Aluminum Fixture Plate

[the penguin]

I have a few steel fixture plates, very handy, but I need a bigger one. So I made a 12" x 24" x 1/2" fixture plate, with (126) 3/8"-16 and (127) 1/2"-13 threaded holes. I have to roll over the edges with the 1/8" bit, in the router, to clean up the sharp edges.

[randyc]

Great project, Jack, but 253 tapped holes ?????!!!

Holy cow, that's a lotta' work even with a tapping head, but definitely a useful fixture.  I'd sure like to have one of those plates but lack of patience prevents it.  Did you use jig plate ?  I bought a 1 inch thick piece of jig plate and really liked the way it machined.

It was the first time I'd used that material and it seemed harder than 6061-T6 and definitely tapped better.  Did you also get that impression ?

This is the piece, used as a baseplate for a tiny lathe.  (To give a scale sense, that is a 1/4 inch drill chuck in the tailstock.)  The material also routed well, I used a 1/4 radius corner rounding cutter.

   

[f350ca]

Mine only has 215 3/8th holes. 6x18 made from mystery aluminum from a Boeing plant.


Sure handy

Cutting a keyway in a tapered shaft.

[randyc]

You guys are CRAZY patient and motivated (unlike moi).  That is such a useful fixture that one should be included with new milling machines (the mill manufacturer's CNC line would make short work of those 200-plus tapped holes, LOL).  Wish I wasn't too lazy to make one :o(  But it would also take away from my nap time and my   time.  (Old guys need a little of one and maybe a lot of the other, alternating them from time to time :o)

I'd assumed that the fixture would be mounted directly to the table after removing the vise.  That's a very cool idea, Greg, leaving the vise mounted, clamping the fixture plate and supporting the outboard work with the jack !  (Also a neat idea for milling a taper.)

Cheers,
randy

(P.S.  Sorry for the thread diversion, just had to sneak in a photo of that tiny, weird little lathe somehow, ha-ha.)

(P.P.S.  Is that a Gorton, Greg ?)

[Highpower]

(08-12-2017, 09:50 PM)randyc Wrote: You guys are CRAZY patient and motivated (unlike moi).  That is such a useful fixture that one should be included with new milling machines (the mill manufacturer's CNC line would make short work of those 200-plus tapped holes, LOL).  Wish I wasn't too lazy to make one

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger here Randy. I've got a nice piece of MIC6 1" tooling plate sitting here (for quite awhile now) without a single hole in it yet....

[f350ca]

Didn't know Gorton made milling machines Randy, mine is a Taiwanese clone of the Bridgeport. Have often thought I'd like one of their panagraph machines but not really sure what I need it for. Did do a really rough copy of one of their cutter grinders though.

 

[randyc]

Greg, I sure wouldn't call that T & C grinder a "rough copy" LOL, looks very impressive to me !  Gorton made some of the huskiest vertical mills ever.  There are lots of photos on the internet.

[the penguin]

Here are a couple of the old steel plates I've been using for years, the Aluminum on is bigger, I'd like to do a 16" x 32", there is a blank jig plate, that size, at he supplier. All that is needed is cash and some fab time.

[the penguin]

I set the plate up on the Rockwell milling machine, to machine a Saab 2 stroke cylinder head, to repair spark plug threads, and clean up the exhaust manifold. I spent the time to locate and attach the plate to the mill table, then had to reinstall the milling vise for a quick job.