Mark,
Dremel has a fairly large assortment of carbide router bits that work well
in most metals and would make quick work on the aluminum. You probably want
to spend your time fine tuning a jig, and do quite a bit of experimenting
until you find the proper depth and width/length., etc. I think your
challenge maybe the corners.
Dremel does sell a small (looks inexpensive) Cutting Kit which allows you
adjust the depth of the cut, and lets you see what you're cutting. They also
have a Router table and a Router attachment as well, probably a little more
expensive.
Dave Willner
59 TR3A Apple Green
80 Spitfire Carmine Red
70 BSA 441 Victor Special
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Hooper" <mhooper@pix-cinema.com>
To: "Triumphs" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 23, 2003 9:48 AM
Subject: Dremelling aluminum (LBC, honest!)
> I bought the VB cast valve cover this winter and am eagerly awaiting the
ice
> to disappear so that I can install it. The unit I bought looks nice but
has
> a flat surface mating to the cylinder head. All advice from the denizens
of
> the list is to use a bonding material to seal the cork gasket to the cover
> (many identified, thanks). I am still wondering how successful I am going
to
> be in getting the gasket to be regular in placement not cheapen the look.
> Then people started mentioning british O-ring-ready covers with no
irregular
> gaskets showing. Then Jim Swarthout started mentioning he was going to
make
> a super-duper version of the same thing. So rather than be shamed by these
> fancy products, but being too Scottish in heritage to throw out a nice new
> purchase I am going to try and make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
>
> My question then is, has anybody had success cutting a groove in aluminum
> with a dremel or router? I could easily hoseclamp some appropriately
shaped
> wood, or whatnot, block to the side of the dremel to guide it along the
side
> of the cover, I just don't want to discover that I use up 45 dremel bits
> that cost more than the cover did to accomplish the job. I want to cut a
> channel the width of the cork gasket (3/16?, have to measure) and maybe
1/8"
> to hold the gasket nice and straight. A router is going to be a bit
> unwieldy, but has dramatically more power than a dremel. So what type of
> bit(s) am I looking for here? Or am I barking mad to think they can cut a
> grove 4' long in aluminum?
>
> Awaiting the knowledge of TR-town.
>
> Mark Hooper
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