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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    25

    Holding Rectangular Aluminum Tubing

    Hello,
    I am working on a chassis piece for a robot. My stock is a 3 foot length of 2"x4"x.125" rectangular aluminum tubing. I need to mill various holes and pockets on all four sides of the tubing. I have designed the piece in Fusion 360 and intend to draw the toolpaths using Fusion as well. I will be using a Tormach 770 mill.
    How should I hold/fixture the tubing on the mill? Is there a way that I can make a jig so that the tubing doesn't have to be resquared each time it is rotated? Any ideas?
    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    6463

    Re: Holding Rectangular Aluminum Tubing

    2 vices spaced apart in line?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    25

    Re: Holding Rectangular Aluminum Tubing

    Quote Originally Posted by handlewanker View Post
    2 vices spaced apart in line?
    At this point, I only own 1 vice and was hoping to find a solution that doesn't require an additional one.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    6618

    Re: Holding Rectangular Aluminum Tubing

    1 vise and a machinists jack screw.
    https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...l_1ph6kkrfe3_e
    Or just support it with 123 blocks and parallels. Shave down a piece of lumber.
    Lee

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    5717

    Re: Holding Rectangular Aluminum Tubing

    Bolt a straightedge down to your table. This could be anything that you have laying around, steel, aluminum, or even MDF or plywood. Take a cut on it to square it to the table. If you put a generous chamfer on the front edge prior to bolting it down, then there is no danger of the endmill going into the table when taking a squaring cut. This gives you a backstop to position the tube against. Then bolt down an end stop, this positions the tube in the X axis. Then clamp the tube down as needed.
    Jim Dawson
    Sandy, Oregon, USA

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