[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> In a message dated 98-05-28 23:43:50 EDT, you write:
>
> << No I don't have access to a milling machine. But I have plenty of
> hacksaws, files and elbow grease.
One can get amazing results, machining aluminum with a wood
working router. Make your pattern from wood, the exact shape of
the plate. Secure it to your workbench. Secure your rough cut
billet of aluminum to the wood pattern. You can probably
pre-drill your mounting holes, and run screws through these
holes, into your workbench.
Use a 1/2" shank, 2-3 horse router with a carbide trimming bit.
When cutting the aluminum, trace in the opposite direction you
would if you were trimming wood. That is to say, cut with the
direction of the rotating head (climbing). If your router turns
clockwise, trace around the part in a clockwise direction.
Remove a very small amount of material each pass. The last pass
will give you a part that looks as if it came out of a $100k CNC
milling machine.
Pat
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