Afternoon Folks,
Slowly my skills are developing after passing my level 2 Tig Aluminium and MIG course earlier in the year and I am at the stage where I would like to have a go at making my own bicycle frame and am left wondering which tools I am lacking.
Aside from cutting and bending it would seem I need the ability to cut very precise holes in thick (5-10mm) aluminium or possibly steel if it ends up being steel, for bearings to seat in. Also holes /recesses for motors to mount so from 80-120mm ish.
Being inexperienced in actually ever having milled or turned something I am pretty clueless as to whether a mill or a lathe would be the better option to look into purchasing...it'll not be a big floor standing one in any case, so a bench version of either it would be due to space limitations.
It appears that I could actually mill items on a lathe but can't really turn things on a mill so perhaps a lathe is the better option?
Initially my head has been gravitating toward a mill with the addition of a rotary vice of some kind to create plunge holes (forgive me if my terminology is all wrong)!
Help...which would you choose for a similar project or perhaps there are other machines that would be better suited?
Thanks for your help once again ...
Slowly my skills are developing after passing my level 2 Tig Aluminium and MIG course earlier in the year and I am at the stage where I would like to have a go at making my own bicycle frame and am left wondering which tools I am lacking.
Aside from cutting and bending it would seem I need the ability to cut very precise holes in thick (5-10mm) aluminium or possibly steel if it ends up being steel, for bearings to seat in. Also holes /recesses for motors to mount so from 80-120mm ish.
Being inexperienced in actually ever having milled or turned something I am pretty clueless as to whether a mill or a lathe would be the better option to look into purchasing...it'll not be a big floor standing one in any case, so a bench version of either it would be due to space limitations.
It appears that I could actually mill items on a lathe but can't really turn things on a mill so perhaps a lathe is the better option?
Initially my head has been gravitating toward a mill with the addition of a rotary vice of some kind to create plunge holes (forgive me if my terminology is all wrong)!
Help...which would you choose for a similar project or perhaps there are other machines that would be better suited?
Thanks for your help once again ...