In Progress Home Milled Putter

sergizmo · June 16, 2005

Aluminum MOI, 1 of 2 main pieces

Hi everyone,

Attached below are some pictures of a putter I have been working on. It is an Aluminum MOI style with two main pieces, face and body. I have finished milling the face piece and the pictures are of this.

There are three pictures of the face piece after milling has been completed, and two "in-progress" pics. One of the in-progress pics shows the hole for the shaft being drilled, and the other is of the screw holes being drilled out before tapping. The cavity with the four screw holes is where the body of the putter will be attached.

A brass strip will be added to the bottom of the body to lower the center of gravity and bring the weight up. When all milling is complete the aluminum parts will be sanded, scotchbrighted, and anodized black.

Some specs

Material : 6061 T6 Aluminum
Loft : 3* (Already done)
Lie : 70* (Already done)
Length : 33"
Target Weight : 370 grams
Center shafted, face balanced

Any comments or questions are welcome.

Serge

zojo · June 16, 2005

wow, that looks nice so far. I think you should try making a plumber's neck one and weld it on or something. That would get some attention :busted_cop: Nice progress though, i'm looking forward to the finished product

pitbull808 · June 16, 2005

I've always been fascinated about the idea of doing something like this at home. Cool pics! Keep us updated with your progress. :busted_cop:

sergizmo · June 16, 2005

i'd be interested a little in how you did this..as far as where you got the aluminum and how to mill a face. I am just getting into where I can say I have a hobby of repairing...I'm interested in design and manufacture as well. Just a few tips and pointers if you don't mind.
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Sure, no problem!

I use Sherline machines, mill 5400 and lathe 4400. Go to www.sherline.com to check them out. I think they have a list of distributors on the website. I get my Sherline stuff at a local hobby shop. For putter machining, you really only need the mill. The mill is really small and easily fits on a desk, and standard outlet power is just fine. The mill which included a head spacer and 1/4" drill chuck was about $1100 Canadian. The vise was another $110 Canadian.

On top of this you will need a fly-cutter for facing (I use the carbide insert one) ($90 CAN), an end mill holder ($53 CAN), a set of parallels ($50 CAN), and a 3/8" drill chuck (came with lathe). These are Sherline accessories.

Non-Sherline tools you will need include: an edge-finder ($30 CAN), a set of needle files ($15-20 CAN), a machinists square ($40 CAN +), various end mills with 3/8" shanks ($12 CAN each), #1 and #2 center drills ($2 CAN each), a set of fractional drill bits (1/16"- 3/8" is fine), assorted other drill bits purchased seperately, a set of letter and number stamps ($20 CAN total), taps and tap wrench (you don't need a full set), center punch ($5 CAN). You will also need some basic small stuff like allen keys, pliers, scriber etc...

As for measuring tools, you really only need a vernier caliper (6") for putter manufacture. You can either get a basic slide one ($70 CAN), a dial one ($100 CAN) or a digital one ($160 CAN). Digitals are faster, and you can set your zero anywhere. For making putters though, I think a basic slide one works fine. I'm a machinist apprentice and use an 8" digital at work and a basic 6" slide at home for my putters and it works just fine. Be sure to get a good brand such as Mitutoyo or Starrett. Do not buy some no-name made in China POS.

I know it sounds really expensive, but once you have the stuff listed above, you'll have it forever.

As for machining itself, I recommend getting a book to get you started. These home machining books will detail basics such as speed and feed, depth of cut, layout procedures, operations order/planning etc... They will also give you some projects to get your feet wet. I think Sherline puts one out. Make sure to get a book that is specifically tailored to mini-mills/lathes ie "hobby machines". Using recomended feed and depth of cut from full sized machines on a mini-mill would be catastrophic.

Some general machining suggestions...

1) Take your time, especially at first. Going quickly leads to mistakes and possible damage to your part or your machine. A lot of things are learned through trial and error and shouldn't be rushed.

2) Think three times, measure twice, and cut once. Cliche but true.

3) Take shallow cuts, especially with harder materials such as steel. These mini-machines are in no way heavy-duty, they are delicate tools. Taking deep cuts will damage your machine or your workpiece.

4) Try to use softer material such as aluminum and brass rather than steel if possible. Softer materials are quicker to cut and reduce tool wear.

5) Never climb mill with a mini-mill. You put a huge amount of stress on cutter, machine and part when doing this.

6) If you are unsure about something try it on a piece of scrap first. This has saved my a** multiple times.

7) You will have to learn to be creative. For instance, I made a set of "soft jaws" to hold the putter at an angle for milling the loft. The clamping and travel capacities of these machines are limited so you'll have to find ways around them sometimes.

8) Wear your safety glasses, especially when fly-cutting. Fly cutting sends chips in a 5-6 foot radius.

9) You can't do production work on these small machines. It just takes waaaaayyyy too long. The putter in this thread will take me 20-30 hours of machining time for one.

10) Have fun!

As for where to obtain materials, just check your Yellow Pages under "metal suppliers" or something similar. For some of the tools you will need to go to a machining supply store. Look under "metalworking", "machining", or "machining supply".

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions just ask.

Serge

sergizmo · June 16, 2005

I've always been fascinated about the idea of doing something like this at home. Cool pics! Keep us updated with your progress. :busted_cop:
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Thanks for the compliments. ;)

Why don't you give it a try Reid? I've seen your huge putter collections (at least what you've posted), you must have a few ideas of your own. See my big post above for some details.

Any questions, go ahead and ask.

Serge

sergizmo · June 16, 2005

wow, that looks nice so far. I think you should try making a plumber's neck one and weld it on or something. That would get some attention ;) Nice progress though, i'm looking forward to the finished product
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No welding capability at home, I'm afraid. :busted_cop:

IMAGOLFER · June 17, 2005

I'm applying to SDGA in Orlando..I'm sure they have some of those tools there. I'll have to see when I go tour the campus in a week or so. I would love to build a putter just for me..
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I am a student at SDGA in Phoenix. Kyle (teetogreen86) is a moderator over on GolfShackChat is in his second semester at the Orlando campus. We don't have any putter milling equipment in our shop. PM me if you have any questions or would just like to talk about SDGA. I can put you in contact with Kyle also if you like. Let me know!

zojo · June 17, 2005

wow, that looks nice so far. I think you should try making a plumber's neck one and weld it on or something. That would get some attention ;) Nice progress though, i'm looking forward to the finished product
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No welding capability at home, I'm afraid. :busted_cop:
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duct tape?

sergizmo · June 17, 2005

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that may not work as well as welding. I may look into chewing gum, Crazy Glue, or caulking though. ;)

A MIG welder is probably in my future though (years away, not months)... :busted_cop:

kenfuji · June 18, 2005

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that may not work as well as welding. I may look into chewing gum, Crazy Glue, or caulking though. :vava:

A MIG welder is probably in my future though (years away, not months)... :busted_cop:
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I would not recommend a mig for Aluminum. as aluminum is very difficult to work with and weld tend to run with the MIG. you will need a TIG imho. it's cleaner does not smoke much, smell and disturb your neighbors.

i made a putter in H.S. for a senior project. oringinally was going to use the lathe and mill, but decided it needed to be more interesting. so i made a mock up out of plastic, and then hand made a sand cast mold. took me 3-4months to make the mold pounding down the sand mold every day for a few hours after and during school. we were going to use aluminum cans. if you can make aluminum cans that thin and it is able to keep it's integrtity should be high quality ALU right. long story short, after 4 months of pounding sand the time came around to pull the mold off and cut in gas chambers.. well lets just say it was 4 months wasted.... ;) lol

sergizmo · June 18, 2005

I would not recommend a mig for Aluminum. as aluminum is very difficult to work with and weld tend to run with the MIG. you will need a TIG imho. it's cleaner does not smoke much, smell and disturb your neighbors.

i made a putter in H.S. for a senior project. oringinally was going to use the lathe and mill, but decided it needed to be more interesting. so i made a mock up out of plastic, and then hand made a sand cast mold. took me 3-4months to make the mold pounding down the sand mold every day for a few hours after and during school. we were going to use aluminum cans. if you can make aluminum cans that thin and it is able to keep it's integrtity should be high quality ALU right. long story short, after 4 months of pounding sand the time came around to pull the mold off and cut in gas chambers.. well lets just say it was 4 months wasted.... :busted_cop: lol

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Sorry to hear that your putter didn't work out. I've never done any casting work, but have heard it's tough to get the right consistency and texture of sand (green sand?).

Thanks for the advice about the type of welder. I've only ever done oxy-acetylene and arc, have a lot of reseach to do about welding in general. TIG looks tough though. You have the footpedal, electrode, and stick all going at the same time.

I'll stick to center shafted models for the time being though.

kenfuji · June 19, 2005

Sorry to hear that your putter didn't work out. I've never done any casting work, but have heard it's tough to get the right consistency and texture of sand (green sand?).

Thanks for the advice about the type of welder. I've only ever done oxy-acetylene and arc, have a lot of reseach to do about welding in general. TIG looks tough though. You have the footpedal, electrode, and stick all going at the same time.

I'll stick to center shafted models for the time being though.
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It was a dark orange sand. it's been like 12-13yrs.

i'm not welder myself, but work with a bunch of them at the shop where we fab up parts all day long with everything from mild steel, SS and aluminum. and they all recommend tig for alu stuff ;) you if you want a heel shafted putter you can always drill it out at a 90* and get a single or double bend putter shaft with and without offset so you don't need to weld anything.. :vava:

i've been thinking about making a putter one of these days with scrap car parts :D should look pretty interesting. :busted_cop:

sergizmo · June 22, 2005

I agree about TIG being better, especially for welding on a hosel. Arc would be horrible for a weld that small. There would be major heat warpage and it would be very messy.

I think my first few heel shafted models will just be double bend shafts rather than hosels, as suggested above.

The soles of my putters will remain the same for a while. I can't use an angle grinder on aluminum and brass, which are my two preferred materials. Besides, I like a simple angular look. No curves unless they serve a purpose. Purely functional.

sergizmo · June 22, 2005

It was a dark orange sand. it's been like 12-13yrs.
i'm not welder myself, but work with a bunch of them at the shop where we fab up parts all day long with everything from mild steel, SS and aluminum. and they all recommend tig for alu stuff :vava: you if you want a heel shafted putter you can always drill it out at a 90* and get a single or double bend putter shaft with and without offset so you don't need to weld anything.. :D

i've been thinking about making a putter one of these days with scrap car parts :ok: should look pretty interesting. :busted_cop:
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That would look seriously bad azz. You could call it "Mad Max" or "Cyberpunk". ;)