From: "Bill T." 
To: atm{at}shore.net
Reply-To: "Bill T." 


Here's a primitive DOS program that calculates step sizes and spacing for
metal grinding tools.  It will also run in a DOS window.

ftp://ftp.kupercontrols.com/pub/steptool.exe

I've cut 16" aluminum tools using a vertical mill and an 8"
rotary table. Just go slow.

Bill T.










>From: tkrajci{at}san.osd.mil
>Reply-To: tkrajci{at}san.osd.mil
>To: "Peter" ,
, 
>Subject: Re: ATM Mirror-o-matic - Aluminum Tools
>Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 15:33:45 GMT
>
> > Please explain a bit more about the aluminum tool. I'll be hogging out a
>16"
> > soon (by hand) and I'd like to try an aluminum tool. You mentioned it
>should
> > be made to the desired curvature of the mirror. Can I do this on a lathe
>by
> > simply trimming or beveling the ends? What size should the tool be
>relative
> > to the mirror? Should I do the hogging out with mirror on top or TOT?
>
>The alu. tools that Jack Schmidling made for me where turned on his
>lathe...every inch radius or so of the tool was turned to a different
>height, which approximated the desired curvature in a stepped fashion.  I
>then had to spend some time at 120 (maybe 80, I no longer remember) grit
>to do a decent job of mating the tool to the blank.  (The blank had been
>hogged out previously, or came molded/pregenerated.)  If you are careful,
>you can generate the curve on your slid alu. tool with your lathe at
>home.  (Or mold a dental stone version, and then 'tile' it with 1/4 inch
>aluminum.)
>
>My tools for smaller mirrors were full size (4 1/4, 6, and 10 inch).  For
>my sixteen inch mirror I used a ten inch alu. tool for all grinding (the
>blank came pregenerated).
>
>As for hogging out the mirror, I recommend TOT, but my blanks came molded
>or pregenerated, so I can't commenet with any real experience in this
>matter.  However, for most of my mirrors, from 4 1/4 to 16 inch diameter,
>I did almost all (or 100% in the case of the 16 inch) with TOT...for
>grinding, polishing, and figuring.
>
>Tom Krajci
>Tashkent, Uzbekistan


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