Cutting brass with a router?
John Craig
intricate pattern. Instead of filing to shape, it occurred to me that
I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
John
Duke of URLs
Keep in mind I have not done this.
My guess would be yes, it would be dangerous. The problem as I see it
is with holding down the brass. Unless it was held flat and secure
across it's surface I would surmise that the edges would want to curl
or lift and maybe pull themselves into the bit.
You could glue the brass to a spoil board but you have the problem of
later releasing the finished product from the substrate. Maybe
contact cement and lacquer thinner might work but I suspect it would
be very messy. There are glues available from 3M that give varying
degrees of tack. Check with an art supply or drafting supply store.
You might want to consider laser or water jet cutting. Some are
capable of following a line drawing on paper or a CAD drawing could be
downloaded to the machine. Pretty spiffy end product too.
Keith Bohn
SLACKCE
>I have some thin sheets of brass which I want to cut out with an
>intricate pattern. Instead of filing to shape, it occurred to me that
>I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
>carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
>Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
>John
Dear John,
I am leaving you, because you won't build me what I want!
Sorry, I could't pass it up!
Yes this can be done and yes it can be dangerous.
Apply the brass to your pattern with double face tape in a couple of areas.
Then clamp this to your workbench using a board that will not interfer with the
edge that you intend to route. You may have to turn the piece a few times to
route around the whole piece.
If you use a 1/2" router bit with a ball bering guidon the bottom, you will
find that your router bit will not get into tight inside corners. For those
areas, I would use a 1/4" solid carbide laminate trim router bit, with the
rounded guide on the bottom of the bit.
Be very careful if you are trying to do any interior cuttings, where you might
small amounts of brass left around the edges. These might bend and get cought
up in the router bit and you will have to start over.
Make sure you have on long sleved shirts, eye protection, and gloves would not
hurt!
Good luck,
Charlie Slack
RAY LUMBERT
>
> I have some thin sheets of brass which I want to cut out with an
> intricate pattern. Instead of filing to shape, it occurred to me that
> I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
> carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
> Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
> John
Why not find someone who has a scroll saw John? I cut brass all the
time, use it for inlays.
Ray Lumbert
lha...@unm.edu
>>I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
>>carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
>>Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
>is with holding down the brass. Unless it was held flat and secure
>across it's surface I would surmise that the edges would want to curl
>or lift and maybe pull themselves into the bit.
>You could glue the brass to a spoil board but you have the problem of
>later releasing the finished product from the substrate. Maybe
>contact cement and lacquer thinner might work but I suspect it would
>be very messy. There are glues available from 3M that give varying
>degrees of tack. Check with an art supply or drafting supply store.
(much clipping)
You may also use a "down spiral" bit to help from
lifting the brass from the wood "spoil board".
Dont know if down spiral bits are available in the
size you would need for the detail required.
A local woodworker has routed brass when he made a
fancy plane a few years ago. I saw it at a club
meeting, very pretty, don't know if worked as well
as it looked.
...lew...
(a few blank lines to make the reply longer than the
original) :-(
juvenal
Phisherman wrote in message >...
>Sounds dangerous. A router bit is moving too fast for
>metalwork.
Actually, there is a product called metalmica that is a thin sheet of
aluminum or brass, and is used and worked like any other laminate.
Non-ferrous metals can be worked with standard carbide tooling, but there
are different precautions that must be learned and observed; i.e. aluminum
dust is far more explosive than wood dust.
The chips from routing brass are a nuisance and a danger, they are hot and
prickly. The real challenge here seems to be in devising a method of
holding the brass VERY securely, so it doesn't go flying. Ouch.
juvenal
Tom Jackson/Karen Oakland
John Craig wrote in message <36fdf56e...@news.wgtn.ihug.co.nz>...
>I have some thin sheets of brass which I want to cut out with an
>I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
>carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
>Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
I with the group that suggests using a scrollsaw, jigsaw, or bandsaw.
Consider making a sandwich with the brass between two sacrificial boards.
That's my suggestion. Be careful.
Tom Jackson
Engineered Conversion of Woods into Sawdust
Jerry McElrea
; i.e. aluminum
>dust is far more explosive than wood dust.
hate to sound like a know it all but it is magnesium that has a low flash
point not aluminum. Aluminum is perfectly safe in a dust form as far as
combustability is concerned. Magnesium is what they use in the old flash
bulbs and magic cubes for the kodac cameras.
George Anderson
Falklands war. The Al superstructure burned very hot after being lit by
an Exocet.
George
Robert C. Martin, Jr. wrote:
> If you believe that aluminum is non combustible, try mixing some with
> powdered iron oxide and applying a source of ignition! The mixture is
> called thermit (or thermite) and is the active ingredient in
> incendiary bombs, grenades and cryptographic equipment destroyers.
> Want to punch a quick hole in reinforced concrete wall - run some
> aluminum wire through a black iron pipe, hook one end up to an air
> compressor and heat the other with a welding torch until it ignites!
>
> Bob Martin | The principal difference between genius and
> Marietta, GA | stupidity is that there are limits to genius!
>
> Read the Woodworking FAQ: http://www.robson.org/woodfaq/
Robert C. Martin, Jr.
Robert C. Martin, Jr.
>I have some thin sheets of brass which I want to cut out with an
>intricate pattern. Instead of filing to shape, it occurred to me that
>I might be able to cut these with my 1/2in. router with a small
>carbide bit, following a wooden pattern?
>Is this possible? -- or dangerous?
>John
How thin. If less than 1/32" consider etching, otherwise, try a
jeweler's saw or power scroll saw with appropriate blade. You may
want to glue the sheet to a supporting sheet of thicker material or
sandwich between two sheets.
Jerry McElrea
Robert C. Martin, Jr. wrote in message
<370048a3...@news.mindspring.com>...
>"Jerry McElrea" <jmc...@auracom.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>; i.e. aluminum
>>>dust is far more explosive than wood dust.
>>
>>hate to sound like a know it all but it is magnesium that has a low flash
>>point not aluminum. Aluminum is perfectly safe in a dust form as far as
>>combustability is concerned. Magnesium is what they use in the old flash
>>bulbs and magic cubes for the kodac cameras.
>>
>If you believe that aluminum is non combustible, try mixing some with
>powdered iron oxide and applying a source of ignition! The mixture is
>called thermit (or thermite) and is the active ingredient in
>incendiary bombs, grenades and cryptographic equipment destroyers.
>Want to punch a quick hole in reinforced concrete wall - run some
>aluminum wire through a black iron pipe, hook one end up to an air
>compressor and heat the other with a welding torch until it ignites!
>
>
W. Ivey
problem was that the aluminum bulkheads transferred heat so well
the paint in adjoining compartments would burst into flame. The
fire went from one compartment to the next much faster than if
the aluminum itself was burning.
Anyone planing on building a fire-resistant cabinet for paint thinner,
etc. might want to bear this in mind. (There, that's sorta on topic,
ain't it?) -Wm
George Anderson wrote in message <370051FA...@cam.org>...
Matt Denton
the compost bin thread above forgot which ng this was. When I saw this
topic I thought it was "cutting grass with a router?" and had a good laugh
when I came to. I'm still chuckling. Maybe you had to be there...
--
Matt Denton
San Francisco, USA
Frank Shapiro_
and can give you a nicely detailed yard if done right.
--
...SPAM PROTECTION IN EFFECT....
Frank Shapiro B.Eng (Canada/Ontario )
Real Email is: user is shapiro_
location is yahoo.com
If at first you don't succeed, Sky diving is not for you.
Matt Denton wrote in message ...
Rob Weaver
hedges...
Cheers,
Rob (never too early to be silly) Weaver