Gunsmithing Holding a stock in the mill
- Thread starter Bradu
- Start date
I too wondered this. The one I did I put wood in the vise as a soft jaw to clamp onto the stock and was easy with my cuts after I indicated it close to flat.
Your biggest problem will be not marking up the stock, being flat won't be as critical since you are redoing the bedding anyway, if you are reinstalling pillars.
Your biggest problem will be not marking up the stock, being flat won't be as critical since you are redoing the bedding anyway, if you are reinstalling pillars.
I occasionally hold 'odd shaped' metal parts in a mill using plaster of Paris. You make a box and put the part in, leveling it for milling. Then pour plaster of Paris around it. The plaster hardens in minutes. You can then fixture the box, do your machining. After, you easily chip away the plaster and wash off any remaining plaster and your part is done.
I've use this for cast-iron car manifolds for years. They're like trying to fixture an eel. Also 'delicate' things that will chatter or tend to grab when milled. In fact, it not only holds the part, but if you pour the plaster almost to the level you are machining, it keeps the part from resonating/vibrating and giving you a rough finish.
I think the same thing would work easily for stocks. If you are worried about plaster sticking to the stock, give it a coating of something like silicone ski-binding lube before pouring in the plaster.
Just one old-fashioned way of skinning that particular cat.
Cheers,
Sirhr
I've use this for cast-iron car manifolds for years. They're like trying to fixture an eel. Also 'delicate' things that will chatter or tend to grab when milled. In fact, it not only holds the part, but if you pour the plaster almost to the level you are machining, it keeps the part from resonating/vibrating and giving you a rough finish.
I think the same thing would work easily for stocks. If you are worried about plaster sticking to the stock, give it a coating of something like silicone ski-binding lube before pouring in the plaster.
Just one old-fashioned way of skinning that particular cat.
Cheers,
Sirhr
This is how I do it: I push tools at 200ipm on this thing. All day.... Squareness and other machining setup fundamentals apply just as much to stock work as they do anything else.
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Not as fancy as Longrifles I just use paint sticks or wooden shims on each side of the stock in the vise . Once its all level a jack under the forearm seems to keep it secure enough for light machining .
Wow, cool fixture. Is that all steel, or ??? Hard to tell in the pic if the black parts are steel or something like Delrin, although I'm assuming steel?
Not being familiar with CNC...how does the epoxy and fiberglass slurry resulting from the operations impact the coolant recycling as compared to the usual chips
^^^
I would have assumed dry cutting as I know that's how typically done, but looks like a "slurry" on the walls of the machine. Thought maybe wet cutting might be used to eliminate the dangerous fiberglass/epoxy dust from a lot of dry cutting (just like wet cutting with a concrete saw, etc.). I'd guess a dedicated machine would be equipped to exhaust outside or filter/recycle air back into the shop.
I would have assumed dry cutting as I know that's how typically done, but looks like a "slurry" on the walls of the machine. Thought maybe wet cutting might be used to eliminate the dangerous fiberglass/epoxy dust from a lot of dry cutting (just like wet cutting with a concrete saw, etc.). I'd guess a dedicated machine would be equipped to exhaust outside or filter/recycle air back into the shop.
Machine is dedicated to stock work. It's bone dry. Not one drop. Way oil, spindle oil, it all splatters here and there. Static build up also contributes to the funk. My HS maggot gets this task a couple times a month.
You never, never want to run a stock in a machine with an active coolant system. Not unless you like cleaning oat meal out of every coolant orifice, hose, pump, and sump in the system. It sucks. I had to do that early on when starting out.
NOT NO MORE! lol.
Latest machine just hit the floor last Friday. 2017 Haas VF2. Nicely fitted and loaded with all sorts of fun stuff. That custom sub plate is heat treated, stress relieved, ground, and NOT CHEAP. I winced a little at that one.
Tools...gotta love em.
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You never, never want to run a stock in a machine with an active coolant system. Not unless you like cleaning oat meal out of every coolant orifice, hose, pump, and sump in the system. It sucks. I had to do that early on when starting out.
NOT NO MORE! lol.
Latest machine just hit the floor last Friday. 2017 Haas VF2. Nicely fitted and loaded with all sorts of fun stuff. That custom sub plate is heat treated, stress relieved, ground, and NOT CHEAP. I winced a little at that one.
Tools...gotta love em.
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Yup, I'm jealous.
My main reason for making any money at all with my tools is just to justify owning them for my own projects. It's working out so far, but no Haas CNC machine yet. Some day!
I'd change that slightly to say the "only reason for making any money at all with tools, is so I can buy more tools"...it never ends, even for those (not me, natch) that already seem to have it all. There's always something to make it "better, stronger, faster." (most here probably won't even recognize that quote, lol)
