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Aluminum Carts

Alexander

Alexander

Ultra Member
Administrator
The project is to create some aluminum carts which are easy to carry but could also support a lot of weight. I thought it'll be handy to have one to move my milling machine and CNC lathe around.
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First I drilled 1 hole so I could bolts each castor into place.

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After each wheel was in place I drilled the rest of the holes
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I will post again once I have one cart finished. I am going to try rounding off the sharp edges with a wood router. Has anyone tried a wood router on aluminum?
 

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Hey Alex, I have seen a wood router on aluminum be used pretty successfully on YouTube, but never done it myself!

Looking forward to see how those turn out!
 
As long as you get a high enough quality bit it should be fine. Never done it before myself, though.

Why don't you just put a radius endmill in the mill?

Sent from my B15 using Tapatalk
 
I've heard the typical carbide router bit for woodworking has a steeper rake angle than what you would see for metal cutting. So I would expect it to be more grabby. But maybe you could rig something up to do a series of progressive lighter passes vs. full depth. The trick is dialing the SFM speed to what the aluminum & bit diameter works out to & maybe get some cutting fluid in there so the bit doesn't gum up which aluminum is famous for. I've seen examples of carbide saw blades pressed into cutting aluminum like chop-saw mode. But in my own mind it seems a bit more controlled, you have many more cutting teeth there & more controlled 'feed'. I'm just concerned the router bit might dig in & kick back at you.

I've been visualizing a chamfering machining that I could either bring to a plate like your project, or bench mount & bring smaller work to the machine. I figured a smaller trimmer router could be adapted with bolt on attachment so it could still function for normal work. Well, this guy nailed it. Its officially on my project list. Notice a standard 90-deg metal cutting router bit standing upright but the angle fence controls the 45-deg approach. I was visualizing a 45-deg bit running along its cone like normal router mode. But a) those bits cost more money b) its more a side load vs. straight ploughing. His 90-deg end mill style is smarter IMO.

 
Yeah it slows down a bit. This one has variable speed and I found around 20,000 rpm works best. It doesn't kick or make a mess as long as you hold onto it good. This router operates between 11k and 30k rpm
 
Looks good. Is that particular trolley plate for the mill? What kind of machine weights are we talking? Do you just divide weight by castor rating = number castors? In hindsight I wish I put some thought into this for my lathe stand. I've seen frames that integrate both wheels and screw type support legs. You can roll the machine into place, then the feet screw-jack down to the floor to level up in running mode. I've seen this on woodworking machines but not as often on metal machines. Maybe they are just considered more permanent. My mill has kind of a cheesy sheet steel box base that vibrates & resonates. One day I'll come up with a more substantial tube frame idea with storage shelves & undercarriage.
 
I have been a busy guy. With the help of a good friend we drilled and chamfered 575 holes this weekend. As for how much weight you can throw on the big one literally tons!
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The wheels are from caster land. I like caster land because it is locally owned mom and pop shop. The owner is often in there making sure things run smoothly. They seem like a nice place to do business. Kris if you want to ride one down a hill I'll bring a cart. They are stupid heavy with the wheels on so I anticipate an amputation of fingers if you hit the curb.
 
Alexander said:
The wheels are from caster land. I like caster land because it is locally owned mom and pop shop. The owner is often in there making sure things run smoothly. They seem like a nice place to do business. Kris if you want to ride one down a hill I'll bring a cart. They are stupid heavy with the wheels on so I anticipate an amputation of fingers if you hit the curb.
Click to expand...
Let's wait for the summer
 
The heaviest machine I own is probably only 2000lbs. These carts will be applied to much bigger tasks than just moving my little shop around.
 
While josh and I drink ice cold beers at the bottom and laugh. I think it would go something like this.
Josh: do you think he will make it alright?

Alex: probably not are you making a video right now.

Josh: yes I am.

Alex: sweet I'm going to dial 9 and 1 if he crashes I'll press 1 again
 
Alexander said:
While josh and I drink ice cold beers at the bottom and laugh. I think it would go something like this.
Josh: do you think he will make it alright?

Alex: probably not are you making a video right now.

Josh: yes I am.

Alex: sweet I'm going to dial 9 and 1 if he crashes I'll press 1 again
Click to expand...

Josh: We should probably put some ice from the cooler into a bag in case we need to transport any fingers.
 
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