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Looking for ideas/product to manually index cutting and drilling

dave66

Cast Iron
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Location
California, USA
Just looking for any ideas people might have. We do not do a huge amount of metal work in my biz. We don’t have any CNC. Just some basic drill presses and such. There’s a few things we do that I’d like to make go faster. Drilling holes in aluminum tube is one. Basically we drill holes with varying gaps between the holes, in different lengths of tube. Mostly 2’ at the longest. The tube is held clamped blocks to keep the holes aligned straight down the length, while on the table. It would be great to have some kind of quick stop setup, or indexing jig, or something… where we could have the distances pre set, and just go down the line on each one. We can’t just do one position at a time on each piece, because then we’d have to have separate block clamps for each piece. So all the holes have to be done on each piece at the same time. The closest thing I’ve found is this… Miter Saw Fence Systems & Accessories | JA Dawley

But what they want for it is a bit pricey. If we can’t find anything pre made, I’ll have to make something myself. Just hoping to avoid that. So maybe there’s some sort of digital measuring guide, indexing rail, thingy out there? Thanks
 
Method 1)

Put a metal dowel pin sticking up from your drill press table (or a sub-base mounted to your table). Center the pin under the drill press spindle. You have just made a locator.

Make a cheap piece of iron bar stock, at least 1/8" thick, with holes drilled at the spacing you desire for one of your products. This is your index. Make a separate index bar for every combination of hole spacings in your product line. (You can skip some holes in use, but that requires the operator to pay attention.) Mount the clamp blocks and an end stop to the index bar, so that the part will be aligned properly with the index holes. You have just made a jig.

To use, put the part in the clamp blocks, slide it into contact with the end stop and clamp it in place. Place the index bar on top of that metal dowel pin so the pin slides into the first hole. Drill the hole. Lift the assembly and slide it over until the dowel pin slides into the second hole. Drill the hole. Repeat until you have used all the holes.

To swap over to another product, replace the index bar on the bottom.

Method 2)

Buy a bunch of drill bushings of the appropriate sizes. Take a cheap piece of iron bar stock, at least 1/8" thick, and put the drill bushings at the spacing you desire for one of your products. This is the interesting bit of your drill jig. Make a separate bushing bar for each combination of hole spacings in your product line.

Build a small assembly that combines your clamp blocks, an end stop and a bushing bar, such that the bushing bar is above, centered, and spaced correctly with respect to a part. You have just made a drill jig.

To use, put the part in the clamp blocks, slide it into contact with the end stop and clamp it in place. Slide the jig on the drill press table until a bushing lines up under the spindle. Drill the hole. Slide the jig so the next bushing lines up under the spindle. Drill the hole. Repeat until you have used all the holes.

To swap over to another product, replace the bushing bar on the top.
 
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Just for fun, get a quote on getting them laser cut from a place with a laser tube cutter. Assuming they are reasonably thin walled.
 
Thanks for the tips so far, good ideas. Also gave me some ideas as well. Like possibly just cutting spacer blocks at the right lengths and numbering them... Throw them in against a stop in sequence. That way I just need a fence on the table to center the block holders. The blocks/tubes also have to be turned for cross holes in some cases, so that makes it a little more tricky.

Yeah, I would love to have them done on a laser machine. Unfortunately, the few places I contacted that even acted interested, wanted so much that it would have added $60 on the product price, just to break even.
 
Carpenters and boatmakers use a similar concept of a 'story stick'. A bar or stick with a series of marks (or notches) that index the workpiece as it gets slide along a table under a cutter or drill. Similar to how a box joint is cut.
 








 
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