need some general advice about some toe-clamps I'm building (and maybe sell)

First of all, these work-holding parts are meant for non-production use on hobby-sized machines so the performance does not need to be on par with commercial parts.

I have a Taig so my resources are small. Toe-clamps seem to be in the $40+ range, too much for me and most of them are made to use on larger machines. But double-sticky tape is not stiff enough to machine some palm-sized custom parts for my 3D printer. I can hold to a mill or so across a flat slab but keeping it hard flush with the stage has been difficult.

So I decided to design my own. Started wondering if there might a small market for hobbyists, selling these at a lower cost.
Got the slanted toe and mating base done, and the machining operations worked out.
Now looking at materials.
I don't have the resources to do any hardening but I want to be able to clamp steel. I've been looking at bronze and mild steel (like annealed tool steels) but worried the ridges in my clamp surfaces will wear down too easily and trying to get the hardest material I can reasonable machine on my machine. A few pieces I might try for stainless, but if I try to make, say, 100, then SS probably wont' be practical.
The toe certainly needs to be hard (ie not aluminum!) but I see no reason why a low-load use, like hobby machines, can't use a high-strength aluminum base. Polish the interface some, a bit of oil, seems like it would be fine.
Bronze is turning out to be more expensive and fewer stock sizes are available so for now I'm sticking with the steel.

Bottom line: what is the hardest steel I could use for this that I won't need to harden, that I can machine myself in some quantity in the many dozens.
Does using aluminum for the base also raise issues I'm not aware of?
thanks

There are a number of pre-hardened steel alloys that are easily machined with carbide tools.

But for use on a Taig, mild steel is probably OK.

Joe Gwinn

You really thought this was the best site to ask this question?

A nicer reply would have been a suggestion of a better place to go. Your reply is the equivalent of slamming the door in my face. If there was a general purpose sub-forum for amateurs, I would have gone there. There is even a sub-forum for bench-top machines, but my post is not about my machine, but about materials. But mostly I've watched non-professional posts have to wade through either useful replies, or replies like yours. I can understand in all seriousness why a place where professionals can congregate without interruptions is preferred, but if that is the case, it shouldn't be available to the open public and should require, like, qualifications. Where is the cutoff?
So why did you bother to read, or even better, reply to this post? Do you not have better things to do with your time?
This is my only reply to your post unless you say something useful.
(normally I would put 'thanks' here)

MDCARSON said:

A nicer reply would have been a suggestion of a better place to go. Your reply is the equivalent of slamming the door in my face. If there was a general purpose sub-forum for amateurs, I would have gone there. There is even a sub-forum for bench-top machines, but my post is not about my machine, but about materials. But mostly I've watched non-professional posts have to wade through either useful replies, or replies like yours. I can understand in all seriousness why a place where professionals can congregate without interruptions is preferred, but if that is the case, it shouldn't be available to the open public and should require, like, qualifications. Where is the cutoff?
So why did you bother to read, or even better, reply to this post? Do you not have better things to do with your time?
This is my only reply to your post unless you say something useful.
(normally I would put 'thanks' here)

Click to expand...

You were ignorant in not reading the sticky up top, nor taking a quick read around the place before posting.

I say 1215 and get it case hardened. It is very easy to machine and hardens well. Don't waste your time with anything other than mild or medium carbon steel, it is the best price to performance value. What is the minimum that will work? Well there are too many variables for us to say exactly so you will need to make a few and see where they fail, make some adjustments and repeat. The fun of product development. If it was one and done we would all be making our own products.

sorry, my quick read was TOO quick and I now see that there are specifically mentioned exclusions for my level of equipment and question. Didn't realize PM was so exclusive. Still looking for a dedicated metal working site that invites inexperienced people. I don't like the general-purpose forums like Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, or Facebook for trying to learn a specific knowledge set. That's like trying to learn calculus and the teacher just saying, 'just ask me anything you need to."
So, I'm gone, elsewhere...

MDCARSON said:

sorry, my quick read was TOO quick and I now see that there are specifically mentioned exclusions for my level of equipment and question. Didn't realize PM was so exclusive. Still looking for a dedicated metal working site that invites inexperienced people. I don't like the general-purpose forums like Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, or Facebook for trying to learn a specific knowledge set. That's like trying to learn calculus and the teacher just saying, 'just ask me anything you need to."
So, I'm gone, elsewhere...

Click to expand...

Proxxon MF70 experiences or alternatives?

You didn't see that your other post was closed/locked ?
"See Machinery discussion guidelines, sticky thread at the top of this forum list for why this was closed "

MDCARSON said:

sorry, my quick read was TOO quick and I now see that there are specifically mentioned exclusions for my level of equipment and question. Didn't realize PM was so exclusive. Still looking for a dedicated metal working site that invites inexperienced people. I don't like the general-purpose forums like Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, or Facebook for trying to learn a specific knowledge set. That's like trying to learn calculus and the teacher just saying, 'just ask me anything you need to."
So, I'm gone, elsewhere...

Click to expand...

Home Shop Machinist seems to be the standby recommendation for hobby level type stuff. You can still ask questions about machining procedures and operations, just specific stuff about very light duty machines is not really a good fit here.

Before you start selling these things, you'd be wise to make sure you're not infringing on somebody else's patent.

MDCARSON said:

A nicer reply would have been a suggestion of a better place to go.

Click to expand...

Fair enough.

Staples or Office Depot.

Steel spring clamps, blued and stainless, and oversized paper clips in ever-so-many styles and plentiful abundance for heavy stacks of paper, desk lamps, "puter accessories are as strong as a Taig can challenge.

The BIG ones can hang the silly Taig on the back of a kitchen cabinet door or a bathroom medicine cabinet mirror-door.

End of problem?

Thought so!

Disclosure: I don't own a Taig. Leatherman tool and a roll of Duct tape suffices.

Meanwhile, small-d-the-drama-queen has finally found a job doing something (s)he can actually fondle.

Taken up virtual ************************ on the internet as a career.

Should be along shortly.

Steel spring clamps, blued and stainless, and oversized paper clips in ever-so-many styles and plentiful abundance for heavy stacks of paper, desk lamps, "puter accessories are as strong as a Taig can challenge.

The BIG ones can hang the silly Taig on the back of a kitchen cabinet door or a bathroom medicine cabinet mirror-door.

End of problem?

Thought so!

What we have here is the terrible troll and friends, its actually a comedy skit that is not funny. the troll is a powerful mentor, just ask jeramy, an exemployee of mine.
So, stay tuned, its even going to be more fun, as the troll rolls!

There are a number of steels that are pre heat treated. Most available are rounds. Look at speedy metals for heat treated 4140 alloy. Other places may offer rectangular sections, sometimes called brake die.

If you use aluminum as one half of the sliding member I doubt if your clamp will have a very long life.