228 Heavy Machinery Brake Shoe Welding Fixture Part 1

Please Note: I am a beginning machinist and I do not pretend to know everything. Please always operate machinery in a safe manner and if you don't know, find a reliable source. DO NOT COPY ME. I make a lot of mistakes. I provide these videos for entertainment only.

[@Doug_Edwards]

What a project Robert... Don't forget to put a hefty bevel on it for when they flip the first weld operation.

[@DudleyToolwright]

Thanks for the warning. I actually designed the support to be almost 0.250" away from the part, so I think I'm covered.

[@outsidescrewball]

looking forward to your progress

[@DudleyToolwright]

Thanks Chuck. It was a challenging project with mods ongoing.

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

You are getting some interesting projects come through the door also. When I win the lottery I am going to get a bandsaw like you have. They are nice.

[@DudleyToolwright]

Thanks, Tom. The bandsaw is really an amazing tool and the price wasn't too terrible.

[@C2DSolutions]

Looks great. I like the pre-planning of the mounting holes to the rotary table.
You may want to consider two / three points of contact to position your web that are in line with the toggle clamps. You could use hardened pins that would last longer than the aluminium with the burrs. These pins could also locate the clamp bar. The pins could be swapped out for different radii.

[@DudleyToolwright]

Thanks for the great tips. I considered using this approach, rather than the continuous surface, but didn't do that because I was concerned about the forces that were going to come into play. The clamps I a musing are capable of around 5800 pounds force and that concentrated on the line contact of a pin had me concerned. Your solution would be perfect for accurately made parts, but these are definitely not those. The tolerances are wide and the parts have to be squeezed together, with quite a bit of force, to fit.

[@kevinsmith1976]

Good job. But consider having the 2 parts vertical? The robot will have access to both sides at the same time. Really enjoy your channel. Greetings from Albion Victoria Australia.

[@DudleyToolwright]

Interesting that you should say that. The original fixture from the company was vertical with lots of ribs and bits everywhere. It was a fairly complicated design that would be much better suited to CNC or at least laser cut parts. Thanks for the comments. I always appreciate them.

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Robert, this is going to be really interesting project, cheers

[@DudleyToolwright]

Thanks, Matty. Fixturing has always been an interest of mine and this project was very new to me, design-wise.

[@owenmonroe4911]

That Ukranian Dance music @14 minutes was a war crime.

[@DudleyToolwright]

That was some electronica I got off of UA-cam's license free offerings. I was not aware of the similarity to Ukranian dance music.