Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cutting Brass on the CNC

Well, we had to make some brass doughnuts the other day for the brass feet for the Concertina Hinge Game Table we are building. I was faced with drilling big holes, bandsawing and turning and sanding some small pieces of 1/4" brass. If it were a wood shape, I would step up the the cnc and cut it in about two seconds. We had cut some thin brass before while repairing an antique clock and I thought we might as well try the thick stuff. Once we figured out the feeds and speeds, Trevor made short work of it .... It's always great to discover a new use for the CNC..... Click the photos for better viewing ...
Trevor first cut the inside hole and the outside shape with a 1/4" super o bit leaving a 1/32nd skin on the bottom
Then he switched to a round over bit, cut the first side, routed a pocket into the spoil board, and, holding the doughnut down with a screw and washer, rounded the back side ... viola ... about 10 minutes, well spent. We're thinking of building a merry-go-round ...

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