Questions metal heads/(machinists)

C Craft

C Craft

Well-Known Member
I am looking for a cutter I can use in my drill press. My drill press will accommodate up to 5/8" diameter in the chuck!! What I am looking for is an end mill that can be used in a plunge operation!

Take a look at this wood auger bit.
1532548325253.png
Do they make an end mill bit that uses a carbide cutter and can be adjusted in or out to vary the size of the hole????
I need to do a plunge cut big enough to accommodate a deer antler. I other words I am trying to make a pocket that will become the inside of a ferule!! If someone has another idea I am all ears.
 
How large a hole do you wish to cut? Cut in metal? Aluminum or carbon? I'd think a holesaw would be your best option for larger holes. The cutter you linked to is a fly cutter which is designed to surface not holes. What are tolerances on hole? ±.001"? 1/8"?
 
Let me explain a bit better what I am trying to accomplish! I want to make a ferule from a wrought iron bolt. In other words my thoughts were to accomplish this in this way!

Find center of the large wrought iron bolt and drill a small pilot hole, for (line up use later)!

Using a metal cutting bit/mill to make a rather large 3/4" -1" in diameter to accommodate a large piece of antler I will be using for the handle. That hole will need to be about 1/2" deep or deeper! Of course the handle/antler will need to be dressed for a final fit into the hole I created.

Go back and using the pilot hole which will be at (center point)! Chuck up the inner part of the ferule and turn down the outside. Similar to turning down a wooden object on a lathe!

So the more I think about this the more I have doubts my drill press will be able to do it. A hole saw will not remove the inner part of what I need to do.

So guys I am open to suggestions here!!!!

Sorry I had to run off. I got grand young'uns today and one of them is sick. So I am multitasking! LOL Right off the top of my head the only other option I am seeing at the moment is forging this wrought into a pocketed ferule! Which is not an exciting idea to me. One, I do very little forging at this time, two, I have been that this particular wrought is hard to forge and three, I have never attempted to forge a ferule!!! Not that it would not be a learning experience but,...……….
 
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ARCustomKnives said:
I agree with Ken, unless you have a very rigid drill press, a hole saw will generally be the best bet.

That said, I believe you are looking for what is known as a trepanning tool, or a circle cutter:

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/06560551
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Andrew that won't work for what I am trying to do but thanks!! I not only have to drill or cut the piece for the antler or the inner part of the ferule but I need to remove the metal inside of that hole to allow the antler to go inside, at least a 1/2" I would think.

A hole saw would work to rough the outer part of the ferule and then I could dress it down.

I don't know maybe I am just thinking about this in all the wrong ways. When I come up with something I have never done before I have to try and think it out. Not being a machinist I maybe thinking about this in all the wrong way!!!!
 
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So I borrowed this image off of the net and hopefully I am not stepping on any ones toes, I don't see a name attached or I would reference it!!

See the ferule in this pic.
1532555849032.png

That is what I am talking about cutting from a wrought bolt I have! Maybe that explains better what I am attempting to do!!

Guys I am open to suggestion on an alternate way to create this ferule!

Chuck Burrows told me it could be done by forging in two different ways. That was a few months before he passed from the cancer. But he also cautioned that it would not be an easy task!! So that tells you how long I have been mulling this process over in my head!! He passed back in late Apr. of 2016 if I remember right!

So it is time to get busy, fail or not I have to finish this knife!!! The ferule has to match up with the guard I am going to make from wrought as well!! I recently inquired as too whether their is a difference in the finish product from wrought and so no matter if I forge or machine I have to do both the ferule and the guard in the same manner!! Reference this thread, https://knifedogs.com/threads/wrought-iron.48112/#post-366414
 
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GeneK said:
Could you use a twist drill bit like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-BL2175-Fractional-Reduced-Shank/dp/B001AHOPPS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1532556163&sr=8-3&keywords=3/4+steel+drill+bit
It has a 1/2” shank so would work in your drill press.

Just seen your new post. My guess is a ferrule like that is slotted to fit the tang and the antler butts to it with pins.
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Yep that is what I think too but after seeing your post that could be the easiest way to drill out the inner part of the ferule. Sometimes when your not familiar with things like machining, you miss the obvious!! o_O Duh, why didn't I think of that!! The slot will be the next thing cut into the ferule. after getting the inner point of the ferule to where I want it!
 
I guess I didn't understand your initial question. You're just trying to drill a 1" to 1-1/4"ish diameter round recess in the bottom of an antler?

How about just a regular spade or forstner bit?
 
If I understand what your talking about Cliff, you want at least a 1" blind hole in head of a large bolt head then finish the hole with a smaller hole for the tang to fit thru right?
If that's right a large drill bit might work but,
A milling machine would be the best way to do it, without possibly screwing it up. if you can find a machine shop they'd probably do it for $10.00 or so I would think.

I think that's what your wanting, I may be wrong.
 
OK I am going to resort to some pretty bad drawing but here goes!! Don't laugh at my drawings!!:eek:

In figure 1 I have a large wrought iron bolt. I am going to set it up square to the drill press and drill a 3/16" pilot hole. Then I follow with a 3/4" bit and drill what will be the inner part of the ferule. Not sure if I need to but I could square the bottom of the hole by following it up with a end mill to plow it out to square on the bottom of the 3/4" hole.

In figure 2 using the 3/16" pilot hole I take a hole saw and cut the outside of the ferule with about 1 1/4" hole saw. This will rough cut the outside of the ferule. The whole think is cut off on the dotted line. By using a 3/16" bolt and nut thru the pilot hole I can then chuck it up and dress down the outside of the ferule. All I have left will be to cut the slot in the ferule to go over the blind tang of the knife!

I am sure there may be easier ways to do this but at the moment that is where I am at! However I am still open for suggestions. My problem is I do not have a mill!! So I am going to go eat some supper and mull this over in my mind! Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!

IMG_3244.JPG
 
Yeah, I'd just take a regular spade bit like this:

1532567032660.jpeg

and rough out your large diamater recess. Then you'll have a nice little pilot point/hole to drill your smaller center hole to whatever size you need.
 
Andrew what I am showing drilling down into with that 3/4" bit is a wrought iron bolt.

In this pic below it would be where the antler inserts into the ferule! That ferule is what I am trying to create! If it were to be made out of silver I could cut all the parts and solder it all together.

However to make it out of wrought iron. I have to figure another way to make.

Chuck Burrows told me two ways to do it all out of wrought. I could drive a round punch into the wrought to create the inside of the ferule where the antler goes, and then work down the outside!
Or I could flatten the wrought out to a sheet and the form it around a bottom plug of wrought and forge it all together.

I listened well enough to know it is above my grade level in forging!!


1532568379942.png
 
cnccutter said:
If I understand you right Cliff, it could be boarded on a lath with a four jaw chuck.

Erik
Click to expand...

I think I know what you are speaking off. I am not a machinist, nor do I have a mill or metal lathe.

Who would have thunk the idea would hurt my head as much as this one has!! 1532578906341.png
 
I understand what you're after. You want to make an actual ferrule......not just a spacer, which most people incorrectly refer to as a ferrule.

It could be done with a drill press but it isn't ideal.

IF I HAD to do it with a drill press, I'd do it with small diameter bits, not one big one all in one shot.

I would use a small diameter drill bit to remove most of the recessed area. Then I'd use a center cutting end mill of small diameter to remove the webbing between all the holes and make the bottom of the recess nice and flat.

I'd get very close to my finished perimeter dimensions with the end mill also. Then I'd do final clean up and fit with dremel and/or hand tools.

The slot for the tang could be cut into the ferrule either before or after. I'd do it before.

An x-y axis slide/milling vise would be almost a must. This type of work is not good for any drill press.
 
J. Doyle said:
I understand what you're after. You want to make an actual ferrule......not just a spacer, which most people incorrectly refer to as a ferrule.

It could be done with a drill press but it isn't ideal.

IF I HAD to do it with a drill press, I'd do it with small diameter bits, not one big one all in one shot.

I would use a small diameter drill bit to remove most of the recessed area. Then I'd use a center cutting end mill of small diameter to remove the webbing between all the holes and make the bottom of the recess nice and flat.

I'd get very close to my finished perimeter dimensions with the end mill also. Then I'd do final clean up and fit with dremel and/or hand tools.

The slot for the tang could be cut into the ferrule either before or after. I'd do it before.

An x-y axis slide/milling vise would be almost a must. This type of work is not good for any drill press.
Click to expand...


John, that is where I am headed with this exactly!! Also that is what I am trying to figure out is can I do this with a drill press because I don't own a mill or lathe. I will definitely take your thoughts under consideration as how to with a drill press!!

I used to know a local that had a machine shop but it has shut down. Most machine shops keep their door open by doing the big jobs and do not really want to mess around with a small projects like this, nor do they understand how important precision is for me!!
 
John Wilson said:
Cliff, if you want to send it to me I can cut it out on a lathe and send it right back to you. Something like this is darn near death-defying on a drill press but child's play on a lathe.
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John, I will keep you in mind! Thanks for the offer!! I am still trying to figure out how to do it "in house"! I am stubborn ole cuss, or at least I have been told that!! :eek::p

It's kind of like this, you can't learn to swim when you are standing on the bank!!
 
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