Re: Double sided milling with dowels for alignment
If you are going to use dowels, why not use one of the dowels as the 0,0. It really doesn't matter where the 0,0 is as long as you and the machine knows where it is.
Another trick I use is to pocket out a piece of MDF, with the profile of the finished side, to hold the part after machining the first side. I normally go about 1/4'' deep. This way you know exactly where the 0,0 is. MDF is OK with coolant for 1 or 2 parts.
Here is an example
First side finished
And fixture for the other side, 0,0 is the bottom left corner. You don't have to worry about the 0,0, it can be anywhere you choose as long as the CAM setup and the machine are in agreement.
And the part in place
And finished
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA