Miscellaneous milling tooling
Overview
Any milling machine needs a comprehensive set of milling clamps, dogs, jacks and so on to enable work to be set up quickly and efficiently. After struggling with improvised set ups, I quickly saw the light and took time out to make a full set. My set features:
- Several clamps of different sizes
- Many varied lengths of studding with a handful of nuts and washers to suit
- Lots of dogs
- Lots of 3mm thick washers
- Lots of T-nuts
- Four different sizes of toolmaker’s clamps, two off each size
- Jacks
All these bits and pieces are kept neatly in a drawer next to the milling machine. They can also be used on the lathe’s slotted cross slide.
I was a little concerned that I couldn’t afford one of those “clamping kits” when I first got my mill. I shouldn’t have worried as I’ve built up a far better set of clamping elements by making my own or buying individual bits that were on sale. I couldn’t actually buy T nuts to fit my first Mill so I even had to make those as well. Just as well really as home made ones fit so much better anyway!
Yes, the clamping kits are expensive and not very versatile! Home made is the way to go for this I think as they are simple parts and easily made to your own spec.