T-slot table clamps

[Burkhardt]

Forgot to mention something....if you look close at the little right angle spacers in the previous picture, you will see a small nub on the corner of the angle. That has actually a purpose. I can also set the spacer upright with that nub fitting snugly into a t-slot and then it becomes a fencing spacer or spacing fence for repeated work.

Besides the excellent tips and clear photos, I am glad to see other people have some scarred-up clamps also....joe

Oh yes. Ample scars.....usually the bits survive

[Bob Eustace]

The perfect clamp to me would be a Kevlar version of the ShopFox cam clamp complete with a Kevlar bolt. Now this isnt tooooo far fetched as they are just starting to 3D print in Kevlar and similar stranded materials for the aero industry. Now matter how carefull we all have clamp collisions from time to time - just hurts when its a tapered ball mill and the job has no margin or worse is a freebie!

[jerry_stanek]

My perfect clamp would be a smart one that jumped out of the way and reclamp when the spindle is going to hit it.

[gundog]

For me vacuum was the answer. If the part is too small to hold by vacuum then I throw on a piece of plywood screw or clamp it there with toggle clamps and hold the plywood with vacuum. Very few projects won't hold on my vacuum table by just using scrap material to block off the part of the vacuum zone not being used.

Using vacuum to hold parts is like going from a hand held router with jigs to a CNC IMHO.

These are the toggle clamps I am talking about screwed to plwood and use a block of scrap between the toggle clamp and the machined part to stop from hitting the clamp. http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...q=toggle+clamp

[gundog]

HF used to have a straight line or push toggle clamp but I don't see them on their site. You can always mount them on their side to a board to push horizontally but the clamp made to do this works great with a sacrificial board between the clamp and the work project. I have also made cam clamps from plastic HDPE but any more I vary rarely need anything but vacuum.

Sorry I just realized I posted on the Desk Top section and I am not sure about vacuum on that size machine.

Mike