Hold Down Clamp

That's a nice foundry setup! Show us more of your casting work if you don't mind.
 
rwm, Great looking hold-down clamp, I'll have to make one like it for myself. well maybe not as nicely finished as yours but just as functional.


I would like to see the plan for your clamp if you you don't mind posting it or at least post a picture of the opposite side of the picture in your post, I'd like to see whether you used E clamps to fasten the bolts or just screwed in.
Thank you both for the inspiration.

Hi Ken,

That bush at the top is just drilled through and has a nut and washer there, it just pulls against the "T" nut in the conventional way.

Toggle_Clamp_amended.jpeg15-07-2017-009.JPG

15-07-2017-016.JPG

Does these pictures help.
Here is a couple of pictures of how they were made.
29-06-2017-014.JPG29-06-2017-024.JPG

Notice that they were machined as pairs. I made a second jig to turn the inside radius, then the corners were filed round.
 
Thank you BronJ for the pics.they help a lot.
rwm, nice setup you have for casting your own, the brass came out looking great, very interesting.
 
Thank you all.
I used 10-32 screws on both sides of the plates.
I will post some more pics here when I make some more turning stock. I have 23 lbs of scrap copper coming. I can start a thread of various castings in the casting section if there is interest?
Robert
 
How thick do the side pieces have to be? I have a large sheet of .050 aluminum plate. Would that be thick enough? I could double or triple it.

Also does anybody ever drill and tap holes in the top of their mill vises for clamps?
 
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Hi Mick,

I made the side plates of mine out of 5 mm mild steel plate, but amended the drawing to show 3 mm, which is plenty thick enough.

I've just had a look at the pictures I posted, they do look quite fuzzy on here. I wonder if it is something to do with the resizing software on the forum.
I don't use bitmap pictures at all, normally JPG, PNG or GIF.

To answer your last question, NO, My vise is fully hardened all over. It does have two tapped holes for end stops though.
 
does anybody ever drill and tap holes in the top of their mill vises

You could drill and tap holes in the 'soft jaws', that attach to the vice. I have 10-32 holes in the ends for installing part stops.
 
How thick do the side pieces have to be? I have a large sheet of .050 aluminum plate. Would that be thick enough? I could double or triple it.

Also does anybody ever drill and tap holes in the top of their mill vises for clamps?

I would not use aluminum.
Robert
 
.050 aluminum is too soft and weak to handle strong clamping forces. Double or triple thickness may work if that is all you have. I was worried about .065 stainless.
Robert
 
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