Freesteel Blog » Clamp thinning

Clamp thinning

Thursday, May 12th, 2016 at 5:04 pm Written by:

I have actually been doing some machining at long last, having purchased a 130-040-01900 Precision Tool Vice Type 2 – 70mm wide vice, which feels reassuringly solid, square and metal for the entirely reasonable price of £56 — given that this is about what I’ll need to pay for a single tapered cutter when I get onto that project.

clampthinning
First problem was that the hold down clamps were a bit too wide to fit into the groove comfortably, so I milled them down by about 1.5mm. There had been a worry that these would be hardened steel, so I tested one by cutting a groove into it with a hacksaw. Of course the clamps are going to be soft steel. If it was hard metal it would be liable to make horrible marks in your work-piece.

looseclamp
Then I tried squaring off a bit of model board. This is what happens when you forget to tighten up the vice and the cutter lifts and ploughs through it before tossing it off the table.

A bit more practice, some work on toolpaths, more tools, the procurement of some pieces of metal, and I’ll be ready for business. Just in time for the holidays.

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