Great Dane excavating co.

[modelman]

Cooper-seems you have the new "cnc gizmo" figured out. Are you making another dozer or making new links for your D11? I know nothing about this modern stuff but have another silly question- wouldn't it make sense to cut the links out of wider stock and not hack up your vise jaws? Keep posting pictures and how about a video of the mill working.

[JAMMER]

Hello DB you should try is out on wood first to see if it is going to work until you get use to the machine and how it works. Ed

[Cooper]

Originally Posted by modelman

Cooper-seems you have the new "cnc gizmo" figured out. Are you making another dozer or making new links for your D11? I know nothing about this modern stuff but have another silly question- wouldn't it make sense to cut the links out of wider stock and not hack up your vise jaws? Keep posting pictures and how about a video of the mill working.

I'm making a set out of alum and then another set from steel. 160 each set. The jaws are just perishable aluminum. I purposely purchased this set up for making parts like these in quantity. I probably have almost $10 in jaws but very little stock on the parts will be wasted. Stock sides are same as part side so just top, and profile cutting, so savings in the long run. I'm sure as I learn a bit more I would prefer to be making a regular fixture that could cut about 20 at a time but then I would have the added cost of stripper bolts, ( not much like a $1 a piece, but wanting 40 or so and also having them for future fixture things) I just decided a simple piece of square stock held and referenced would be simple and repeatable. And my work origin is set to a specific location on one jaw that will never change even if I remove them and replace later. So in some years later I would be able to use same jaws and make new parts very easy and repeatable. But I'm just learning and well, that's what was making sense to me then and now .

[9W Monighan]

When you go to making the links out of steel; Try some 11L17 or other free machining steel. Stessproof (1144)is nice stuff but you can only get it in rounds.

[Cooper]

Originally Posted by 9W Monighan

When you go to making the links out of steel; Try some 11L17 or other free machining steel. Stessproof (1144)is nice stuff but you can only get it in rounds.

Thanks Steve, I did get some in the specific size, 3/8" square from 12L14. Also some new cutters from maritool. I know what have abused the cutters I already have and don't have many in the under 1/4" size so new tools for the cnc mill. Once they get worn I'll use them for roughing and manual milling. It's got me to learn more of the speeds n feeds and realize almost all my cutters are almost new on the sides!! Been learning a great deal of the cutting process, or should I say I've been learning a lot about how much I don't know .