Build Your Own Combat Robot

Chapter 9: Robot Material and Construction Techniques 193
We’ve lightly touched on some of the more popular metals in common use for
robot experimenters. The actual machining and use of these materials is covered
in many textbooks and shop manuals. The Home Machinist’s Handbook, by
Doug Briney, and other books offer valuable hints and instruction for home machinists
and mechanical experimenters. This particular book is geared around
small table-top lathes and hand tools available to the hobbyist. A few words
should be mentioned about the machining of metals with hand power tools and
drill presses, tools often found in the shops of robot builders.
General Machining Operations
When it comes to constructing your robot, keep a few “golden rules” in mind:
Keep your tools sharp, lubricate cutting operations, clamp your work piece and
tool if possible, always use safety goggles, and use common sense for shop safety.
Drilling larger holes in harder metals, such as steel, requires slower speeds and
continual lubrication using Tap Magic, Rapid Tap, or similar products. Aluminum
cutting and tapping requires different lubricants, such as Tap Magic for aluminum.
Remember that sanding, grinding, and filing of softer metals such as
aluminum can “load up” your sandpaper or wheel, so plan accordingly. You will
be amazed what you can machine and construct in a home shop with simple home
tools and a bit of ingenuity.
Tools You Might Need to Construct Robots
You certainly do not need a machine shop outfitted with a top-of-the-line milling
machine (upward of $5000), a heli-arc welder, a 16-inch metal band saw with
blade welder, and a floor model 12-by-36-inch machine lathe to build a competitive
combat robot. Hiring out the complex machining can save you a lot of money
over the purchase of these machine tools. You do need a certain amount of basic
tools to be able to build the robot’s structure, drill holes, and apply fasteners,
however. After some experience, you may want to buy more specialized power
and hand tools.
Obviously, a set of basic hand tools such as screwdrivers, open-end wrenches,
socket wrenches, and various pliers is a must. Most home car mechanics already
have a great start on many of the required hand tools. The extra tools that might
be considered as musts are the metal handling tools such as files and deburring
tools for smoothing rough edges, rasps for roughing out holes and slots, pin
punches for inserting and removing pins, and a good drill set.
Drill indexes come in various sizes and qualities. A first set might be a fractional
set of high-speed steel drills. A better set is a larger numbered set with extra lettered
drill bits included. Most of the sizes you will use fall within the 1–60 number
sizes. A 60–80 set is used only for drilling tiny holes. The lettered sizes are used for
sizes larger than a quarter inch. You might want to spring for a few extra bucks to
buy a titanium-nitride set of drills that last a lot longer. As you find your most used
drills beginning to dull, you can also buy a drill-bit sharpener.