dobey Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Finally got my mill and lathe a few weeks ago and I have been happily making parts for my guns. Let me know what you think and feel free to offer up new ideas as well. My CA M4, I didn't touch the receiver but everything else (besides the scope and mount) is made by myself from 6061 t6 aluminum. The gun is not complete yet, still making a nylon and Velcro bag that fits in the stock rails and will hold the battery, and the gun is just mocked up in these photos (not fully assembled). To test my tooling for perfectly straight threads I made this little flash suppressor (was also playing with the knurling tool). And my nice compact CA M14 scope mount that sits perfectly in the rear site notch: I am setting up my anodizing tanks today so I can get away from using the black paint, I hate how easy it wears away. Let me know what you think/areas I can improve on. Link to post Share on other sites
Ledpocket Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Nice work. If you want the anodize to be matte instead of shiny, sandblast the parts first. My experience with "chemically matte" ano is that it's still a bit too shiny for my tatstes. Looking forward to more mods Link to post Share on other sites
MDK_Marshal Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 Very nice, Especialy the flashhider Wish I had a mill and a lathe ;_; Link to post Share on other sites
tippey Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 very nice work m8. now to save my own money to get a lathe so i can make a barrel extension to turn my m60 shotry into a full length vn lol Link to post Share on other sites
AGuy Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 can you do some work? I need a silencer adapter for my classic, its like a 16mm outer barrel, I can give you exacts of course...let ne know by PM Link to post Share on other sites
ardrummer292 Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Man, am I jealous. I would love to do that sort of stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
DesertFoxRomel Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 outstanding work there mate. may i suggest a suggestion, as for the battery placement, is there enough space to put one inside the silencer instead of using a bag? Link to post Share on other sites
broken gun Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 nice work. i wish i knew hwo to cut threads with a lathe. i might try it this weekend. Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted November 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Thanks for all the nice comments. I may just be able to fit a battery inside the silencer, I might have to turn the outer barrel down a bit but I will play with it this afternoon and see what I can do. I have been busy playing in the fun world of anodizing. That little bin of scrap aluminum I was saving is paying off now. It is easier than I thought and yet somehow harder at the same time. Soon as I get that down I will do up some of the pieces I made and post up new pics all anodized. Link to post Share on other sites
Docv400 Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Nice work Dobey. I love my lathe, it's a bit old and worn but it's good enough for the bits I do. A small vertical mill is definately my next big purchase Keep posting your work. Edit; If that was my gun, I'd make a custom battery pouch that fits between the stock rails Second Edit; I really should read the threads properly before posting Link to post Share on other sites
broken gun Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 you could sell those front ends for quiet abit. i know i fwould buy one. wha tkind of mill and lathe do you have? Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted November 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 It doesn't even have a name on it, the mill and lathe that is, its from china I am sure but a great machine I am loving it. Just made this blank this morning, I plan on cutting some slots in the sides to simulate a muzzle brake. Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticMag Posted November 15, 2007 Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 Did you get your machine from HarborFreight (god I love those people)? Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted November 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2007 I got it from eBay but it is the same machine I think, looks just like it. It is small but surprisingly it has plenty of power, I have cut aluminum and steel with it so far with ease. Link to post Share on other sites
AGuy Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Dobey did me some work, pictures seemed to turn out good and he was a good seller, I'll update (or he will ) when I get it... Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted November 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Just finished it up and mailed it, let me know how it works for you. Here is the part, a clamp on thread adapter for a plastic barrel aeg. Concept we worked out in PM's: Machined part: Finished part: Hope it works for you. Link to post Share on other sites
Bizurkur Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 that frikkin ingenious. getting the silencer etc. off the threads might be hard. but still incredible. Link to post Share on other sites
Catman Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Nice idea. And nice work on those parts! Yeah definately need to get a mill on the lathe in the workshop - but I'm still learning on the lathe nice work. i wish i knew hwo to cut threads with a lathe. i might try it this weekend. From what I understand; you have to have a lathe with that capability. You set the gears/belts to the correct ratios, start the machine, pull a lever and it cuts the thread. Link to post Share on other sites
RockDog Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 looks cool mate, great work Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted November 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Yes Catman that is how mine works, you pick the Threads per inch you want and set the gears and belts according to the manuals charts. The tricky part is having the diameter of the part set correctly and cutting the threads deep enough but not to deep. It has taken me some testing to get the parts threading smooth as silk but it wasn't as hard as I thought. I still need to use the tap and die for the 14mm CCW threads, haven't figured out how to thread backwards threads on the lathe if mine even is capable. For these I do the threading operation first and then screw in an old piece of barrel, chuck that up in the lathe and machine the part to the threaded hole to keep everything perfectly straight. Link to post Share on other sites
broken gun Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 ive been looking for a 14mm CCW tap and die set. havnt been able to fine one though. if any one knows where to get one please tell me. i need to make a threaded barrel for one of my projects Link to post Share on other sites
PlasticMag Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?prod...=267&page=1 Link to post Share on other sites
Viking Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 Thats great work. I just got the Sieg X2 Lathe... same as the HF/Grizzly lathe... I am also thinking of getting a Mini Mill too... I just built a M72 LAW from a spent tube and 40mm Madbull shells. I could get the original firing mechanism to work and fire the shell. I use nerf rockets and they go about 100 to 120 ft... For now I am using a PVC pipe inside the LAW tube. I will post some pics later. Its great to see you guys building some nice parts. I am still learning to use the tools and buy some tooling. Thanks Arvin Link to post Share on other sites
QQexDERA Posted December 7, 2007 Report Share Posted December 7, 2007 It's tooling thats the killer. I spent 3 times as much on the tooling as I did on my mill Couple of useful hints for milling. 1: Only n00bs use a milling cutter mounted in a chuck. Get an auto locking milling chuck. Worth EVERY penny! 2: If you havent got enough space between the cutter and the table, get some finger collets. 3: Get a piece of thick cardboard and cut it into a T shape, so you can get the chips out of the T slots. 4: If you need to cut large diameter holes, dont bother trying to bodge it using a rotary table, get a boring head. Far easier to set up, and far more accurate. 5: Fly cutters are far better for milling large flat surfaces than using multiple passes with an end mill. Yeah, machining stuff is my other obsession Link to post Share on other sites
dobey Posted January 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Now that the holidays are over its back to the shop for more custom airsoft parts. This is a front vertical grip I just made for my mini m4 project, the one that was on it in the first page pics was plastic and it really needed to be redone. I have a good handle on anodizing now, but the dye I was using for the black parts still leaves a bit of purple hue so I am looking for a better alternative, the rest of the colors I have tried (green tan and brown) all look fantastic though. Here it is raw aluminum and then anodized black (sorry for the bad second pic, this new camera is ###### and it is hit or miss on the pic quality). Also cant wait I am getting a larger mill (22x10 inch bed travel) in a few weeks. Link to post Share on other sites
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