# I started a new aluminum housing yesterday



## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I made this yesterday, I used a solid chunk of aluminum and milled out the center with my drill press and a 1/2" router bit, it worked great, I was a little surprised how nicely my drill press worked as a mill. This housing is actually 2 pieces and 2 more for the front and rear panels. I milled out the two reflectors with a V bit and since I still have a LightBrain controller I will be using two 12 volt/20 watt bare halogen bulbs. I experimented with several angles for the reflectors until I found the right one (I cant remember which one I used now) I used my Unisaw to cut the fins. I am going to anodize it in a little while, I am not sure what color yet but it will probably end up black. The pic of the bare block was taken after the first milling, I ended up taking much more out of the interior before I was done. I still need to polish the reflector surfaces for max reflection.
This housing is a little smaller than a pack of cigarettes and turned out pretty light weight. I will post some more pics when I install the power connector/ pilot LED/ switches and bulbs this afternoon. Aaron


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## bwilli (Apr 3, 2006)

:thumbsup: 

Nice!

You have huge heatsinking potential there. Throw in a pair of MCEs as your light source!! You'll need  at night!


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## mdsjack (Oct 26, 2007)

cool


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## p97z (Dec 19, 2006)

Nice!


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## houndlegs (Oct 25, 2008)

very nice looking light


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## Snowdawg (Nov 5, 2007)

Looks good so far Aaron. Did you use a 40 or 60 tooth blade? I have some old standard kerf carbide tip blades that I keep for cutting aluminum but they are ATB blades so the kerf isn’t flat on the bottom. I do have a flat cutting blade but I hate to ruin it cutting aluminum.
BTW, I love my Unisaw…it’s the heart of my shop.


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

aaron,
that new housing is looking nice and sleek.

Do you have to have an expensive drill press or would something like this do ?

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/44021/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Titan-SF16N-9-230V-Pillar-Drill

I am on a tight budget but don't want to buy one that is no use.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

That looks great Aaron! You are _the_ master of low-tech aluminum milling :thumbsup: Do you sneak the bit down a little at a time and use a cross-slide vise on the drill press table to make the cut?

We have something called a MultiRouter at work (custom furniture shop). It's essentially a 3-axis sliding table arrangement that can do horizontal, vertical, and plunge cuts. (kind of like a small CNC, with your brain taking the place of the first "C", and your hands in place of the stepper motors) I've been thinking it might be a great aluminum milling machine too...and we have all shapes and sizes of carbide bits  Your first photo looks exactly like the mortises we cut with it....except ours are in wood, of course.

How has the 2xMR-11 been working out? It looks great. I modded my old double MR-11 with a LightBrain+....love it! Working on some DIY led designs now.

JZ


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## Snowdawg (Nov 5, 2007)

JimZinVT said:


> That looks great Aaron! You are _the_ master of low-tech aluminum milling :thumbsup: Do you sneak the bit down a little at a time and use a cross-slide vise on the drill press table to make the cut?
> 
> We have something called a MultiRouter at work (custom furniture shop). It's essentially a 3-axis sliding table arrangement that can do horizontal, vertical, and plunge cuts. (kind of like a small CNC, with your brain taking the place of the first "C", and your hands in place of the stepper motors) I've been thinking it might be a great aluminum milling machine too...and we have all shapes and sizes of carbide bits  Your first photo looks exactly like the mortises we cut with it....except ours are in wood, of course.
> 
> ...


Router bits spin at 20,000 rpm and that's way too fast for milling aluminum. The bit will ware out in a heart beat, not to mention that you risk both personal injury and risk ruining the machine.. End mill cutters in the drill press is the way to go if you don't have a milling machine.


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## Jim Z in VT (Sep 9, 2007)

Hmmm, yeah, didn't think about the router speed. You are correct.....thanks, from me and my boss! 

JZ


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I'll try to answer you ?'s in order,

I used a 60 tooth Freud carbide blade, cutting aluminum has had no effect on it so far, it's still very sharp and no damage to the teeth.

My drill press is an older floor standing Chicago with a 2 hp motor, it is very heavy ( about 250 lbs) and very solid, I used a cross slide vise and milled out the center with a solid steel 1/2" router bit spinning at 3650 rpm, I tried a carbide bit but it didnt cut as smooth as the steel bit, I cut all the way through the block with the same bit and it is still very sharp. I dropped the bit 1/8th" per pass. It cut through the aluminum like butter.

I anodised it a little while ago and have it assembled to see what it looks like, I anodised the entire housing including the part that I milled the reflectors into, I thought it would be easy to just sand the anodise off the reflectors and polish them again but the ano was WAY to tough to sand, I tried sanding them for almost an hour until I gave up and just cut the ano layer off with the same bit I used to mill them out. I am very happy with how tough the anodising is, I didnt think it could be done so well at home.
I am not sure if I am going to ano the front and rear panels, I may just leave them plain. I installed a connector from Binder, a sub mini toggle for main power, a tac button for power level and a small blue LED for a pilot light. I still need to mount a sub mini headphone jack for the remote power level switch that mounts in my grip.

Here's a few pics of the anodising, I still have to polish the reflectors and the front and rear panels a little more before I put it back together.


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

OMG Aaron that is looking fantastic, ain't no way I'm showing pics of the inside of mine when you show how well it can be done.:thumbsup: 

Any details or links to how you did the anodising at home?

Did you cast the original "block" yourself or did you buy it?


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## ocean breathes salty (Oct 1, 2006)

Aaron, That is an amazing looking light. That is one of the cleanest and most precise builds I have seen in a long time. It looks stunning. 

Keep up the amazing work!


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

2 days from block of ali to anodised light :crazy:

And I thought I was quick .:sad:

A quality piece of work very Slick . 

Please can we see a pic of your workshop


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

Thanks! I looked at a bunch of sites for anodising and found this one to have lots of info https://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Newman/anodize/ There are a few others that give a alternative methods so I just read them all and piled all the info together. It is much easier than I imagined, I still have lots to learn but I have have had really good results so far, I need to work on getting the the colors more predictable for instance when I try to get black I end up with bronze or a dark purple like in this case. Below is a lever I made and anodized. I use a plastic Folgers coffee can, battery acid mixed 50/50 with water, a piece of aluminum cut to fit in the handle section of the can as a cathode and an old battery charger for power. These parts sat in the ano tank for 1.5 hours and the dye tank for five minutes then I boiled them for 30 minutes to seal the surface, I used RIT dye for the color. The surface is much harder than raw aluminum, I cant believe how tough it gets, I tried sanding it off the surface of the reflectors and could not sand through even using 120 grit sandpaper, I had to mill it off. I think I am going to ano the front and rear panels and leave them plain. I bought the original block, it was a big scrap chunk I got from a steel supply, I cut it down to size using my metal cutting bandsaw. As for a look at my shop, after I clean it up! Thanks again! Aaron


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

Your work with aluminium is fantastic Aaron .

no it is not fair to tidy up before we see your shop


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## SkUG (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice! (did you ever post beam shots of the mr11?)
Looking good!


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Very nice looking ligh there aaron 

Home anodising too...very neat!!!


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## bikerjay (Sep 16, 2007)

Impressive! 

My dad is an excellent wood worker and has a huge well equipped wood shop but he wont let hack up aluminum with his table saw. Its a nice big delta unit and he has lots of carbide blades. Also a bandsaw that I want to throw a fine tooth blade on. Great work were all envious of the results. 

I studied chemistry a lot in college and will have to take a crack at doing some anodizing.


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I have a Delta Unisaw and I have no problem cutting aluminum on it, it doesnt hurt anything as long as you keep it clean. I use most of my wood working machines to cut aluminum and have for years. It hasn't damaged anything, not even my blades. 
Anodizing is very cool, I always thought is was some serious process better left to the pros but it is easier than painting, I think I'll try chrome plating next!


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

That is some amazing work! I would never guess that that lever was a DIY item. One other thing that I noticed is that the seam between the body and the optics portion of the light is invisible on the assembled pics - very nice.

You described the anodizing setup clearly, but do you have any pics of the actual setup? The Folgers can setup sounds perfect for doing a bike light, do you just cap it off when done and store it for the next use?


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

Thanks Huffy! I'm glad you noticed the clean seam, When it is together it is very hard to see, you would never see it if you didnt know it was there. I do just put the lid back on the coffee can after use, I have anodized about 15 different items with the same acid solution, I read that as long as you keep it clean it can last a very long time. The acid was pretty cheap, about $5 for a gallon at Napa auto parts, it can be tested with a hydrometer to make sure it is at the correct level. I use another acid to pre clean the part, I cant remember the name but it is used for cleaning aluminum rims, it is called aluminum brightener.
I spent the evening putting it all together, it was a very tight fit getting all the buttons, switches, power connector, remote level switch connector, bulbs, LED pilot light and controller inside the housing. I had to cut all the wires to about 1/4" long to make room, it was a fun solder job! I will post some pics of my anodizing set up tomorrow.
I am waiting for my battery to charge and when it is I will post some pics of the beam. Thanks again! Aaron


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## emu26 (Jun 23, 2008)

Aaron,

Quick question re joining the two main light parts together. When I did mine I clamped the optic part to the main body and cut a thread through the main body and into the optic holder part, I figured having both parts threaded would make sure they were aligned properly. I now think that doing this actually stops me from pulling the two pieces together as tightly as I might be able to if only one piece had a thread cut into it. So did you thread both or just one piece?

If you only threaded one, did you use some sort of alignment pins or "nipples / recesses to make sure everything is aligned properly when you do them up?

Thanks

Stuart


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## troutie-mtb (Sep 20, 2007)

That is the way I thread my holes then just run a larger drill bit through the bits I dont want threading afterwards.


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## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

aaron04 said:


>


Aaron your work is more than commendable, in fact is very inspiring and very professional considering the "Improper Tools" you have to do the task.

So please take this as a small suggestion (sorry if you wrote somewhere you are going to improve on the bolts) but making this kind of "Pockets" and Chanfer or using counter sunk bolt is a really easy and not much more complicated way (securing the drill place tight) to make the end result look a lot more finish

here is a example of some of the work I have done for motorcycles with a bunch of " Hidden" bolts, the black parts are production units but the silver parts are unfinished prototype hand made pieces.









Again incredible work.:thumbsup:


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

patineto said:


> Aaron your work is more than commendable, in fact is very inspiring and very professional considering the "Improper Tools" you have to do the task.
> 
> So please take this as a small suggestion (sorry if you wrote somewhere you are going to improve on the bolts) but making this kind of "Pockets" and Chanfer or using counter sunk bolt is a really easy and not much more complicated way (securing the drill place tight) to make the end result look a lot more finish
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion. I never refuse advice, in fact the more advice the better! I actually only used those screws until I bought some stainless ones today, I have sunk screw heads in other projects in the past but there was not enough depth in these parts to get much depth, the screws that hold the optic piece are sunk into the body, they cant be seen as the face plate covers them up. I really do appreciate the suggestion! Thanks! Aaron


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I got my light finished tonight, here are some pics. I ended up putting a clear anodize finish on the front and rear panels, they turned out a very nice color, it's hard to explain and it doesnt show up well in the pics but it has a very slight olive green/gray color. it doesnt look green but I get a green impression when I look at it, anyway it looks kinda like a military finish.
I am more than happy with the light output, I used two 20 watt halo bulbs along with the lightbrain controller. I ran it on high for ten minutes and it started to get warm, I'm sure it will run cooler once it's mounted and has some airflow going over it. I tried to take some beam shots but I need to learn how to set my camera in order to see the beam, the pics I took didnt show a thing. Can someone suggest a setting to take beam shots with? I have a Sony Cybershot camera if that helps.
My next light will be very similar to this one except it will use LEDs. I need to figure out which LEDs and controller will work well. The reflectors in this housing are milled out of a solid piece of aluminum and then polished. The finish looks like a mirror, I was surprised how shiny I was able to get them.
Tomorrow I will finish the bar mount and go for a night ride.
Thanks! Aaron


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

emu26 said:


> Aaron,
> 
> Quick question re joining the two main light parts together. When I did mine I clamped the optic part to the main body and cut a thread through the main body and into the optic holder part, I figured having both parts threaded would make sure they were aligned properly. I now think that doing this actually stops me from pulling the two pieces together as tightly as I might be able to if only one piece had a thread cut into it. So did you thread both or just one piece?
> 
> ...


I clamp both parts in the vice as they will be bolted together and drill the pilot holes through both, after I drill all the holes I remove the top part and drill it out large enough for the bolt or screw to pass through, I thread only the bottom part. When I screw them together they line up exact. Threading both parts will definitely make it hard to compress the joint completely. Aaron


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## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

aaron04 said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, I actually only used those screws until I bought some stainless ones today, I have sunk screw heads in other projects in the past but there was not enough depth in these parts to get much depth, the screws that hold the optic piece are sunk into the body, they cant be seen as the face plate covers them up. I do appreciate the suggestion! Thanks! Aaron


Yeap I kind of saw that the wall thickness limitations

I guess something like this will be almost impossible to reproduce with out a CNC set up to the require tolerances, but I have use this "Dowel" rails with out any problems for a few years including heavy loads, abuse, dirt, mud and sand..









Basically the silver plates slide fore and aft (or can be even ex-change or move around if require) on the black "ears"

In that same way you can make a very shallow cover for you light using two interlocking shapes that has not expose bolts or anything just a hidden set screw or maybe nothing to hold the outher in place.









I'm showing you this because you sound like the kind of person that is interested in detail and better ways to do things


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I was actually thinking of doing something similar for the removable mount, unfortunately I forgot about it until right after I anodized the housing, now I have to come up with something else. I built a small CNC router last year, it's almost finished, I only need to buy the stepper motors and learn how to use it. I built it out of MDF and when I perfect it I will exchange all the MDF parts with aluminum. That is some very nice work! What is that contraption? A motorcycle, dragster, time machine, helicopter? I cant figure it out. Thanks again! Aaron


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## patineto (Oct 28, 2005)

aaron04 said:


> I was actually thinking of doing something similar for the removable mount, unfortunately I forgot about it until right after I anodized the housing, now I have to come up with something else. I built a small CNC router last year, it's almost finished, I only need to buy the stepper motors and learn how to use it. I built it out of MDF and when I perfect it I will exchange all the MDF parts with aluminum.


Oh I see you wonderful "CNC" before you are smart as they make them.

Keep it up, is nothing better in the world to learn about the way things work and also your self than trying your own ideas.



> That is some very nice work! What is that contraption? A motorcycle, dragster, time machine, helicopter? I cant figure it out. Thanks again! Aaron


last picture of my stuff I promise.









They are part of a *Modular System for Motorcycles* I use to make so you can run pretty much anything you want, from GPS's, radar detectors to big items like motorize roll charts, sadly I'm a little to much of a space cadet and not that great of a businessman so i stop do to the lack of profit.

Anyway it feels great when your clients at NASA & Lockheed tell you that you parts belong in one of their space ships, even if you are not making much money when you sale them.

Aaron Glad to meet another Geek

Okay last last picture, this is how the whole thing start, like any other project too.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

Snowdawg said:


> Router bits spin at 20,000 rpm and that's way too fast for milling aluminum. The bit will ware out in a heart beat, not to mention that you risk both personal injury and risk ruining the machine.. End mill cutters in the drill press is the way to go if you don't have a milling machine.


Worked well for me..Routered MANY 36" Square aluminum plates (1/4"R) with one bit. The shop had a router just for taking those edges off the plates. ALL sides, and we used that bit for years while I was there....

CDT
(AL just likes to stick to carbide is all)


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## wkumtrider (Dec 27, 2007)

aaron4, what cable connectors are you using? Your light is awesome!


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## sdnative (Aug 10, 2008)

Beautiful! Lol, nice use of a wood saw. Scares me to think if that grabed hold!

This is my new heatsink for my new overdriven MCE light. Really like the SQ lights though, may get the fly cutter on the mill and make some fins myself.


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

sdnative said:


> Beautiful! Lol, nice use of a wood saw. Scares me to think if that grabed hold!
> 
> This is my new heatsink for my new overdriven MCE light. Really like the SQ lights though, may get the fly cutter on the mill and make some fins myself.


Thanks! As for using the table saw for aluminum, it is very safe, it cuts as easily as a hardwood. I use my horizontal band saw to do any through cuts on thicker aluminum. I also have sandwiched aluminum between two pieces of plywood to make long through cuts. The table saw can be used very safely if you are careful.
Your heat sink looks great, what will the rest of the light look like? I am going to have to buy a mill soon, I love working with aluminum, there are so many things that can be made. I built a foundry a few months ago and it has been very useful as well.


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

wkumtrider said:


> aaron4, what cable connectors are you using? Your light is awesome!


 Thanks! I used subminiature connectors from Binder. They are very nice, cost about about $15 for the set. I wasnt very happy with the shipping charge of $10

http://www.binder-usa.com


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## Hack On Wheels (Apr 29, 2006)

Awesome work, Aaron! You given me a lot of inspiration to finally make my latest design/idea a reality.

I thought I would post up here with some questions instead of making a new thread as you and others seem to have pretty comprehensive knowledge and experience. I've got access to a woodwork shop (in the family), it is pretty well equipped though lacking some odds and ends that I will need, eg. some bits for cutting aluminum.

The biggest problem I can see is that for my design, I'm going to be drilling the holes for the LEDs to sit in, and I'm doing a one piece with end plates design, so I'm going to need to finish the holes flat. I've only ever done anything like that on a lathe, but would the same basic idea apply? This would be for an almost 1" hole (22ish mm).. drill pilot hole, drill hole of desired diameter and depth, then use another bit of same diameter to bore out/flatten the bottom? What bit would I use on a drillpress for this? Could I just use an end mill bit? I believe it's a 1/2" chuck, if that matters.

I thought I had another question, but can't think of it right now. Any tips/suggestions would be great!

And seeing how you did yours, now I know how to do my fins!  Thanks for posting up this project of yours, all these ideas have made me giddy!


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## ocean breathes salty (Oct 1, 2006)

Hack On Wheels said:


> Awesome work, Aaron! You given me a lot of inspiration to finally make my latest design/idea a reality.
> 
> I thought I would post up here with some questions instead of making a new thread as you and others seem to have pretty comprehensive knowledge and experience. I've got access to a woodwork shop (in the family), it is pretty well equipped though lacking some odds and ends that I will need, eg. some bits for cutting aluminum.
> 
> ...


I read somewhere among trouties epic MCE thread that he got his hands on a clapped out old bit and ground the end flat, sharpened the cutting edge so it still purchased and used it at very low RPM to flatten the bottom of his optic holes.

The other option is to drill the whole way through and then put a backing plate on it.


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## yetibetty (Dec 24, 2007)

This may not be the best method around but it works for me and I have had very good results. 
I use a good quality 22mm diameter Bi-Metal Hole Saw in the drill press but remove the central pilot drill bit once I get to 10mm depth then repeat the process with an 18mm Bi-Metal Hole Saw.
This will leave just a stump in the centre of your optics socket which is very easy to drill out. Use plenty of oil and a slow rpm with lots of torque then finish off with one of these in the drill press to get the bottom flat.


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I used a 1/2 steel dado bit to hollow out my housing, it went straight in and made a 1/2 " flat bottom hole in the aluminum, you might have the same luck with a 1" router bit as long as you go slow. You could start with a 1" drill bit and them flatten out the bottom with a 1" dado bit.
I used mine with the drill press at it's highest speed, I think it was 2800 rpm. It cut nice and smooth making uniform chips as it cut. I have a 6" cross sled vice from Harbor Freight and adjusted the slides very carefully to get as little play as possible. It really worked well milling the center out. Aaron


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## Pitto (Sep 26, 2005)

aaron04 said:


> I used a 1/2 steel dado bit to hollow out my housing, it went straight in and made a 1/2 " flat bottom hole in the aluminum, you might have the same luck with a 1" router bit as long as you go slow. You could start with a 1" drill bit and them flatten out the bottom with a 1" dado bit.
> I used mine with the drill press at it's highest speed, I think it was 2800 rpm. It cut nice and smooth making uniform chips as it cut. I have a 6" cross sled vice from Harbor Freight and adjusted the slides very carefully to get as little play as possible. It really worked well milling the center out. Aaron


emu26 put me on to these, and combined with the method above, would work well to mill out aluminium.










https://cgi.ebay.com.au/5x-10mm-Car...QimsxZ20081115?IMSfp=TL081115128001r13092#faq


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Hey Pitto, I have read in other places that carbide likes to "stick" to aluminum, at least for saw blades. Do you know if the same is true of the carbide bits you linked to? Is regular steel better for cutting aluminum?


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

HuffyPuffy said:


> Hey Pitto, I have read in other places that carbide likes to "stick" to aluminum, at least for saw blades. Do you know if the same is true of the carbide bits you linked to? Is regular steel better for cutting aluminum?


I have heard that too, when I was hollowing out my housing I tried a carbide bit first and it wouldnt cut as smooth as the steel bit. I didnt notice any aluminum sticking to the bit though, I assumed the steel bit cut smoother because it had more mass making it less likely to vibrate.
I am sure I have seen carbide milling bits designed specificly for aluminum.
My steel bit worked just fine though and didnt seem to lose it's edge at all.


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

aaron04 said:


> I have heard that too, when I was hollowing out my housing I tried a carbide bit first and it wouldnt cut as smooth as the steel bit. I didnt notice any aluminum sticking to the bit though, I assumed the steel bit cut smoother because it had more mass making it less likely to vibrate.
> I am sure I have seen carbide milling bits designed specificly for aluminum.
> My steel bit worked just fine though and didnt seem to lose it's edge at all.


If the tools are about the same in terms of geometry (# of flutes, 'thickness' of flutes) carbide is by far heavier. NOTICEABLY heavier. In fact if I think about it I will weigh two 1/2" end mills tomorrow. 
As far as finish goes, biggest factor will be rigidity of setup, sharpness of tool, and speeds n feeds...
CDT


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## Pitto (Sep 26, 2005)

Pitto said:


> emu26 put me on to these, and combined with the method above, would work well to mill out aluminium.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com.au/5x-10mm-Carb...QimsxZ20081115?IMSfp=TL081115128001r13092#faq


being a shopfitter by trade, i have used carbide tipped bits on aluminum on more than one occasion. we used to hit the bits with a bit of wd-40 but other than that there were no real issues. dont push the cutter hard, let it do the work and it should be right.


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## HuffyPuffy (Jun 9, 2008)

Cool, thanks for the info. I was gonna pick up the end mill bits, but then I found these at Harbor Freight, think I will pick some up since they are pretty cheap:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93450

The biggest they have are 1/4' which seems a bit small though.

EDIT: I saw these today and they are not drill bits, I think they are for a zip tool.

Going to pick up a vise too when they have a coupon:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94276


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## sdnative (Aug 10, 2008)

Kinda going in the below direction. Using a plastic base, as there is more than enough heat sink surface area to dissipate the MCE wattage, and it will help shed some weight and machine time. I should be able to overdrive it as well. I used a manual lathe for the above part. Turned out heavier than I hoped for, but, adequate cross section is needed to flow that heat to the cooling fins ...becomes a trade off. In any case, it's a prototype, next one will be more refined. I'll end up putting up a few of those for sale. Maybe end up paying for the parts in my own lights ....but never the time of course. Keep up the sharing ..helps inspire people! Look for 500 lumens for $50 bucks, one of my old posts.


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## deesta (Sep 7, 2008)

Your lights looking amazing aaron, very professional.

With regard to milling cutters: 

If you have enough spindle speed, carbide is better. I'm a CNC programmer by trade and have had 1st hand experience of the benefits/problems of different types of milling cutter. My machine will run @ 12000RPM and even that is slow compared to the speeds and feeds recommended by the toll manufacturers.... The tools I used to do my light were , generally, solid carbide 2 flute slot drills. They are designed for machining the bottom of pockets and slots as they have greater swarf clearing capabilities due to less cutting edges. It's also worth having some form of lubricant when cutting as most pick-up on the tools is due to swarf heating up and sticking to the cutting edges. A little coolant really helps.


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## Kraygus (Jul 9, 2008)

Beware of trying to plunge cut with an end mill! As Deesta said use a "Slot Drill". A end mill is not designed for drilling and has a recess in the centre that does not machine any material, and if forced to drill beyond the depth of this recess could have dangerous results. Some four flute cutters have one full width cutting edge on the bottom and are ok for plunging, but the ones pictured above do not and won't leave a flat bottom if you try to drill with them. (ebay descriptions aren't always accurate!)
The best coolant for machining alluminium with h.s.s. cutters is always kerosene! (am I showing my age here?)
Great work guys :thumbsup:


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## CdaleTony (Jun 21, 2005)

Kraygus said:


> Beware of trying to plunge cut with an end mill! As Deesta said use a "Slot Drill". A end mill is not designed for drilling and has a recess in the centre that does not machine any material, and if forced to drill beyond the depth of this recess could have dangerous results. Some four flute cutters have one full width cutting edge on the bottom and are ok for plunging, but the ones pictured above do not and won't leave a flat bottom if you try to drill with them. (ebay descriptions aren't always accurate!)
> The best coolant for machining alluminium with h.s.s. cutters is always kerosene! (am I showing my age here?)
> Great work guys :thumbsup:


Nice,been awhile since I heard kerosene....Ever hear of milk, and what mtl was it recommended for? We had an old timer who swore he did that 'back in the day'
CDT

( I am serious)


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## Kraygus (Jul 9, 2008)

CdaleTony said:


> Nice,been awhile since I heard kerosene....Ever hear of milk, and what mtl was it recommended for? We had an old timer who swore he did that 'back in the day'
> CDT
> 
> ( I am serious)


Apparently it was for machining copper  , back when they had tredal powered lathes no doubt


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I use kerosene in my space heater so I will have to try it out. You know that jet fuel is kerosene so your not showing your age, it's in use every day!


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## jucasan (Mar 18, 2012)

Can you explain how did you polished the reflector. Just by hand?


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