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Squaring a stock piece to size

food.

Plastic
Joined
Dec 6, 2018
I know this is the very basics but I'm new to the machining world, if I needed the stock to be square but also to size. Let's say the block needs to be a 2" squared cube. What would be the best method to be able to zero my cutter and flycut or facemill my part to those dimensions?
 
Whatever you do, rough the part out first. That means cut most of the waste away, leaving say .010" still to machine on each side. The right thing to do after that is to grind the piece to size using a surface grinder. If you only have your mill you will have to work very carefully to get it exactly right.

And by the way it isn't real easy to mill a 2" cube within .001" everywhere and hold all the faces exactly square to each other.

metalmagpie
 
And by the way it isn't real easy to mill a 2" cube within .001" everywhere and hold all the faces exactly square to each other.

metalmagpie

Huh??

It's easier than microwaved pie. Hold chunk, Mill top, and 4 sides with the same Tool, flip part, Mill top---done. Why use a Surface Grinder? Besides, you are applying tolerance to this "cube" not the OP (food).

R
 
QT: [flycut or facemill my part]
Actually, to use an end mill perhaps ½ / ¾” or so might make better the part so taking out the need for near perfect tram.
Two sides (4) can be made square with a decent mill and trued-in vise but the ends (side 5) need be square on the sides not jaw-touching with the likes of a hand square or indicting one of the not jaw touching two sides.

To +- .001 not bad/not easy, but within .001 (so +- .0005) is not that easy on most mills IMHO.
Having a open grinder handy I think to grind the last .003/.005 easier than trying to pull .001 on most mills.

Same goes for making 123 blocks on a SG.. to hit sizes and be square all .0002 and less is not that easy..often thought to be a apprentice challenge it is a tough for a green guy.
 
Sometimes I forget my frame of reference is mostly CNC. So .0005" on 5 sides is pretty standard fare. Sorry if I misguided anyone.

R
 
Milling vise on parallels.

Toe clamps.

sorry but i still have trouble imagining it.
if 5 surfaces needed to be milled in one setup the only surface to hold it would be the bottom surface.
putting it in the vice would render the clamped surfaces unreachable.
clamping it down with toe clamps would render the top surface unreachable.
 
Read Litlerob1's post #10 once more.

Considering the vice method, if your stock size is 2.25" thick and your part is 2" in height, you will have additional material to hold onto. You do not need to reach the full depth of 2.25" on the clamped surfaces because you will be machining the bottom surface away in subsequent operations.
 
Read Litlerob1's post #10 once more.

Considering the vice method, if your stock size is 2.25" thick and your part is 2" in height, you will have additional material to hold onto. You do not need to reach the full depth of 2.25" on the clamped surfaces because you will be machining the bottom surface away in subsequent operations.

ok now i get it, thanks for the explanation
 
What I see wrong with one or some of the YouTubes is that one can not mill cutter or fly cutter a part with not the tilt and nod square with the machine or square with the vise.

If the nod for example is off one may cut the part .001 low at the front then flip the part to cut .001 off the same way. perhaps parallel but out of square with the solid vise jaw, so every flip can make more off.
A small end mill will make perhaps 4 passes and look not as fancy, but will be more square with the solid vise jaw.
Yes one can tram the head for tilt and nod with simple adding a shim in the axis that does not have an adjustment. If wishing to use a mill cutter or a fly cutter the head needs to be tram both ways.

Yes one could fly cut(or mill cut) and with not taking the part out of the chick run an indicator two ways to see the tram error in the part.
 








 
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