hogging material off aluminum (for recoil pad spacer) -- best tool?

[Whiterabbit]

Hi guys,

I bought an adjustable plate for a shotgun and need to fit it to my stock. I have a beltsander but wonder if that is the best tool for this job. Before I can even get to fitting/filing/polishing, I need ot remove about .25 inch from around ALL sides of the plate, which is maybe 3/8" max. Lots of material!

I'm not sure if the beltsander is the best tool for this job compared to a disc sander. The grit speed will be awfully low by comparison, and I don't have a table to keep the part nice and flat while grinding away.

On the other hand, a throwaway disc sander is $80, and a nice tool is even higher priced.

So should I bite the bullet and get the disc? Or can I use my (fantastic) beltsander to do the job.

[flydoc]

If you have a drill press just chuck a carbide burr ( 1/2 diameter one is about $25) into your drill press and position the burr into the center hole of the table, feed the aluminum against the rotation of the bit and you will be able to shape it down in no time, and get pretty smooth edges if you move carefully.

[Bill*]

Great idea. Watch those chips though, They'll be little knife blades. Also watch out for the toe angle if the drill press table doesn't tilt.

[David2011]

You can also get a plain disc for a table saw for sick-on sanding discs. The drawback is that the aluminum is going to clog sandpaper no matter how you move it. The carbide cutter in a drill press is a great idea.

David

[MBTcustom]

If you must, I would use the sander, but it would not be my first coice. Have you ever used a course bastard file? It will remove metal pretty quickly, while giving you control.

[Longwood]

Hi guys,

I bought an adjustable plate for a shotgun and need to fit it to my stock. I have a beltsander but wonder if that is the best tool for this job. Before I can even get to fitting/filing/polishing, I need ot remove about .25 inch from around ALL sides of the plate, which is maybe 3/8" max. Lots of material!

I'm not sure if the beltsander is the best tool for this job compared to a disc sander. The grit speed will be awfully low by comparison, and I don't have a table to keep the part nice and flat while grinding away.

On the other hand, a throwaway disc sander is $80, and a nice tool is even higher priced.

So should I bite the bullet and get the disc? Or can I use my (fantastic) beltsander to do the job.

It would depend on how old I am and how much I tinkered.
I often sits for long periods, but I don't know how I would ever get by without my bench belt sander.
They are like many power tools,,,,, you have no idea how much it would get used until you have one.

[Whiterabbit]

It's amazing how that works sometimes. Thank you for the suggestions!

[Longwood]

You can also get a plain disc for a table saw for sick-on sanding discs. The drawback is that the aluminum is going to clog sandpaper no matter how you move it. The carbide cutter in a drill press is a great idea.

David

The wood working people use a big eraser affair that helps with soft metals some.
I heard that soap stone helps too but I never seem to think of it.:groner:

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK guys I see no one as actually ground on aluminum very much here so I will share one of my 'hot tips" gathered from 30 years on doing this.

To grind aluminum with a belt sander or other grinding media, You first charge the belt or wheel or disc with bees wax.

What this does is clogg all of he low spots in the belt with wax so the aluminum can't pack in there and kill the belt, while still leaving the high spots on the belt to cut the material.

Virtually all handrails in high humidity environments are made from aluminum, every weld must be ground fair to the rails for obvious reasons and this is where I learned how to do it.

This is not some magic secret! This is just how you do it. IN fact I just did it yesterday with this sanding disc on a small angle grinder. I ground off 40 rosette welds on aluminum angles on some Navy parts I am making all with 1ea. 2" Harbor Freight sanding disc. SEE Pic. It is still good!

Your belt sander would also be the best tool to fit this to your stock, just like it is for a regular recoil pad.

Randy

[Longwood]

My belt sander is an old antique that was made from cast iron and has bronze bushings so it is easily rebuilt if necessary.
When I am using it for aluminum, I put the belt on the small step on the motor so it runs fairly slow. I use the heck out of it with aluminum and brass because of how I like working with them.
I believe it may be because of the slower speed that I run it at, is why the sanding belts do not get aluminum welded to it so I don't need a wax etc.
I will try it though since I have plenty of bee wax.
I put a regulator valve on my die grinders when using burrs etc, or they clog from running too fast also.

[Whiterabbit]

the belt sander better than a file for the fitting? Is this a stationary beltsander? Cause my beltsander is only stationary when in the vise, and has no table to brace the workpiece.

I've got the material hogged out and rough fit already, just need to rough fit the actual recoil pad to the rough fit aluminum spacer and fine fit/polish.

The file seemed to be the tool of choice. why the belt?

[Longwood]

the belt sander better than a file for the fitting? Is this a stationary beltsander? Cause my beltsander is only stationary when in the vise, and has no table to brace the workpiece.

I've got the material hogged out and rough fit already, just need to rough fit the actual recoil pad to the rough fit aluminum spacer and fine fit/polish.

The file seemed to be the tool of choice. why the belt?

My sander is a bench mounted type that was made primarily for wood. I made a stand so I could mount it upright. Then I made a small "Table" for it.
That was the hard part because it needs to be perfectly square.
Harbor freight sells sanders with a disk and a belt but they probably need some fine tuning to get everything perfect.
If you put the plate on the gun then carefully scribe a line on the pad. Remove it and fine fit with a file will work well. I use packing, and or aluminum tape to protect the wood.
Keeping the file perfectly square with your work will make it look better.
Draw filing, (pulling it toward you,) works best for long surfaces.

[JIMinPHX]

If you are cutting off 1/4", I think that a saw is the tool that you are looking for.

[Whiterabbit]

I ended up hogging with an end mill, rough finishing with a file, and fine finishing with a belt sander.

Not what I expected to be using.

I still need to polish the sander marks. I dont have a buff wheel.

[JIMinPHX]

I ended up hogging with an end mill, rough finishing with a file, and fine finishing with a belt sander.

Not what I expected to be using.

I still need to polish the sander marks. I dont have a buff wheel.

Get some buffing compound (rouge) & coat the belt sander with it. Give it a few passes on the belt that way. It should get the rough marks out. Finish by hand from there.

[KCSO]

I use a metal blade in my band saw to rough and a belt sander to finish, but if those aren't available I have used a bastard cut file and it's not too tough.

[Whiterabbit]

I started with a bastard file and it took far too long. I also really need to get a new bandsaw. If I tried this on my 12" craftsman I'd bind up that blade real quick and overheat the aluminum. Would have taken forever. Maybe I just need a new blade....

[Longwood]

I started with a bastard file and it took far too long. I also really need to get a new bandsaw. If I tried this on my 12" craftsman I'd bind up that blade real quick and overheat the aluminum. Would have taken forever. Maybe I just need a new blade....

Now you tell us that you have a band saw.:killingpc
I have an old Craftsman bench mounted bandsaw. I often cut aluminum up to 3" thick. I can cut a VW head in half in less than one minute.
I use as course of a wood blade (low tooth number) that I can buy. The wavy set metal blades are worthless for soft metals.

[Whiterabbit]

mine doesnt seem to have enough power to cut anything. feed speed has to be so slow that I'll burn my hands pushing material through. That especially goes for steel. I'll have to doublecheck what blade is in there. It's so obscure I can only get blades from grainger, I just bought the tightest pitch blade I could at the time, I was cutting steel sheetmetal.

Doesnt cut aluminum well, didnt want to use it for this project.

Clearly using the wrong blade for AL and brass.

[Longwood]

The last time I was a t Harbor freight,,, I saw a little grinder that has an attachment for a dremel type flex shaft.
I thought on it the whole time I was shopping then finally bought it. I have several bench grinders and four of the small 4" hand grinders etc etc, but figured it would be handy for my reloading room.
That was about a month ago and I have already used it about five times. It works very well for smaller precise work.
It is pretty anemic and I need to be gentle with it, but it sure did get some jobs done much faster than with a file and sandpaper.

[Longwood]

mine doesnt seem to have enough power to cut anything. feed speed has to be so slow that I'll burn my hands pushing material through. That especially goes for steel. I'll have to doublecheck what blade is in there. It's so obscure I can only get blades from grainger, I just bought the tightest pitch blade I could at the time, I was cutting steel sheetmetal.

Doesnt cut aluminum well, didnt want to use it for this project.

Clearly using the wrong blade for AL and brass.

If it is getting stuff too hot, that is a good sign that you may have a dull blade. I seldom use mine for steel,,, then only very thin stuff. Maybe 1/4",,, no more.
I admit that mine has a fairly good sized motor.
I thought for a long time that I would put a jack shaft on it so I could cut thicker steel but never have.
I AM seriously looking at the small Harbor freight horizontal floor model. Thing is,,,, I can always go to a friends house to cut bigger stuff.
It is hard to convince oneself to spend for seldom used tools when you are 70.