I'm speculating for these comments, because I don't know what is the best
product that would/could be used with your machine (or why Taig says not to
use water-based coolant/lubricants).
I think there is a difference between water-based and water soluble
lubricants, which could be explored.
There are some glycerine-based cutting lubricants available, which are water
soluable, which doesn't mean I'm suggesting you use water on your machine,
but the water soluble characteristic is very favorable since the workpieces
can be rinsed clean with water.
There are likely to be some Taig user groups on Yahoo or other forums (or
you could start one). I would imagine that some users are using something
other than WD-40 (although I realize some folks believe there isn't anything
better for any application that's better than WD-40)
I would be reluctant to use a hydrocarbon cleaning solvent-type coolant for
machining, adding some to a bandsaw cut is one thing, but having a volume of
it sitting around (and pooling in a chip pan, on shop rags etc) doesn't
sound very good to me.
I wouldn't consider automatic transmission fluid to be the ultimate answer
either. There are probably other DIY concoctions being used that probably
don't have very good properties for cutting metal.
I believe WD-40 is primarily made up of Stoddard solvent, or something very
much like Stoddard, which is a great cleaning solvent, BTW.
Glycerine-based cutting lubricants are going to be non-flammable, unlike
WD-40 or Stoddard.
One of the glycerine products that I'm familiar with is Lenox Pro Tool Lube.
I've used it a lot, and it's performance is great. It's viscosity is more
like liquid dish soap, not as thin as water or WD-40 (although it can be
thinned).
The only disadvantage of the PTL is that it can soften the paint that's on
my machines from China, not immediately on contact, but it will if I let a
dribble sit on the paint for a while. I don't consider this to be a serious
problem though.
Aside from flooding, squirting or spraying methods, you might want to
consider gravity. Having a steady, adjustable drip just ahead of the tool
path (or directed directly onto the cutting tool) shouldn't be too difficult
to set up.
A recovery tank would hold the run-off, lifting and pouring or a simple hand
pump could be used for transferring enough liquid for a work session up to
the delivery vessel.
One of the squeeze-bulb hand pumps used for priming an outboard boat motor
might suffice if there aren't any chips suspended in the liquid.
The flooding process works very well for carrying chips away from the
cutting tool though, which definitely has benefits.
--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html
"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
I've been playing with a Taig 2019 mini mill for a while now, and its fun,
but for hogging out any real amounts of metal I need to keep a constant
spray of oil on my cutter. WD-40 works pretty darn good. So far I have
just stood there metering WD-40 onto my cutter with a standard spray can,
but that is getting old. Especially on longer cuts.
I can buy it by the gallon for a pretty reasonable price, but still I hate
to just waste it, and of course I need a way to dispense it, and maybe to
recover it too. I was thinking to just weld up a big catch tray out of
aluminum to go under the mil. Drill a hole in one corner and put a pipe
down to a bucket to catch the oil, and then pump it back up to a nozzle on
the side of my cutting head. Here are my thoughts. Put a stainless
screen over the pan drain hole to keep the big pieces out of the bucket,
and then maybe under that in the top of the pipe loosely stuff in some
cheese cloth to filter out the smaller particles.
Then I need to figure out a good pump to use to bring the oil back out of
the bucket and to the nozzle at the cutting head. I was thinking a five
gallon utility bucket with the lid snapped on would be a good sump, but I
would like to leave it on the floor under my work bench so as to minimize
the chances of knocking it over and wasting 20-40 dollars worth of oil.
Of course I need a pump then that can lift the oil 3-4 feet safely and
have some decent pressure at the head to be able to spray chips off and
keep the cutting point cool. I figure a fuel pump might work, but I do
not know if it will have the volume or pressure to do the job. A water
cooler pump would have the volume, but maybe not the pressure, and I do
not know if those pumps are explosion proof since they are designed to
work in a water environment, not a flammable environment.
Suggestions? Last time I checked a generic electric fuel pump was about
$40 retail.
P.S. The Taig specifically says not to use water based coolants.
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com