Getting ready to mill Ti-al-VA bar stock to make a VAIS type brake for my 375 CheyTac. I've read that titanium mills best with aggressive feed and lubrication. Anybody here have anything to offer?
-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Gunsmithing Milling Titanium
- Thread starter zenbiker
- Start date
Re: Milling Titanium
coated carbide tools are a huge benifit , lots of cutting fluid and yes a faster feed rate works betters , heat builds and transfers fast with Ti.
I would highly suggest playing with some scrap before you dive into a project as a virgen
coated carbide tools are a huge benifit , lots of cutting fluid and yes a faster feed rate works betters , heat builds and transfers fast with Ti.
I would highly suggest playing with some scrap before you dive into a project as a virgen
Re: Milling Titanium
BE VERY CAREFUL, Ti can catch fire when being machined (rather easily) do NOT use water if this occurs!
BE VERY CAREFUL, Ti can catch fire when being machined (rather easily) do NOT use water if this occurs!
Re: Milling Titanium
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Creeter2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">BE VERY CAREFUL, Ti can catch fire when being machined (rather easily) do NOT use water if this occurs! </div></div>
I've seen this first hand. Use a multi-class extinguisher. Keep it nearby, as the Ti will not warn you when it's going to start up.
Once you start cutting, don't stop it, as it will harden even more so if you do, and always check your tool's for alloying, and sharpness.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Creeter2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">BE VERY CAREFUL, Ti can catch fire when being machined (rather easily) do NOT use water if this occurs! </div></div>
I've seen this first hand. Use a multi-class extinguisher. Keep it nearby, as the Ti will not warn you when it's going to start up.
Once you start cutting, don't stop it, as it will harden even more so if you do, and always check your tool's for alloying, and sharpness.
Re: Milling Titanium
Had a .250X18"OD plate catch fire on me, Extinguisher had a hard time catching up, piece Flame tempered itself(Burns blue/white flame purple-ish tint, VERY HOT) Piece cracked, broke, and became about 15 mid-sized projectiles.... Thank god i was near the tailstock not the chuck!
(Not milling, but still)
Had a .250X18"OD plate catch fire on me, Extinguisher had a hard time catching up, piece Flame tempered itself(Burns blue/white flame purple-ish tint, VERY HOT) Piece cracked, broke, and became about 15 mid-sized projectiles.... Thank god i was near the tailstock not the chuck!
(Not milling, but still)
Re: Milling Titanium
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Creeter2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Had a .250X18"OD plate catch fire on me, Extinguisher had a hard time catching up, piece Flame tempered itself(Burns blue/white flame purple-ish tint, VERY HOT) Piece cracked, broke, and became about 15 mid-sized projectiles.... Thank god i was near the tailstock not the chuck!
(Not milling, but still) </div></div>
Seen the fire but not the explosion! That would suck.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Creeter2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Had a .250X18"OD plate catch fire on me, Extinguisher had a hard time catching up, piece Flame tempered itself(Burns blue/white flame purple-ish tint, VERY HOT) Piece cracked, broke, and became about 15 mid-sized projectiles.... Thank god i was near the tailstock not the chuck!
(Not milling, but still) </div></div>
Seen the fire but not the explosion! That would suck.
Re: Milling Titanium
You want to use the sharp tooling, then run it slow, with moderate to heavy feeds (I try for .001 to .002 per tooth on a 1/2" cutter). I use TiAlN coated carbide for most of my milling, and get very good life out of my endmills if I keep them below 130 SFM for carbide, or 80 SFM for HSS. As JJones75 pointed out, Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, so any heat generated at the cutting edge tends to stay there. If you go slow, everything stays nice. Spin them too fast, and your tool life goes way down, sometimes catastrophically. Use a good soluble coolant, mixed pretty rich, maybe 10-20 percent. Titanium also tends to work harden very easily, so make sure you are always cutting. Don't take spring passes, or let the cutter dwell, unless you want a dull cutter. Generally, treat it like a tough stainless, and you should be fine. Keep a large bucket of sand handy, as the only decent way to put out a titanium fire is to smother it.
- Cameron
You want to use the sharp tooling, then run it slow, with moderate to heavy feeds (I try for .001 to .002 per tooth on a 1/2" cutter). I use TiAlN coated carbide for most of my milling, and get very good life out of my endmills if I keep them below 130 SFM for carbide, or 80 SFM for HSS. As JJones75 pointed out, Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, so any heat generated at the cutting edge tends to stay there. If you go slow, everything stays nice. Spin them too fast, and your tool life goes way down, sometimes catastrophically. Use a good soluble coolant, mixed pretty rich, maybe 10-20 percent. Titanium also tends to work harden very easily, so make sure you are always cutting. Don't take spring passes, or let the cutter dwell, unless you want a dull cutter. Generally, treat it like a tough stainless, and you should be fine. Keep a large bucket of sand handy, as the only decent way to put out a titanium fire is to smother it.
- Cameron
Re: Milling Titanium
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JJones75</div><div class="ubbcode-body">coated carbide tools are a huge benifit , lots of cutting fluid and yes a faster feed rate works betters , heat builds and transfers fast with Ti.
<span style="color: #FF0000">I would highly suggest playing with some scrap before you dive into a project as a virgen </span></div></div>+1. You don't want to dilly dally round with Ti. You need to know what you're going to do with your cut before you do it. Not like steels or al where you can play with feed rate and pressure in the middle of a cut. It will humble you.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JJones75</div><div class="ubbcode-body">coated carbide tools are a huge benifit , lots of cutting fluid and yes a faster feed rate works betters , heat builds and transfers fast with Ti.
<span style="color: #FF0000">I would highly suggest playing with some scrap before you dive into a project as a virgen </span></div></div>+1. You don't want to dilly dally round with Ti. You need to know what you're going to do with your cut before you do it. Not like steels or al where you can play with feed rate and pressure in the middle of a cut. It will humble you.
Re: Milling Titanium
Flood coolant is almost a must with Ti. If you think milling SS is a PITA, Ti will bring to a whole new world of suck.
HSS tooling is going to be disposable, and if you get it too hot, even once, you may as well scrap the tool
Flood coolant is almost a must with Ti. If you think milling SS is a PITA, Ti will bring to a whole new world of suck.
HSS tooling is going to be disposable, and if you get it too hot, even once, you may as well scrap the tool
Re: Milling Titanium
Make sure you dont keep many chip piles around, I learned that one back when I was in college playing in the machine shop afterhours. Looked like about 3 arc welders struck up then the sparks lit all my chip piles.
Make sure you dont keep many chip piles around, I learned that one back when I was in college playing in the machine shop afterhours. Looked like about 3 arc welders struck up then the sparks lit all my chip piles.
Re: Milling Titanium
1ZNUF- a little off topic, but why make a VAIS type brake out of titanium alloy? Just curious myself, is it for a super lightweight mountain rifle for a monster caliber or something, or just the "one of a kind" high CDI factor?
1ZNUF- a little off topic, but why make a VAIS type brake out of titanium alloy? Just curious myself, is it for a super lightweight mountain rifle for a monster caliber or something, or just the "one of a kind" high CDI factor?
Re: Milling Titanium
HSS will work better for the mill work. If you're milling 1/2"-3/4" say ~300 RPM on the spindle, barstock about the same in the lathe (say 1.5-2.0" bar). In the lathe it should pretty much come off as one shaving cuts of say .020" steady feed. Cuts like butter when you get it right. I'd not make a brake out of it though, if you must though, use moly lube to keep brake from galling on barrel....
HSS will work better for the mill work. If you're milling 1/2"-3/4" say ~300 RPM on the spindle, barstock about the same in the lathe (say 1.5-2.0" bar). In the lathe it should pretty much come off as one shaving cuts of say .020" steady feed. Cuts like butter when you get it right. I'd not make a brake out of it though, if you must though, use moly lube to keep brake from galling on barrel....
Re: Milling Titanium
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cameron Murphy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You want to use the sharp tooling, then run it slow, with moderate to heavy feeds (I try for .001 to .002 per tooth on a 1/2" cutter). I use TiAlN coated carbide for most of my milling, and get very good life out of my endmills if I keep them below 130 SFM for carbide, or 80 SFM for HSS. As JJones75 pointed out, Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, so any heat generated at the cutting edge tends to stay there. If you go slow, everything stays nice. Spin them too fast, and your tool life goes way down, sometimes catastrophically. Use a good soluble coolant, mixed pretty rich, maybe 10-20 percent. Titanium also tends to work harden very easily, so make sure you are always cutting. Don't take spring passes, or let the cutter dwell, unless you want a dull cutter. Generally, treat it like a tough stainless, and you should be fine. Keep a large bucket of sand handy, as the only decent way to put out a titanium fire is to smother it.
- Cameron </div></div>
LOL I had to drill about 50 holes in a Ti. .125 plate. Some clean and some with bevels on one side and some on both sides. All i had was a Chinese drill press. <span style="font-weight: bold">It was quite the adventure</span>, but i got it done.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cameron Murphy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You want to use the sharp tooling, then run it slow, with moderate to heavy feeds (I try for .001 to .002 per tooth on a 1/2" cutter). I use TiAlN coated carbide for most of my milling, and get very good life out of my endmills if I keep them below 130 SFM for carbide, or 80 SFM for HSS. As JJones75 pointed out, Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, so any heat generated at the cutting edge tends to stay there. If you go slow, everything stays nice. Spin them too fast, and your tool life goes way down, sometimes catastrophically. Use a good soluble coolant, mixed pretty rich, maybe 10-20 percent. Titanium also tends to work harden very easily, so make sure you are always cutting. Don't take spring passes, or let the cutter dwell, unless you want a dull cutter. Generally, treat it like a tough stainless, and you should be fine. Keep a large bucket of sand handy, as the only decent way to put out a titanium fire is to smother it.
- Cameron </div></div>
LOL I had to drill about 50 holes in a Ti. .125 plate. Some clean and some with bevels on one side and some on both sides. All i had was a Chinese drill press. <span style="font-weight: bold">It was quite the adventure</span>, but i got it done.
Similar threads
