Here are a couple of pictures of my milled gauge panel. I started working on it about a month ago and probably have at least 12 hours of machining time in it. Im sure a more accomplished, master machinist could do it a lot faster. But, Im still learning. In fact, I wouldnt even consider myself an apprentice! The panel started as a 9 inch long chunk of 1X3 aluminum bar stock. I milled the ends so the overall length was 8 inches and cut the corners with a ½ inch radius mill. The back was machined to a ¾ inch depth with a ½ inch end mill and the face was machined to a 1/8 inch depth with a ¼ inch end mill. The three holes were started with a 2 inch hole saw and finished with a boring head and bar to 2 1/8 inch diameter. Its a simple design, but it sure took some time to do it! I like the milled finish on the face, but the whole thing really needs a good polishing. I think Ill try polishing the sides and face boarder with my Dremel before I commit to messing up the milled face. Sure, you can buy an aluminum gauge panel from Mooneyes. But, is it made with the same amount of love?!?!
The intricacy, detail, and finish of the edges of details show the difference between good aluminum work and evil billet aluminum made by the same tech--billet is crudely grooved, undetailed at edges of milled features, and ponderous in appearance. This is light and smooth, like aluminumware should be! Very slick, looks like some sort of factory product in its level of finish. If you milled the edges so it countersunk into the dash for 90% of its depth, it would look like a factory dash trim stamping from about 1957.
Chris, when you decide to make another piece. Please, take pictures of the process. Then it could be an excellent TECH-o-matic entry! Well done!
Thanks for the compliments, everyone! [ QUOTE ] You have no idea how much I look up to you... seriously. [/ QUOTE ] Yikes, Gracie! I'm not sure I really fit in the "look up to" category. The gauge panel is going in my '55 Mercury and will mount below the dash. It would be nice if the panel would fit in the dash, but the non-functioning radio takes up the whole center section. I have a couple more chunks of the 1x3 bar stock. If I do another panel, I'll try to take pics of each step. It would be fun to have a little photo history of the machining process for everyone to see.
That's a really nice piece. I do a lot of machine work myself and I know that a finish that nice is hard to achieve sometimes. What kind of machine did you make it on?
wade-a-minit! a GURL did this??? Good for you Chris! I'm proud of you! Thats excellent. Where did to find a chunk of metal 1X3X9?
Looks nice. I'd say leave the face as milled. The surface looks cool in the pictures. everything within .001"??
Very nice Chris. Kinda art-deco looking and that's a nice change from a lot of stuff we see today. [ QUOTE ] cut the corners with a ½ inch radius mill [/ QUOTE ] Well done here as well. A lot of folks don't realize how difficult it is to round the corners with a radius cutter. I'd suggest leaving the central milled area as is and buff the outside if you're going to polish it. Sometimes you gotta know when to quit. Or at the least know how far is too far. Bruce has a good point about making one that's sunk into the panel. Kinda gave me an idea. Not sure if you ever saw the simple 16 gage aluminum sheet dash panel I made for the 31, but prior to making it I knocked out a 1/4" thick piece in the same pattern and decided against it cuz it was too thick. A little milling similar to what you did and especially cutting a step to recess the piece into the dash would look pretty good I think. Provided I can do as nice a job as you did with the radius cutter. Good stuff. You get an A.
Thanks Bruce! [ QUOTE ] Where did to find a chunk of metal 1X3X9? [/ QUOTE ] I was VERY lucky at the recycler!
[ QUOTE ] Kinda art-deco looking and that's a nice change from a lot of stuff we see today. [/ QUOTE ] Thanks Jay! [ QUOTE ] A lot of folks don't realize how difficult it is to round the corners with a radius cutter. [/ QUOTE ] After making a few passes on a practice piece, it turned out to be pretty easy. I was more intimidated by that boring head! [ QUOTE ] Not sure if you ever saw the simple 16 gage aluminum sheet dash panel I made for the 31, but prior to making it I knocked out a 1/4" thick piece in the same pattern and decided against it cuz it was too thick. [/ QUOTE ] Yes, I remember seeing the pics awhile back. I thought about making something similar, but happened on that 1 inch thick chunk. It looked like a natural gauge panel. Plus, the added thickness would help hide the gauge guts!
"I was VERY lucky at the recycler! " Glad to hear that--I was bracing myself for tomorrow's news... "NASA specialists are struggling to enhance launch video showing an apparent 1"X3"X9" gap in the side of the main thruster on the doomed..."
only a few days after asking where you got the aluminum panel, I got one. its about 6 1'2 X 8 1/2. Chris, if you want it, I will send it to you.
You guys just pick this up at recycling centers? Is it already recycled, or is it waste that has not been processed yet?
machine shops put small pieces in the crap bin for the recyclers all the time. might have ben a piece that was an extra for a job or a piece that was cut too small. metal supply hoses usually have a pile of scraps around to scrounge through. jerry
Most large junkyards have a section of scrap, segregated by type of metal. That's a good place to find cut-off pieces from fabricating shops and industrial uses. Pricing is normally based on scrap value by weight, though the little pieces we would want for projects like this would be priced by pure guesstimate... "Stand in the middle of the scale bridge, boy...let's see...hmmmm...looks like he's .2296 pounds heavier than when he came in..."
The Jalopy Journal
