Tools needed to machine own parts.

[BD1]

Was looking at machining my own bits and bobs, probably start off small like increasing the size of juice channels on my kayfuns, and possibly work up to building my own decks...

Was wondering what tools i'll need? I know the basics, i'll need a lathe, milling machine and pillar drill as a minimum for manufacturing my own gear.

I guess the things i need to know, how do you go about threading stuff? I know for an inside thread you can use a tap, but how are outside threads created?

Any modders out there wish enlighten me as to what tools they use when making stuff?

Many thanks!

 

[sparkyjuice]

A dremel is all you need for juice wells as for the rest where to start ??
A die stock is needed for outside threads but if you get a lathe you can turn both inner and outer
I feel that without sounding too condescending if you needed to ask that question then you've got a lot of reading up to do before plunging into machine shop tools
No offence intended BD1

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[BD1]

A dremel is all you need for juice wells as for the rest where to start ??
A die stock is needed for outside threads but if you get a lathe you can turn both inner and outer
I feel that without sounding too condescending if you needed to ask that question then you've got a lot of reading up to do before plunging into machine shop tools
No offence intended @BD1

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No offence taken I'm just one of those people that learn by getting my hands dirty.

I've already got a dremel and it made a bit of a bodge job of one of my kayfuns, works brilliantly but looks unsightly.

I don't plan on going too deep just yet, maybe i'll look into a drill press or milling machine, but i'll be doing a lot of reading and watching youtube tutorials before i spend any money.

 

[sparkyjuice]

No offence taken I'm just one of those people that learn by getting my hands dirty.

I've already got a dremel and it made a bit of a bodge job of one of my kayfuns, works brilliantly but looks unsightly.

I don't plan on going too deep just yet, maybe i'll look into a drill press or milling machine, but i'll be doing a lot of reading and watching youtube tutorials before i spend any money.

A good drill press is a start for sure with the right bits you can make all manner of things
An older used one would be good but you'd need to see it to check for quill runout (wobbling chuck)
Taps and dies can also be expensive as fine threads tend to be used in mods and attys


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[Audiopsyence]

This kind of thread makes me realise how much I DON'T know about stuff. I like that.

 

[G60]

You can do almost anything on a half decent lathe with a 4 jaw chuck. It takes a fair bit so sussing out though especially when you start screw cutting. Get a decent book on turning.

 

[BD1]

It's hurting my head already, trying to find a die in the region of 60 TPI that's bigger than 1/4" seems next to impossible

Do people usually cut their threads on a lathe? I needs to start watching some YouTube vids...

 

[Jim]

I'm an ex toolmaker so know a bit about thread cutting. Although ex being the appropriate word here. If you get a good lathe then the feed can be altered to give you any pitch of thread you desire. The point of your cutting tool would need to be ground to the desired angles. You can do internal threads with a single point using the same technique. Alternatively a good metric fine 22mm tap and die would do the trick if the O ring seal was tight.


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[darkprincelucifer]

This is what I do for a living - I'm a mechanical engineer and I work in a manufacturing environment. Most of my time is spent on CNC milling machines but I also use CNC lathes and grinders and all sorts of "manual" machines for fiddles or fixture manufacture. I served a 4 year apprenticeship in order to machine competently and be called an engineering technician, followed by another 4 year degree in order to be called an engineer.

PLEASE don't go buying machine tools if you don't have any training. PLEASE don't. These machines are incredibly dangerous and there are things that on the surface look safe to do but in practice can take your fingers clean off before you've even noticed something's gone wrong. All it takes is a lump of bar in a lathe chuck to come loose or for you to take a slightly too heavy cut and you'll have a kilo of steel launching itself towards your face at a fast enough speed to cave in your skull. If you really want to start turning/milling then at least take a college course in machining first or get someone who knows what they're doing to take you under their wing until you're competent. You'll learn a lot as well. There's a reason why we have to train for so long.

Bench drills and other small hobbyist tools are still pretty dangerous but with a little common sense they're nowhere near as dangerous as proper machine tools. I guess the gist of this would be, "Whatever you do, just be fucking careful and think of what these machines are doing to steel and therefore what they can do to flesh".

Having said all that, the tools you'll need to start making mods and parts are a lathe and a bunch of turning tools - right hand cutters, left hand cutters, boring bars possibly knurling tool etc. Make sure the lather has a good tail stock and is well serviced. Bench grinder for shaping/sharpening the tools. You'll need a 3 jaw chuck and would benefit from a 4 jaw chuck. You'll also need a few DTIs and clock stands. This lot could make you a tube mod as long as everything you want to make has a cylindrical form.
You'll also want a milling machine for anything that isn't round and a bunch of end mills and slot drills of all sizes and forms. A good machine vice, mallets and parallels. If you have a milling machine, you don't need a pillar/bench drill.
You'll need vernier calipers, micrometers and bore micrometers. Tap and die sets... You need SO much expensive stuff that I doubt many people would have enough money to set themselves up from scratch. A hobby workshop is the sort of thing that takes years and years and several THOUSANDS of pounds to build up. I certainly wouldn't want to pay for one!

Some colleges would let you use their equipment if you are or have been a student there and are trained on the machines - some of them run a Sarurday workshop type affair. Could be worth looking into that before looking into a big, shiny lathe.

 

[darkprincelucifer]

If you want to have a read up there is only one book you need - Machinery's Handbook. Get hold of a copy of that (they're not cheap), have a good read and then decide if you still want to do it

A Ref Book/Zeus Book will be invaluable if you actually do start machining. You'll also need to dust off your trigonometry and get a nice calculator!