CNC Picks

[caliusoptimus]

So I just remembered a trick I saw on youtube.... the super glue chuck!

I made a fixture and super glued a piece of feeler stock in place. I managed to machine a gem out of 0.013 and 0.020 and they came out beautifully!
This is pretty exciting! Now I can make custom picks without all the handwork

The first one I made came out rough due to a dull endmill.

rough.JPG

After a few minutes with sandpaper and a buffing wheel and bam!

013.JPG

Then I made one out of 0.020" stock.

020.JPG

Here is the edge of the 0.020" pick. I'm proud of this one it came out nice!

edge.JPG

I took some video if the machining and I'll post it up later today or tomorrow.

[MBI]

Whoa. That turned out nice.

[caliusoptimus]

So basically I faced off a piece of scrap aluminum and machined a small step to align the feeler stock. Cleaned it up, super glued the feeler and ran the program. Super shallow cuts at a slow feed. I think the cuts were 0.003 deep per pass.



I found this template in a google search. It is close to a peterson gem (which has been my go-to since day 1) but the hook is a bit too tall for my taste. Modifications soon to come.
If anyone is wondering why I made one so thin it's for schlage C keyways. A 0.013" pick will slide past all of the warding and make high-low bitting more manageable. I tired it and it works but very little feedback. Also not strong enough to set a sharp spool... back to the drawing board.

[MBI]

Ok, I was wondering how you keep the feeler stock still and flat so it doesn't wobble and chatter as it gets milled down to something as narrow as the end of a pick. That answers my question.

Thanks for the video. Machining porn is always welcome.

[DCT]

Cool!
Its nice to see someone else "crazy" enough to do this;)
I machine glued parts every week and have done so for years.
Spread the word, its a great way to hold thin material.
Carpet tape and hot glue have gotten me through some tough jobs in the past.

[HT4]

Nice trick. I may try that. I have some .012" feeler gauge and I was trying to figure out the best way to cut it. This thread is very timely for me. Thanks.

[Papa Gleb]

Great work mate, the pick came out super.

Really? I thought every know about the glue trick. I didnt even know it was a trick lol. A bit of heat and the stock pops right off.

[l0ckcr4ck3r]

Nice work, seen that trick on Clickspring. Whats the material like, can you temper it or is it good to go as is?

[caliusoptimus]

Nice work, seen that trick on Clickspring. Whats the material like, can you temper it or is it good to go as is?

The material is almost perfect as-is. The packaging says it's C1095 hardened and tempered to RC48-RC52. It's rigid but doesn't break unless you really bend it badly. Overall it seems on par with my commercially made picks.

It's tough to machine though...I've chipped the edges off of 3 endmills making 5 picks.


I've attached my templates if anyone wants to mess with em'.

picks1.zip

[l0ckcr4ck3r]

I tossed the idea of milling them as a commercial exercise because of that problem. I even thought about normalizing the steel, cutting it and re tempering but thats a lotta work.

Really nice job though, thanks for sharing.

[caliusoptimus]

I tossed the idea of milling them as a commercial exercise because of that problem. I even thought about normalizing the steel, cutting it and re tempering but thats a lotta work.

Really nice job though, thanks for sharing.

I'm gonna try a 4 flute coated EM next. I was using 3flute ones that I had left over from a job. I was looking for a 5 or 6 flute because they usually have tougher geometry but I couldn't find one in 1/16". If I get 3 or 4 picks out of a double end mill it's about 4-6 bucks per pick which is reasonable for my own use. Maybe I'll step up to a 1/8" but I think it will peel the stock off the fixture.

Thank you btw!

I get the feeling that laser will always be the best way to go. I've been thinking about getting a fiber laser for my shop.... if I do I could probably cut picks with it. It won't be a gantry style meant for cutting but rather an engraving style with little mirrors that move the laser beam. I've seen fiber lasers that can engrave 1/8"+ into metals so I think it could work although very slowly.

[Papa Gleb]

Very interesting Calius, please do make sure to share your results and film it all

Phil, love clickspring. Picked up tons of tips from this guy. My only issue is that he releases videos at such a slow rate for my machining apatite.

[huxleypig]

Supergluing thin stock is a great way to keep it stuck. You can do it with very thin discs and gears too, on the lathe. A bit of heat and it comes away no worries.

[caliusoptimus]

NYCNC just did a cool video demonstrating this with a 3D part: