RE: [ATM] Cutting thread in aluminium

["Peter" <peter@kitgear.com>]

Goran,

You have a piece of aluminum which has not been heat treated. This is normal
for new castings. Untreated aluminum behaves the way you described because
the material attaches to the cutting tips making it nearly impossible to
machine. If you still wish to use this material then sharpen your drill and
progress slowly. You will have to continually remove the gummed up aluminum
from your cutting tools until you get through it. When the tap sticks, back
it out, break the aluminum chips off the cutting edges, apply tapping
lubricant and go a little at a time.

Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: atm-bounces@atmlist.net [mailto:atm-bounces@atmlist.net]On Behalf
Of Göran Hosinsky
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 2:20 PM
To: atm@atmlist.net
Subject: Re: [ATM] Cutting thread in aluminium


I was cutting manually so I might have entered the hole at an
angle. I had drilled the hole with a drill press. But what
surprised me most was that when I tried to open the hole to
a bigger diameter, with the drill press, the drill had
difficulties cutting at that point, the aluminium seemed
a lot harder.

Garry, could you please repeat your links, they did not get
through.
Saludos
Goran


GARY FUCHS wrote:
 > Hi Goran,
 >
 > I've run up against the same problem. The right cutting fluid
 > seems to make all the difference. Here are a couple of links
 > to products that are available in the US - maybe you can find
 > something locally with the same properties?
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >>>Is there any special trick to cutting threads in aluminium?
 >
 > I was cutting a M5 thread by hand in a 15 mm thick piece of
 > aluminium, unknown type, when the tap (tap no 1 in a three
 > tap set) sized up and broke. I was pouring alcohol over the
 > cutting.
 >
 > At my second try, with a new tap, I managed to back out again
 > when it began to stick. I then drilled up the hole to a bigger
 > diameter and found to my surprise, that the drill had
 > difficulties
 > to go through the threaded part of the hole, it was like the
 > aluminium had been hardened at that point.
 >
 > Any advice would be welcome as I have quite a few holes that
 > I want to put thread in.
 >
 > Goran, La Palma
 >
 >
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