Im looking to purchase a tool to machine flat surfaces, such as Cosworth cam covers, manifold mating surfaces, etc. Anyone know what machine is required and where to pick one up?

Cheers

 

A block of marble, engineering blue and a selection of files? That's what I used to make my cylinder head flat again.

 

A milling machine with a fly cutter is what i used to use.

 

You'll need either a milling machine or surface grinder, the milling machine will be more practical though. Neither are particularly cheap though.

 

A surface grinder would be no good for alloy parts tho.

 

what time u leave jackos last night ginge ??

you get it in primer ?

beef

 

Very true, it'd just clog the stone up. The miller would be a lot more practical/versatile.

 

I got in the house for just after 11 bud, it should be in primer today think i would have gone down today but slept in lol. Have you recovered from your anti-lag experince yet

 

bang on

 

still grinning lol,

want it bk together asap now lol ,


beef

 

you can do it by keeping the surface wet with parafin

 

Paul16v/Twellsie, got any ideas where to pick this up from? Ive browsed EBAY and Google search, but have no idea what Im looking at

Are these machines easy to use?

Cheers

 

they are pretty easy to use, the time consuming part is setting the job up so that its in the right orrientation, not to sure where you would by a smaller machine for home use etc as I on deal with much larger machine, our little mills are about 20 years old so have never had to buy one.

machine mart maybe?

 

Thanks mate. Ive seen a few, but have no idea on specs, etc I need to look out for. Im looking to use it for my Powder Coating business, so a small machine is good for now, but in the future I may need to upgrade.

One Ive seen, any good?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=260296779112

 

id say so,ething like this, that one you have linked to is very small for amiller

this may be old but id imagine theres a lot of them out there still in use, i know i used these at college and in the tool makers at peugeot factory

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELLIOT-MILMOR-...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRIDGEPORT-MIL...QQcmdZViewItem

 

That wouldnt really be ideal for what you want it for like skimming flat faces you turn it by hand you wouldnt really get a good uniform surface finish by hand you would need a machine with power feed imo, something like an old bridgeport would be good but you would probs be looking at double the price of that one you put the link up for possably more, ive been out of the trade for a few years now so lost touch with machine prices etc.

*edit* looking again that ebay link you put up might have power feed its hard to tell really another thing to concider is will the machine be big enough to have enough travel to skim things like cam covers in a single pass.

 

i would say that would be ok for general milling, but if you are fly cutting, which it sounds like you will be, you could do with something around a 2kw motor due to the extra load, i certainly wouldn't trust a machine like that to skim a head

 

both of those posted above by xr4x4rs would be ideal, but they are 3 phase, which most decent millers are.

we have a couple of bridgeports

 

Bridgeports are good machines the basic design of them hasnt changed in decades lol

 

All I need the item for is skimming cosworth cam covers, inlet manifold mating surfaces, etc. Won't even attempt to skim heads, etc as I would rather trust a engineering shop

Might have to find my local engineering shop and work out a deal as Ł2k for one atm is a bit too much as I won't use it that much Will have to wait till I upgrade premisses and get a big machine

Thanks for the help

 

proberly a better idea mate, plus alot of engineering shops a crying for work at the minute, so should be able to get some good deals.

2k is only the start of it, you have got installation and calibration to go on top of that

 

Plus decent quality tooling it all adds up to become quite expensive for what is quite a simple process.

 

Can't believe the prices.

Just checked Yell.com and found a engineering shop literally 20secs from my garage. They must be new to the area as Ive never seen em. Will pop down when the snow clears and I go to me garage

 

they are cheap mate, you wanna see the prices of big ones, lol

think our last one was just over 250k

 

get a bridgeport and get someone to show you how to use it,,,you will love it
i use mine all the time!

 

then their is tipped tools.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bridgeport-Ver...1%7C240%3A1318

 

a decent surface grinder will take up a garage lol

they are fookin expensive tho, my dad traded in his last one, got abour 30k for it and it was a fair few years old.

the new one however cost over 1/4 mil

you could use a CNC or a milling machine too. but again, a lot of dollar!!

 

God ive not used a milling machine since i was 22 at the Royal Ordnance factory nottingham

im a skilled miller

Nige

 

why use a surface grinder when he needs a miller?

 

get a bridge port milling m/c and a fly cutter.