I have since found say at least 10 to 15 IPM at these spindle RPMs to keep from overheating or dulling. I kept slowing the feed rates down when I had problems and I think that was opposite of what I should have been doing. Looking forward to testing this theory and will probably slow the spindle down for .0625 and larger endmills. Thoughts?

Joe

[Bigrigger]

You should have changed your name to Grille Man!:D

[ihbuilder]

Joe , I got better results slowing the spindle down and a light spray of wd-40 . I know your doing it by way of cnc and I'm in the cave yet by hand :p but I think the principle would be the same . no ? my issue is getting my big mill going so I can play with it and see how it works with my amateur programing skills :confused: BTW , from where I'm sitting , the grill look great :eek:

IHSteve

[will916691]

running at 10,500 rpm that endmill is going to heat up fast you really need some coolant the math for speeds and feeds is tricky it may look good on paper but not work so well in the real world I would try and cut your spindle down and your feed down as well and see what that does for you also some oil to keep your work cool would sure help also how well is you part clamped down? if you tap on it in the center does it sound hollow? did the sound of the cutting change before it snaped? just want to make sure its not a issue with chatter

Will

[Blender]

Nice grille. What did you use to bend the grille after it was cut out?

[Heavy Metal]

Nice grille. What did you use to bend the grille after it was cut out?

Blender - I have a little 24" box and pan brake. Just have to finesse the curve into it. Takes some time.

Joe , I got better results slowing the spindle down and a light spray of wd-40 . I know your doing it by way of cnc and I'm in the cave yet by hand :p but I think the principle would be the same . no ? my issue is getting my big mill going so I can play with it and see how it works with my amateur programing skills :confused: BTW , from where I'm sitting , the grill look great :eek:
IHSteve

running at 10,500 rpm that endmill is going to heat up fast you really need some coolant the math for speeds and feeds is tricky it may look good on paper but not work so well in the real world I would try and cut your spindle down and your feed down as well and see what that does for you also some oil to keep your work cool would sure help also how well is you part clamped down? if you tap on it in the center does it sound hollow? did the sound of the cutting change before it snaped? just want to make sure its not a issue with chatter
Will

Steve/Will - Snuck in some time to mill an alum part tonight. Using a .125 flat endmill, slowed down the spindle to 6500, increased the feed to 8IPM and reduced DOC to .02. Cut was looking not-so-clean but not looking like trouble. It was just on the verge of chatter at 10IPM so I think I had everything just about right at 8IPM. I hit it w/ some WD40 and **** if the cut didn't clean right up nice. Rest of the part cut real clean...just hit it w/ some WD40 every now and then. Makes a **** of a mess and doesn't clear away with my cold air chip blower...but sure cleans up the cut. Hoping a mist coolant system will have same effect as the WD40. Ordered one last week. They are pretty cheap. Thanks guys for tips.

Joe

[Juganought]

I love the Aeromax, it's a sexy truck. You have made it sexier, I now definitetly have to aquire one. Can I have a grille made please?:cool:

[tc1cat]

With the speeds and feeds you are trying to run, you really need some form of coolant/lubricant on the endmill and part. 10K rpm on any type of end mill in metal needs to be cooled. If the aluminum doesn't heat up and grab the tool, the endmill will fill up with metal and then break. Must cool the metal and endmill and try to remove the metal chips from the tool and tool path. Coolant does make a mess but it is the only way to do high speed machining. You should actually flood the end mill with coolant for these speeds and feeds.

Lynn

[bucshott]

impressive build! doing a fine job on this one!

[Heavy Metal]

With the speeds and feeds you are trying to run, you really need some form of coolant/lubricant on the endmill and part. 10K rpm on any type of end mill in metal needs to be cooled. If the aluminum doesn't heat up and grab the tool, the endmill will fill up with metal and then break. Must cool the metal and endmill and try to remove the metal chips from the tool and tool path. Coolant does make a mess but it is the only way to do high speed machining. You should actually flood the end mill with coolant for these speeds and feeds.

Lynn

Thanks Lynn. I keep reading that these miniature endmills need high RPM but I think I was having the exact problem you are describing w/ grabbing and flutes filling, etc. Particularly w/ 4 flute. I am now running around 4300 RPM even w/ .0625 end mill and I installed the cool mist system which I think is helping too. I did run 10,500 with mist coolant on the super miniature .015 and that went really well for cutting another Sterling S logo. Had some decent results all around cutting another grill today but still ended up chipping flutes off the .0625 which I think was due to feed rate too fast when plunging to next level on pockets. I thought my CAM software had the feeds slowed down for plunging to next level but it was same as horizontal cut so pretty confident I can finally have some clean passes on this part if I figure that out. Thanks again for taking time to share your thoughts on this stuff....helps a lot. Joe

[Heavy Metal]

OK guys and girls. LONG stretch of business travel starting last Thursday in sunny FL but finally home and the slowest-build-ever resumes. Here's the front bumper - turned out pretty good so went ahead and polished her up for the pics. Up next I think will be the front fender flares. Thanks for looking. Joe

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03699.jpg

[Heavy Metal]

Oh and thanks bucshott and juganought for the kind words.

Juganought (and others that have requested Sterling grills) - I am still planning to make a batch of these grill sets...just don't know when. When I have them ready I will post on buy & sell. Just need to work out some kinks and make sure they are coming out good quality wise. So far they all have annoying little defects. These might be the only parts I ever sell...I really wasn't planning to make parts for hire - no time to work on my own projects! Joe

[ihbuilder]

really looks nice Joe , On the tiag I found you can't push it It just does not have the mass . when I got mine It came with a fly cutter . OK lets give it a shot :p well you couldn't even mill a piece of paper without the whole mill walking off the table :eek: needless to say the fly cutter been in the box since . I cut my 5900 grill by hand with mine my eyes looked like this :eek: after

Steve

[Dreamweaver]

Joe that grill just looks B@#chin... Sorry if you said this already but all the Greek you guys were talking about mills, I might have missed it. Did you make the front bumper to?

~Mike~

[FreddyGearDrive]

Now Joe,you said little defects? Where? I keep lookin at the pics,& can't see these little defects your talkin about? Now if your not happy w/the defected pieces you have,I'll be glad to give you my address.& you can drop those babies right in a box,& send them to me. I can live w/those defects!:D
From what I can see,it looks FANTASTIC! NICE JOB!
If you get to makin them for sale,Please put my name on a couple.
Keep up the good work!
FGD

[Juganought]

So thats me, FGD, Dreamweaver, and all the the others, you should just give up your day job. That's a right little earner there.:D

[Roadmasters]

Im almost positive wed take atleast 1

[ihbuilder]

watch these guys Joe :p

[Heavy Metal]

Joe that grill just looks B@#chin... Sorry if you said this already but all the Greek you guys were talking about mills, I might have missed it. Did you make the front bumper to?

~Mike~

Mike - Thanks man! And yes sir...the bumper is the latest. Kind of my favorite so far because it's 90% hand worked...only used the mill for the slots and mounting holes.

So thats me, FGD, Dreamweaver, and all the the others, you should just give up your day job. That's a right little earner there.:D

Now Joe,you said little defects? Where? I keep lookin at the pics,& can't see these little defects your talkin about? ...If you get to makin them for sale,Please put my name on a couple.
Keep up the good work!
FGD


Thanks guys...OK, I'm convinced...one of these weekends coming up will be dedicated to running off parts for sale. :D

FGD - Pics always show the good side. ;) LOL. Yea, I think I could have a pretty well stocked defect store front at this point! Everything takes me two or three tries!

Joe

[Heavy Metal]

Put in a little more time today on the Sterling and got the fender flares done. (Is there a more correct name for these things?) They turned out pretty good. Milled from black ABS plastic. Will probably just leave these raw black...looks kind of authentic. Guess I'm gonna have to strip this paint and start on some Styrene work pretty soon. :(

Here's what it looked like with the alum wheels and tires that came with the Aeromax when I got it from Vince. To me the tires don't look quite wide enough now that flares are on the fender. Also had to put a block of wood under the frame to get the ride height looking correct now that flares are on. Should be able to fix that with some helper springs of some sort.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03718.jpg

So then I took these wheels and tires off a tow truck I bought from Vince to eye it up and, although I don't like the rim style, I almost like the tire width better. Agree? Disagree? Seems like the 1:1 is somewhere inbetween. What are these wider tires/rims anyway? Super singles? Sorry...but I don't mind showing my ingnorance. Gotta learn somehow. :o:D

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03720.jpg

Here again are some pics so you see what I was going for on the fenders and maybe see what I'm saying on the tire/rim size. Let me know what you think.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/collage.jpg

Thanks for looking. Joe

[Izzy]

Joe -absolutely a great bit of work added -the bumper is a beauty and I really like those flares

As for the fronts I like the wider tires -especially if you want to drive in the dirt

Travis had explained to me that there are like 3 or 4 width
- standard
-wide
- super single
-flotation

Flotation's are nearly as wide a STD set of duals

And hey -I still have dubs too -minor flaws are accepted....LOL

[Bigrigger]

Sweet looking flares HM! This truck just keeps looking better and better! :D

[roadranger]

The wider steer tires are called "High Flotation" tires - for severe off road work. They aren't as wide as a super single.
Tamiya's "super single" tires are not really wide enough for real super singles, but work well as high flotation tires.

[MACK Daddy]

Joe that bumper came out amazing. Great job all around thus far !!!!


Alfy

[Izzy]

thanks guys for clarifying my thoughts .... much appreciated....

[Zimms Customs]

Joe, I saw on of these on the road today and thought of you. Yours looks spot on!

[ihbuilder]

Joe , Roadranger cleared it up . Growing up , I always heard the fronts called super singles and always referred to them as such till my tire guy corrected me I still call them ss yet today ( I guess I'm indoctrinated :( ) now I would stay with the wide tire thats what's on the real one in the pic ( common for , at least around here , on a sterling dump ) . Like everyone said , you got that baby right on . : THUMBS UP : Making me think about building 1 myself :rolleyes: but a different body though .


IHSteve

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks guys for the tire info and kind words. Will be going wider in the front. Next up is drop axle and dump box. Saw some good ideas on drop axle and have to decide if buying box off the shelf or building from scratch. Hmm....

[fhhhstix]

The wider steer tires are called "High Flotation" tires - for severe off road work. They aren't as wide as a super single.
Tamiya's "super single" tires are not really wide enough for real super singles, but work well as high flotation tires.

Sorry guy but the Tamiya 385/65r 22.5 tires are super singles here is a link to the real tire in that size. They also use them for on road as well.

http://kumhotire.ca/tires/details_specs.php?line=3&cat=20&ptn=943W

The wider tires you see on the rears are wide based tires here is a link to them.

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/News/Story/2011/01/Goodyear-introduces-11-commercial-products.aspx

Travis

[doodlebug]

385's are the only steer tire's I've had on my dumptruck's for 16 year's.
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

[Heavy Metal]

Been almost 3 weeks since I posted anything on this. Decided to work on refining these parts a bit more and run off a batch for guys that wanted some of these.

Frame around the main grill now has nice even width all the way around and I'm cutting the whole profile w/ CNC (instead of scroll saw and belt sanding) so getting real consistent fit on these.

Bumper has a bit of taper on the ends now more like the real thing.

That's about it. Freddy's getting me set up in the vendor section so for you guys that wanted these...they will be available real soon. Man, I'm ready to make something else...I'm burned out on these parts! :confused::eek::D Thanks for looking. Joe

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Sterling%20Store/sterlingbuildinprogress.jpg

[Brian in PA]

Looks Great!! Its very scale looking!

Brian

[Cossett]

Boy that's some great work there a real improvement on the Tamiya front end :) so what's next maybe a proper sun visor ? thenit would be almost complete on the front end :)

Cheers Tracy

[Mustang]

Awesome work! The flares really complete the look of the front end.

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks Brian and Mustang for the compliments!

Boy that's some great work there a real improvement on the Tamiya front end :) so what's next maybe a proper sun visor ? thenit would be almost complete on the front end :)

Thanks Cossett! And hey, good call on the sun visor..had kind of overlooked that in thinking about what's next. So...kind of thinking of going with something to match a conventional factory Sterling dump like the trucks on the previous page. Or should I go with something a little more tricked out like on Brian's truck above?

Joe

[Bigrigger]

You're gonna need a more realistic looking cab to match your amazing grill, bumper, and flares!:D

[fhhhstix]

Looks fantastic.http://i574.photobucket.com/albums/ss185/brokenb4/smilies/popcorn.gif:D:D

Travis

[SmallHaul]

Wow, just wow!:D

[Cossett]

Hi Joe, as for the visor I'd go for a stock factory look but for those that like the bling bling a custom one as well ether way you wont have a problem selling them:D

Cheers Tracy

[Tamiya Cowboy]

Joe that is so great looking i wish you would of had these done before I finished my A-max..Keep up the great work cant wait to see more.

[tc1cat]

For some reason I have missed most of this build:confused: WHAT A BUILD:eek::eek: Everything looks like the real thing! Great machine work and polishing. The dump should match a factory truck. Why waste a perfect cab with an aftermarket bed. Go for the stock look!

Lynn

[Heavy Metal]

Okay, been a few months and not much done but might as well show you what I've got.

Finally stripped the paint off the cab and roughed in the fender extensions.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03865.jpg

Here's the truck I'm modeling. I noticed the cab had rear windows.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/dadssterlingc.jpg

So went looking for details and inspiration on Google and found this photo.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/98513036_2thumb_550x410.jpg

So of course I had to designed a panel in CAD and put her on the mill. Sorry to steal your idea Pip. :o But in my defense...I had this drawn up a couple months back before Pip posted his handy work on the Aeromax/Sterling back panel.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03860.jpg

Glued in place....not bad. Excuse the mismatched wheels. We'll get some nice wheels on her someday. Need to finish the body work on the fenders and back panel too.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03877.jpg

Fabricated some parts to raise the tranny up so I could move motor forward over the servos. There's a spacer to lower the servos a quarter inch as well. Fashioned a bracket to mount the cab as well.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03867.jpg

Converted a front steering axle to a drop axle. Fashioned a yoke to straddle the frame and connect to springs with a stock shock mount. Fabricated a lever system to actuate the drop. She's pretty tough. Lifts the truck off the ground if you put a block under.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03868.jpg

Hard to see how this works and how it all goes together in the photo.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03869.jpg

Video of the drop axle test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWfoLWVskgs

Tacked a plastic fuel tank on to see how she's coming together. Not bad. Visor and dump body next...

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn265/jbothell/Aeromax%20Build/DSC03883.jpg

Thanks for looking. Joe

[Snochaser]

That's a BAMF!! Keep going Joe.

[spudd]

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!

[MACK Daddy]

Nice Job All Around


alfy

[Brian in PA]

Wow that back panel looks sweet!! You should maybe sell those!

Brian

[SonoranWraith]

That panel is sweet!

[Pippoe]

Damned CNC! You make my truck look.. *yuck*...

:) :D

Just kidding. Great job!

I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the build.

Cheers

Pip

On a side note: I noticed there are a host of different variants of these Sterling cabs.. (different headlights, grill, bumper, even that little inlet underneath the Sterling writing..).

[FreddyGearDrive]

Wow that back panel looks sweet!! You should maybe sell those!

Brian

Yea,see how he is! Just had to keep the one better hidden for his own build!:eek: Here I thought I was getting a jump on em by tieing him up w/lots of orders.:p & the whole time he was sitting back & watching,knowing he held the ace's. Pretty slick there Joe!:DJust goes to show you,you never know when the fox is in the hen house! I LIKE IT!
Builds lookin Real good so far! Can't wait to see what comes out of the mill next.:rolleyes:
FGD ;)

Oh! I REALLY like you lift axle mechanics! Almost think I've seen one close to that set up before?:p

[spudd]

freddy hows the arm this mornin

[Heavy Metal]

Thanks guys for the compliments.

Pip - I, for one, was quite impressed with your hand crafted work on the Sterling back panel - as were many others. :cool:

Freddy - LOL. :D I hate to tell you...I am not that well thought out. :p But I do have a few other goodies up my sleeve (if they turn out). ;) Too bad it will probably be 2 months before I get to it. :rolleyes: Thanks for compliments on the lift axle. Only one I really looked at closely was the cam-action lift axle you did recently. (Super cool by the way! :cool: ) Send me a link to the one mine resembles so I can check it out. I tried to approach with an original design...but I guess there are only so many ways to lift an axle with a servo!

Joe

[ihbuilder]

:eek: JOE THATS AWESOME :eek::eek:

[Espeefan]

This is a great build, worthy of 5 stars! You are a pro with the CNC mill. How awesome it is that you are able to just whip up the grill and cab panel like that! That really just takes the build to a whole new level. The one thing that really stands out to me are the rubber fender flares on front fenders. I've been looking for something like that! Where in the world did you find those? They look scale and very good on there!

[Big Run]

^ What he said!

This rig is looking great!

[aussietruckerguy]

What a cool rigid truck :D thats a great rig

[pigeonfarmboy]

Love the cab back! Really makes me wish I had ordered one of those Sterling Grills while they were around.

[H CHASE]

saw the photos of the sterling dump truck. love the look & finish. do you take orders. i will like to purchase the grill, dumper, cab back panel & fender flares. my email address hayden.chase@gmail.com

[nztrucker]

thats some cool custom stuff.

[lukewmc]

i would love to see more of this build!!!!!

[chaseracer]

great work , looks outstanding !!!

[Espeefan]

Dang, I was really hoping there was an update on this build, but now I see a couple members just pulled this one back to the top. Maybe Joe will get a few email notifications, and bring this thread back up to speed. Must have been some updates by now?