Round Fixture plate for a mini mill?

[Ken from ontario]

Sounds like you want to make one of those sacrificial plates that people often call mini pallets. I think the reason they make them square or rectangle is flat plate stock is cheaper than buying large round stock. That and the square or rectangle can be held in a vise which is also very common.

Good suggestions here, I say go for it, & don't forget to show it off to us!

THanks DZ, Actually mini pallet sounds more becoming , mini pallet for a mini mill lol.yeah I'm gonna go for it and use it , I just have to mill the top and bottom surfaces and do something for the back of it in case I want to hold it in a vise.
I brought this round piece from work 7-8 years ago and never used it till now.

 

[Bob Korves]

Bob, that's even better but you still clamp the whole thing to the table right? 2 T nuts and a bar across (on either side)should secure it.I love it.

Or toe clamps. Or...
Recesses for toe clamps would keep them out of the way.

 

[pineyfolks]

You can also mill some 1/4" key slots in the X and Y axis on top of your plate so you can drop a piece of key stock in to quickly locate parts square with the table.

 

[Ken from ontario]

You can also mill some 1/4" key slots in the X and Y axis on top of your plate so you can drop a piece of key stock in to quickly locate parts square with the table.

Thanks piney, there now three options ,I'll decide which one is the easiest , I haven't had my morning coffee yet but to add a couple of locators can not be that difficult even for an old hack like me lol.

Make two bars that fit snugly in your table slots and then mount them to the pallet.

Clamp on mill table and mill flats on each side at whatever dimension is a good width for your vice, undercut the sharp corners.
Place in hard jaws in vice and dust off the top, drill and tap holes and you are done.

 

[Ken from ontario]

This video shows a couple of ways to machine my own locators:

 

[chip maker]

A little late getting to this but I made a plate for my mini mill a while ago. This was not my idea for sure but seen a larger one and made mine to fit my mill. I also wanted some to do smaller items but also something to tilt parts as well. My plate is only 4 X 6 but works fine for my uses. I don't know why it couldn't be made of a round plate. The straight bar on mine is set square and can be moved in many other places to set a backing for items if needed. I also made toe clamps to go with the plate. I have used it to do items that need an angle and was a lot better than trying to set them just in a vice. As you can see it can be mounted in either position of your vice as needed.

 

[Ken from ontario]

Chip, thanks for taking the time to post pictures and your comment,that plate seems like a very versatile tool to have in a shop,I 'd never have guessed it worked better with 2 angle plates especially on a tilt like the pic.
I'm not planning on drilling two different size holes like you did with your plate, is there a specific reason you did that?
Overall it a smart design and I can see it work with a mini mill.

 

[brino]

A little late getting to this but I made a plate for my mini mill a while ago. This was not my idea for sure but seen a larger one and made mine to fit my mill. I also wanted some to do smaller items but also something to tilt parts as well........As you can see it can be mounted in either position of your vice as needed.

@Chip Maker Thanks for posting that!
That is one versatile pallet/plate. I have already book marked this one for a future project.
Thanks again.
-brino

 

[chip maker]

I put in different size holes just for sometime if I needed larger sizes. I have it set up that the straight edge is always using the larger holes for securing it to the plate. I'm glad to share the idea with everyone but as I said I had seen this made by someone else but a larger size. I would like to give the credit but it has been awhile and don't remember where I found it. If you also look you can see that how this is made you can rotate it to any angle and also straight up if you needed to.

 

[KBeitz]

Ken, are you thinking about a finger plate or something larger? This is a finger plate:

It allows you to hold small items securely for drilling, milling or filing. The edges are square so you can clamp it in a vise. I know at least one guy who is working on one right now.

If this isn't what you're after, then form follows function - what does the fixture need to do? That will determine what it must look like.

Whats the right name for this clamp. I can't find them for sale anywhere.