UKH

Being the ever reliable font of all knowledge, I'm figuring someone on here must have some experience in this area.

Can anyone recommend a company that will do one off CNC machine and turning of small parts?

Basically I want to get some parts made for my mountain bike. They're not particularly complicated (I'd probably have a decent shot at making them myself if I had access to a lathe and milling machine and I'm a cack-handed machinist at best). A quick google shows lots of companies offering small batches, the thing is I'm not a mechanical designer and don't particularly know what I'm doing, so can anyone suggest any companies that are patient and willing to deal with idiots?

I've drawn the parts up in CAD and have at least a basic understanding of how milling and turning work so I think they're possible to make.

Cheers 

I'd like an answer to this question.

From my experience, machine shops don't want to deal with the public. Too low volume and too many complaints to make it worth their while, but I often find myself in the need for small parts to be made.

Protolabs do 3D printing in metal and CNC.  Upload a suitable design coke and get a quote.  May not be cheap.   They’ll do work down to one part. 

Edit: Or you could get anyone with a home 3D printer to make it in PLA then have a go at lost wax casting but with PLA.  If you have a forge and vacuum pump…

You might have some joy looking at custom motorcycle types; some of them can machine pretty decent stuff and are used to ultravlow volumes / one offs. Similarly race car / bike tuners / prep types.

Ditto. I successfully demonstrated my own crack handedness in metalwork many years ago, but looking at the number of things I could get working again with access to a simple lathe makes me wonder if this would be the way to go.

CNC work will be expensive one off wherever you go but Xometry will quote for it online.

Not much point me suggesting people local to me who might help, your best bet is probably go have a walk around your local industrial estate(s), check the sign board for likely sounding buisiness names, most will be wrong or the wrong scale but ask at each for suggestions, you'll eventually be sent to the right man-in-a-shed. Motorsports focussed garages are also a good bet for one off fabrication capability.

If it doesn't need to be CNC simplify it so it can be made on a manual machine without jigs and ball ache set-ups, you'll increase the number of people who might help.

Or buy a lathe, a cheap import one will probably be cost comparable with a couple of parts. Second hand often comes with plenty of tooling (and gremlins). You can do light milling in a lathe with a bit of planning.

Depending what the parts are do consider 3d printing, one off parts by most processes are cheap. Lots of material specs and finishes available.

Might also be worth seeing if there's a 'makerspace'* or a 'men in sheds'* type group nearby.

*the names of these will vary locally but that's a good starting point.

jk

I've used https://www.machining-4u.co.uk/ before, its basically a marketplace for machinists to bid on jobs. Think I paid £30 shipped (£25 plus a surcharge for using machining 4u) for a turned bushing type thing about 1 inch in diameter, 1inch long and two turning ops putting a stepped hole and lip on the part. No engineering support on the parts however. 

https://www.crjprecision.com/ are the company who made the part. 

Many don't even like dealing with smaller companies for the same reasons. We now use a Chinese company for most of our machined parts.

I use an exceptionally good engineer in Bradford if I need one off repairs to metal parts.

I will DM you his number

My other half (who has spent a lifetime in milling and turning) suggested LinkedIn, local Facebooks and also possibily local colleges with engineering training facilities. 

I designed and 3D printed replacements for lost saddle bracket parts for an expensive time trial bike in ABS.  If not strong enough, I would have had them printed in metal.  But the ABS did the job.

I often compare between Protolabs, Hubs, Xometry and Geomiq for this. Recently Geomiq have been very competitive for CNC, Hubs best for 3D prints. In general you are limited by their minimum order value so it can be worth getting a couple of different shapes or materials at no extra cost.

If a part can be cut from flat sheet/plate then you have some more options. My friends at Andover Laser are amazing for one offs.

Using CNC may just comiplicate things.

I've had success in this area by using an old school engineer and asking them to replicate a broken part or solve a problem.

Unite components in Powys might be sympathetic.   I work a lot with CNC machinists and some like the challenge of a 1 off, others will only consider multiple 1000s. It depends very much on the setting up time, cycle times, tooling and materials and if they have an apprentice who likes a challenge.  Also on the kind of machines they are running.

That's exactly what I did with some internal studs for a BSA engine.

Luckily I work at an engineering firm.

Took the broken stud to Kevin on the lathe, asked him if he could replicate the item, and a few days later I had a new set of studs to put in.

Ask around your mates to see if anyone works in Engineering.

That's a good point. Everything is 3D modeled in CAD and we have some engineers/scientists who assume the CNC takes that file and makes the part from a lump of metal. In reality a lot of stuff is still done on manual machines to 2D drawing derived from the model.