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Preferred maker of Grid plates?

BHolcombe

Aluminum
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
Howdy,

I have a machine new to the shop that has an open table, basically you can mount your own setup to it or use the existing built in clamp for typical work.

I would like to add a grid plate to the machine for fixturing a sine plate, speciality vise, etc. and I'm wondering who makes a reasonably priced grid plate in steel.

Similar to what's used for Tormach machines, but I need an odd size of 6" x 24".

Thank you
Brian
 
Howdy,

I have a machine new to the shop that has an open table, basically you can mount your own setup to it or use the existing built in clamp for typical work.

I would like to add a grid plate to the machine for fixturing a sine plate, speciality vise, etc. and I'm wondering who makes a reasonably priced grid plate in steel.


Similar to what's used for Tormach machines, but I need an odd size of 6" x 24".

Thank you
Brian

Easy enough to just make one .
 
Stevens Subplates

6x24 will be a special. Maybe find a cheap used one and saw it down? I don't think any tiny vice or tiny tooling will have any locating features for one anyway. their normal plates pattern only has locating bushings on 5" centers.

If we assume this is for a typical mini mill you will not like the cost.
 
This is for a mortising machine (woodworking tool). I hesitated to mention it because I find the 'wood moves, who cares' sentiment to get in the way of useful advice.

On the machine I have and most others the table is not able to be tilted and because of the need for a very heavy column stiffness it is also not typical that the column would tilt on any of these machine, so one is left making wedges for every setup outside of 90 degree joints. That is a huge waste of time and not typically very accurate.

So my thought process has driven me toward the idea of a sub-plate to cover the table, then bolting on fixtures when they're needed for tilting material.

I dont need to put a vise on in this case, I can use a sine plate and just use a stud kit. I want it mainly for the fact that the pins should be square to the fixture and so I can setup a fixture without the need to indicate along the faces each time.

Cutting down a big plate is probably a good way to go, I have much faith in my Bridgeport but it's not the right machine for making a fixture plate that needs to be really pretty accurate from point to point(better than .001" I would assume).

I do woodwork and limited machining work (usually making metal hardware on a Bridgeport) so my questions probably seem all over the place.
 








 
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