We've got two DeWalt drills, one drill and one impact. We use them both constantly. For the 1/4-20 screws I use the impact to lightly tighten them then I hand tighten with my calibrated right arm torque wrench, and I use the impact to loosen them too. It's a Fog Buster from Tormach, pretty sure that's a different brand than KoolMist. Regardless, it's FREAKIN AWESOME! It clears chips way better than flood coolant, everything is SO CLEAN after machining! For steel I've just been using air.
For the 3HP spindle, an 8 insert shell mill will make more heat than chips. The single insert SuperFly is awesome for smaller milling machines. It does fling chips halfway into orbit. I cleaned up some more aluminum chips in my basement shop today from some facing I did a few weeks ago. The little aluminum flakes are down inside cardboard boxes ten feet behind the milling machine. I need to make a floor-to-ceiling enclosure to catch the chips.
I'm absolutely loving the FogBuster. I used to love flood, but it's incredibly messy. It's eerie how the whole machine is dry. Chips sweep up great, things don't rust so fast because they're not soaking in water, etc. I haven't done much, any? aluminum machining with the mister, but it's supposed to work great. For all these steel parts I'm not even using mist, just a 7psi air blast through the unit. But a quick twist of the knob brings on the coolant mix.
You'll work up to it. Mine rapids at 110 and sometimes I'm like "c'mon get to the other side already...". Cutting at 50ipm is awesome, so much fun to watch and the endmill loves it!
I was doing the facing passes at 20ipm 1000rpm which is cooking pretty good. I did play with speeds/feeds a bit but it always chattered in the middle. However, you're absolutely right that going slower usually makes a huge difference with stuff like this.
The blades look like they are coming along great. The scales look awesome as well. I believe those two G10 colors are OD and Brown. That's how it looks on the video. Thanks Jose
PDF files of the machine dimensions are on the Tormach website somewhere, I know because I downloaded them all and I was just looking at the one with 1100 dimensions. You'll find them.
My coolant evaporates pretty quick, so during heavy use I have to add gallons of water. Sometimes I forget to add more coolant to keep the ratio, and I don't have one of those fancy gauges that measures the ratio. So my table does rust a little bit if I leave coolant puddles on it.
I have not tried that but I would love to. I've also never milled delrin/nylon. I've got my integral project coming up and I would like to practice out of wax or delrin first.
I'll admit that I was going a little SFM happy with that tool, got it up to 1 cubic inch in Gwizard. Good to know that M5 and 10-32 are very similar, I didn't know that. However I've got a box of 100 M5 flat head screws anyways, so drilling them out didn't worry me. I toasted my drill/mill due to a poor guess at speed/feed haha, burnt up several HSS drill bits, what eventually worked great was an old chipped 1/4" carbide ballmill, plunging down manually.
Blue chips are good! It means all the heat leaves in the chip and doesn't stay in the cutter/workpiece. I'm no expert but that's what I've read and been told a lot. Grinding carbide scares me haha, especially for inserts. They need to be plug and play so I can rotate them and hit go again. Cheers.
This is how i remember it.... With a tungsten carbide cutter blue chips are what you're aiming for as it yields better surface finish and the cutter can take it. However, with traditional cutters like those little square lathe cutters you grind yourself, blue is bad. If the chips are blue it means your tool has got to hot too and softened. The fly cutter looks like it used tungsten carbide inserts.
These blades should be thick enough that they don't potato chip, however I should be using a torque wrench at least to calibrate my arm. The sticky tape idea is very intriguing. Thanks for the tips!
Very cool. I dig your 50ipm trochoidal paths! Even though I can hit 180ipm I never allow the machine over 60. Every time it moves quickly I panic and think it's running away... I need more machine time :)
Almost forgot to mention. Overtightening the mitee-bites can cause thinner stock to slightly bend upward like a potato chip. This tension and the fact that it's not in contact with the subplate can make it ring like a bell. The double sided tape can help with that as well by providing a "deadening" effect, like putting you finger on a tuning fork. Check mitee-bites website for the proper torque, and use a torque wrench for the final turn, or at least to find the appropriate setting on your drill
No, my stuff was thick enough for it to not be a problem. Another idea is to use double-stick tape in conjunction with the mitee-bites. Lightly put the knife blank in place, tighten the mitee-bites, and then whack the blank with a plastic hammer. Should help keep the oscillations down. Since you're not using flood coolant anymore, they should stay stuck down until you release them with solvent (I think most guys use acetone; spray/flood them and let them sit for a few minutes).
Ha. Just when you feel like they're all lined up perfectly there's that one that is off a little bit. Fix that then it's another one. But I'll admit, I spent a while aligning them the first day then haven't touched the adjustments since then.
Running at a slower SFM might improve your chattering issues, but its hard to fight a lack of rigidity. Those M5 screws in the mitee-bite can be replaced with a #10-32 in a pinch, as those two fasteners are ridiculously similar in major diameter and pitch. The countersink angle is a bit off, but doesn't seem to have lasting effects in that application.
John, Try your 2" face mill with only one insert in it. Acts like a flycutter but more balanced and rigid. I use it on 4140 like this and can get a mirror finish.
I had some thinner OD green sheets and it's a noticeably lighter color that either of those. But hey, you might be right, thanks! I'll get Alpha to watch that part of the vid, see what they say haha.
Those questions are way too open ended for a 500 character youtube reply haha. My best advice is to learn as much as you can, search/watch every youtube video that looks interesting, find all the knife forums and search on those, there are tons of great threads with outlines of the basic tools required. Heck, all you *really* need is a hacksaw, a drill and some files. E-mail me for info on the Ti Para2 scales!
The wavy pattern is kind of cool. I wonder if u can make a TI version of the Tor with no handles and anodize it with the wavy pattern on it. I think that would look sick!
I tried that too, it produced very similar results with the chattering. I probably did half of them with the superfly and half with the 1 insert facemill. The 4140 you cut, is it this thin with a potential vibration area like my stuff? PS I've turned a bit of 4140 on my cnc lathe, absolutely loved the stuff.
Q: Mr. Grimsmo, what advice would you give to people interested in the craft of knife making? Also, what tools & machinery are needed for making Ti folders? Any info. you could pass along would be great. BTW, I'm hoping you'll make some more Ti para-2 scales, preferably honeycombs. Thanks.
I know I seem Magnate nuts but a super magnet from an old HHD might be strong enough to run over your jacket to draw the milling stuff off. Or you could do what most machinists do and add a second layer of protection with a simple cotton overall?
Thanks for the videos. Even though I don't know much about knives I am a young machinist/engineer and I was wounding if you could point me some place where I could find the cad file or diagram for the Tormach 1100 or 770 bed? (I am currently using the 770)
Thought about it overnight & think a thicker blade is fine for the Tor. It should be a beefy knife built for punishment & abuse. Next ones could be Tor 2.0 p.s. Curly Shirley has some nice curves, but she looks a little rough around the edges.
You might try a small cordless impact wrench. I have a Porter Cable that is nice but was inexpensive. Let Eric use that to LOOSEN the clamp screws. It'll tap them out, with a lot less chance of breaking tools than using static torque. I love my little impact tool. It's great as a poor man's tool changer to quickly loosen and tighten a draw bar. Are you still liking your KoolMist? I'm thinking of getting one.
It sounds like your feed rate is to fast, trying slowing it down, just a suggestion. It works for us at our school and makes a big difference. (at the beginning of the video) It will also help with the chatter and vibration of the knives.
whats the point of g10 handle? it looks cool when its tiger striped but solid color g10 just looks like plastic... although i guess it is a type of plastic. GRP ;)
you should check out Travis Wuertz's videos he has an attachment for his grinder that dose surface grinding its pretty cool maybe it can give you an idea on how to make one for your grinder ....
how much do u charge for a flick knife because i use them for skinning rabbits nd its a pain in the ass with a fixed knife nd wen ur out in the field shooting u want a nice easy to use fick knife
Not to be an ass.. But that tormach toolbit flycutter kinda sucks, never got the hype around it.. I cut that particular steel on my manual Aciera F3 (similar sized machine) with a Stellite HSS tool (Old stock) that i hand ground to a knife shape. It takes less per pass but you can cut faster and get a mirror finish. You can still find stellite hss from store in UK. The flycutter holder is a standard so nothing fancy.
dude 3 seconds on a grinder by hand and those waves will dissapear.......get your grinder up and running!!! at the ckg we shoud head back to your place and i could help you guys out for a day with grinding stuff!
thats alot of money over here thats 325 pound i can get one hand made for 150 mate and thas expencive over here and thas about 75 dollers to u nd the knives im on about are mate from the finest steel money can buy
You know it's a great video when you feel cool watching it.
its been a lot of fun watching the progression look forword to next tuesday
Haha, love the names for the shavings! That's entertainment right there!
We've got two DeWalt drills, one drill and one impact. We use them both constantly. For the 1/4-20 screws I use the impact to lightly tighten them then I hand tighten with my calibrated right arm torque wrench, and I use the impact to loosen them too. It's a Fog Buster from Tormach, pretty sure that's a different brand than KoolMist. Regardless, it's FREAKIN AWESOME! It clears chips way better than flood coolant, everything is SO CLEAN after machining! For steel I've just been using air.
Hi John and Erik,
Nice to see you now have a Tool Changer!
For the 3HP spindle, an 8 insert shell mill will make more heat than chips. The single insert SuperFly is awesome for smaller milling machines. It does fling chips halfway into orbit. I cleaned up some more aluminum chips in my basement shop today from some facing I did a few weeks ago. The little aluminum flakes are down inside cardboard boxes ten feet behind the milling machine. I need to make a floor-to-ceiling enclosure to catch the chips.
I'm absolutely loving the FogBuster. I used to love flood, but it's incredibly messy. It's eerie how the whole machine is dry. Chips sweep up great, things don't rust so fast because they're not soaking in water, etc. I haven't done much, any? aluminum machining with the mister, but it's supposed to work great. For all these steel parts I'm not even using mist, just a 7psi air blast through the unit. But a quick twist of the knob brings on the coolant mix.
You'll work up to it. Mine rapids at 110 and sometimes I'm like "c'mon get to the other side already...". Cutting at 50ipm is awesome, so much fun to watch and the endmill loves it!
I was doing the facing passes at 20ipm 1000rpm which is cooking pretty good. I did play with speeds/feeds a bit but it always chattered in the middle. However, you're absolutely right that going slower usually makes a huge difference with stuff like this.
The blades look like they are coming along great. The scales look awesome as well. I believe those two G10 colors are OD and Brown. That's how it looks on the video.
Thanks
Jose
I have one, and unfortunately it does not work with the ATC. I ran it for a few months prior to the ATC and absolutely loved it.
You'd better believe it bro! Nerd central up in here. Represent.
PDF files of the machine dimensions are on the Tormach website somewhere, I know because I downloaded them all and I was just looking at the one with 1100 dimensions. You'll find them.
My coolant evaporates pretty quick, so during heavy use I have to add gallons of water. Sometimes I forget to add more coolant to keep the ratio, and I don't have one of those fancy gauges that measures the ratio. So my table does rust a little bit if I leave coolant puddles on it.
I have not tried that but I would love to. I've also never milled delrin/nylon. I've got my integral project coming up and I would like to practice out of wax or delrin first.
Curly Shirley... Charlie Chaplain... ROFL! You guys are dorks. I love it!
I'll admit that I was going a little SFM happy with that tool, got it up to 1 cubic inch in Gwizard. Good to know that M5 and 10-32 are very similar, I didn't know that. However I've got a box of 100 M5 flat head screws anyways, so drilling them out didn't worry me. I toasted my drill/mill due to a poor guess at speed/feed haha, burnt up several HSS drill bits, what eventually worked great was an old chipped 1/4" carbide ballmill, plunging down manually.
best end to a video ever!
Thanks for asking, but I don't take on custom jobs like that. Keep searching, there are lots of machine shops looking for easy work these days.
Blue chips are good! It means all the heat leaves in the chip and doesn't stay in the cutter/workpiece. I'm no expert but that's what I've read and been told a lot. Grinding carbide scares me haha, especially for inserts. They need to be plug and play so I can rotate them and hit go again. Cheers.
This is how i remember it.... With a tungsten carbide cutter blue chips are what you're aiming for as it yields better surface finish and the cutter can take it. However, with traditional cutters like those little square lathe cutters you grind yourself, blue is bad. If the chips are blue it means your tool has got to hot too and softened.
The fly cutter looks like it used tungsten carbide inserts.
These blades should be thick enough that they don't potato chip, however I should be using a torque wrench at least to calibrate my arm. The sticky tape idea is very intriguing. Thanks for the tips!
Very cool. I dig your 50ipm trochoidal paths! Even though I can hit 180ipm I never allow the machine over 60. Every time it moves quickly I panic and think it's running away... I need more machine time :)
Almost forgot to mention. Overtightening the mitee-bites can cause thinner stock to slightly bend upward like a potato chip. This tension and the fact that it's not in contact with the subplate can make it ring like a bell. The double sided tape can help with that as well by providing a "deadening" effect, like putting you finger on a tuning fork. Check mitee-bites website for the proper torque, and use a torque wrench for the final turn, or at least to find the appropriate setting on your drill
No, my stuff was thick enough for it to not be a problem.
Another idea is to use double-stick tape in conjunction with the mitee-bites. Lightly put the knife blank in place, tighten the mitee-bites, and then whack the blank with a plastic hammer. Should help keep the oscillations down. Since you're not using flood coolant anymore, they should stay stuck down until you release them with solvent (I think most guys use acetone; spray/flood them and let them sit for a few minutes).
Ha. Just when you feel like they're all lined up perfectly there's that one that is off a little bit. Fix that then it's another one. But I'll admit, I spent a while aligning them the first day then haven't touched the adjustments since then.
Running at a slower SFM might improve your chattering issues, but its hard to fight a lack of rigidity.
Those M5 screws in the mitee-bite can be replaced with a #10-32 in a pinch, as those two fasteners are ridiculously similar in major diameter and pitch. The countersink angle is a bit off, but doesn't seem to have lasting effects in that application.
John,
Try your 2" face mill with only one insert in it. Acts like a flycutter but more balanced and rigid. I use it on 4140 like this and can get a mirror finish.
Love these vids man *drool* Definitely brown on the left and OD green on the right!
I've got a 5 insert 2" shell mill but 1.5hp isn't really enough to drive it through steel very well. And it still chatters.
I had some thinner OD green sheets and it's a noticeably lighter color that either of those. But hey, you might be right, thanks! I'll get Alpha to watch that part of the vid, see what they say haha.
Some steel supply company near Chicago. 5160 is pretty common and easy to get a hold of.
Maybe it is just the camera, but I can easily see the difference between the brown and dark green. at 12:13. They don't look close in color at all.
That could work, great idea! However next time I think I'll do it completely differently anyways haha.
Those questions are way too open ended for a 500 character youtube reply haha. My best advice is to learn as much as you can, search/watch every youtube video that looks interesting, find all the knife forums and search on those, there are tons of great threads with outlines of the basic tools required. Heck, all you *really* need is a hacksaw, a drill and some files.
E-mail me for info on the Ti Para2 scales!
Eyelashes of doom, sweet!
Ordering metal for the grinder on monday!
The wavy pattern is kind of cool. I wonder if u can make a TI version of the Tor with no handles and anodize it with the wavy pattern on it. I think that would look sick!
I tried that too, it produced very similar results with the chattering. I probably did half of them with the superfly and half with the 1 insert facemill. The 4140 you cut, is it this thin with a potential vibration area like my stuff? PS I've turned a bit of 4140 on my cnc lathe, absolutely loved the stuff.
Time for an enclosure Grimsmo Bros :)
Hey John, just call one of those 2 colors brown And one OD, we'll knitter the difference.
try setting strong magnets next to the cutter to keep the chips from going everywhere.
Looking awesome! Are you digging the fogbuster over flood? I am still on the fence.
Q: Mr. Grimsmo, what advice would you give to people interested in the craft of knife making? Also, what tools & machinery are needed for making Ti folders? Any info. you could pass along would be great.
BTW, I'm hoping you'll make some more Ti para-2 scales, preferably honeycombs. Thanks.
I know I seem Magnate nuts but a super magnet from an old HHD might be strong enough to run over your jacket to draw the milling stuff off. Or you could do what most machinists do and add a second layer of protection with a simple cotton overall?
@12.00 - defo left is Brown and right handles are Green JG
Thanks for the videos. Even though I don't know much about knives I am a young machinist/engineer and I was wounding if you could point me some place where I could find the cad file or diagram for the Tormach 1100 or 770 bed? (I am currently using the 770)
Thought about it overnight & think a thicker blade is fine for the Tor. It should be a beefy knife built for punishment & abuse. Next ones could be Tor 2.0
p.s. Curly Shirley has some nice curves, but she looks a little rough around the edges.
You might try a small cordless impact wrench. I have a Porter Cable that is nice but was inexpensive. Let Eric use that to LOOSEN the clamp screws. It'll tap them out, with a lot less chance of breaking tools than using static torque. I love my little impact tool. It's great as a poor man's tool changer to quickly loosen and tighten a draw bar.
Are you still liking your KoolMist? I'm thinking of getting one.
Couldn't you use a steel base plate and tack the blades to it while they are being ground and then cut them free when you are done?
You have a disk grinder; use it to sand the chatter marks out.
Looks like brown and OD green to me!
Thats earth brown and od green at least thats what the camera picked up.
Have you guys tried machinable wax for prototypes?
It sounds like your feed rate is to fast, trying slowing it down, just a suggestion. It works for us at our school and makes a big difference. (at the beginning of the video) It will also help with the chatter and vibration of the knives.
Poo brown and od green. Is what you have there. Poo brown and od green.
I wouldn't oil micarta, it may loosen the resin. idk
Where did you get the blade steel from?
Must have been a really late night if you were naming your chips :) Let us know when they start talking to you.
Why did u make the fixed blades thinner .215 is like perfect for a fixed blade
whats the point of g10 handle? it looks cool when its tiger striped but solid color g10 just looks like plastic... although i guess it is a type of plastic. GRP ;)
Hello,
You can griding or test a magnetic table
see you
Diver Tor. Diver Tor. Diver Tor.
what cad program do you use???
After I clicked "post"I thought the same thing. Next pay day, I 'll be in contact as to not inflate my current credit card bill. Thanks for the reply.
No joke, you should try and online color blindness test. One handle was green and the other brown.
you should check out Travis Wuertz's videos he has an attachment for his grinder that dose surface grinding its pretty cool maybe it can give you an idea on how to make one for your grinder ....
how much do u charge for a flick knife because i use them for skinning rabbits nd its a pain in the ass with a fixed knife nd wen ur out in the field shooting u want a nice easy to use fick knife
didnt know if that was a steel base plate or aluminum.
Not to be an ass.. But that tormach toolbit flycutter kinda sucks, never got the hype around it.. I cut that particular steel on my manual Aciera F3 (similar sized machine) with a Stellite HSS tool (Old stock) that i hand ground to a knife shape. It takes less per pass but you can cut faster and get a mirror finish. You can still find stellite hss from store in UK. The flycutter holder is a standard so nothing fancy.
My folder/flipper is only $450 ;-).
Btw, the "SHORT-N-CURLY" is also known as ""THE RUBIC's -PUBIC".!!!! Lol
Agree - you must be a little color blind. Not a big deal just good to be aware of.
dude 3 seconds on a grinder by hand and those waves will dissapear.......get your grinder up and running!!!
at the ckg we shoud head back to your place and i could help you guys out for a day with grinding stuff!
thats alot of money over here thats 325 pound i can get one hand made for 150 mate and thas expencive over here and thas about 75 dollers to u nd the knives im on about are mate from the finest steel money can buy
I don't like thick knives.
great vid! Ill be checkin out more on your channel,
if you like knife throwing at all, stop by mine
cheers great job
How much is the charlie chaplin ?
Are you aloud to say short n'curly on UA-cam.
DUUUUUUUUUUUUDE u must be color blind, keep up the good stuff :)
Meh, I'm a guy, I don't claim to be any good with colors haha.
slow your feed down