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Horizontal mill workholding solutions questions

as9100d

Stainless
Joined
Apr 19, 2019
Location
Paris, Arkansas
So I'm now the proud owner of a horizontal mill that will be here in a few weeks.

Time to tool this sucker up.

I love Chick vises but I dont think they will be versatile enough for what we plan to do with the machine.

Orangevise wont reply to my emails so they are out.

KURT CTHDL644J 6" Tombstone vise with hardjaws is an option for just over $9000 per tombstone

Teco has their version thats about $200 cheaper per tombstone

What other options am I missing?

Primarily will be cutting Acetal/tecaform blue. We do lots of dovetail type clamping with custom jaws in chick vises now and it works but its a pain to setup and maintain different size jaws.

Unless someone has the cad models for the jaws they want to give or sell me...chick is probably out.
 
what machine/size pallets you getting? what chick product you currently running newer system 5 or older pin style jaws?
 
Orangevise wont reply to my emails so they are out.

Did you email us recently?

We have a shared inbox that relays every incoming email to three people including myself, so if it slips by one person, someone else will usually catch it.

Some emails never make it to us. Don't know why.

Can you send me a PM with your email address? I can contact you directly.
 
5x5, 4x4, 3x5 and 5x20

Probably going to have to get a wide tombstone for the long parts since there is end work to be done on them
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Some gratuitous advice - if this is your first horizontal, be much more aware of the dimensions of the tools and machine and pallet. Lay it all out in CAD, even.

Because the workspace is more limited, it's easy to get yourself into a spot where you either can't reach the parts or can't get a tool between the spindle and the parts. Its not like a vertical where you can just go up in Z (travel is more limited), or down as far as you want (the pallet will hit if you try to go too deep).
 
Some gratuitous advice - if this is your first horizontal, be much more aware of the dimensions of the tools and machine and pallet. Lay it all out in CAD, even.

Because the workspace is more limited, it's easy to get yourself into a spot where you either can't reach the parts or can't get a tool between the spindle and the parts. Its not like a vertical where you can just go up in Z (travel is more limited), or down as far as you want (the pallet will hit if you try to go too deep).
2nd horizontal owned but first at this business.

I spring for a Mori Seiko nhx4000. Should have plenty of room for the small parts I will put on it.

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Depending on how many parts or the type of parts you intend on running maybe consider a rectangle tombstone, One side can be set up with Vises, the ends can be set up to make short parts and one long side can be set up with a removable sub plate for large quantity of parts. Look into ball lock systems that can be interchanged real easily. You can even use these for your vises.

If you go with a octogon tombstone you will have 8 sides but side work get limited with tool reach. If you go with a cross tombstone you can turn those into an octogon real easy machine flats at 45degs and install sub plates.
 
I think I'd like to stay away from fixtures and pallets for now. We are doing 1000-2000 piece runs for different part numbers. Typical runs would last about 50 hours per part number.



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Tombstone city tombstones and either orange vise or 5th axis dovetail fixtures.

I'm impressed with all the brands listed above.
 
I've used this style tombstone from them before. It worked quite nicely. We appreciated the access to the parts from the side since there is a lot of relief between faces, plenty of room to get the spindle in there.
Tombstone city is smoking crack for the price of this


$3800 for the tombstone and $2800 per vise. $15,000 per tombstone....not going to happen.....not for Asia made workholding and the 12 week lead time is also equally as insane.



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Tombstone city is smoking crack for the price of this


$3800 for the tombstone and $2800 per vise. $15,000 per tombstone....not going to happen.....not for Asia made workholding and the 12 week lead time is also equally as insane.



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I have yet to figger out how they can charge so much for a tombstone?

Considering that the folks that are buying these - likely know someone that has a machine shop?


A length of 1 x 6 (8/10) CRF 1018 and a burn-out baseplate ran accrost a Blanchard quick before you git it.. - and you are in business.

Drill and tap some holes, weld it together, send out for normalizing/stress relief, and then run back accrost the Blanchard one more time.

You'll have less in 2 than you could ever have hoped to buy 1 for on the outside.

I don't git it.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox
 
Or buy them at auction for $50 a pop.

Even really rusty tombstones look great after you skim them. And big ones are not too tricky to cut down into littler ones.
 
I have yet to figger out how they can charge so much for a tombstone?

Considering that the folks that are buying these - likely know someone that has a machine shop?


A length of 1 x 6 (8/10) CRF 1018 and a burn-out baseplate ran accrost a Blanchard quick before you git it.. - and you are in business.

Drill and tap some holes, weld it together, send out for normalizing/stress relief, and then run back accrost the Blanchard one more time.

You'll have less in 2 than you could ever have hoped to buy 1 for on the outside.

I don't git it.


------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I don't have the time to piece them together or pick them up at an auction. I'm to busy making money. :D

I won't, however, pay the extra $1500 to drill and tap holes into one.

Most guys on this forum could make most things they use on a daily basis. I could work 60 hours a week making the things I need so I don't have to spend a dime...
 
I don't have the time to piece them together or pick them up at an auction. I'm to busy making money. :D

I won't, however, pay the extra $1500 to drill and tap holes into one.

Most guys on this forum could make most things they use on a daily basis. I could work 60 hours a week making the things I need so I don't have to spend a dime...

You do however, have enough time to surf this site and comment about it.
 








 
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