Low Profile Mill Clamps
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Low Profile Mill Clamps build for holding flat plates at the mill!
I think these are going to be a game changer for me. You can expect to see more of these in the future.
The hex heads are easy swapped out if I want another shape of workholding.
Eg a small gripper for say a plastic part see Stefans recent video where he makes some for the lathe • Gripper Jaws for the l...
Alternatively they could be aluminium or brass to prevent marking a nice work piece. The options are endless
I went for no talking ASMR for this one. Let me know if you do want any details
I know my cold bluing came out a bit average unfortunately. I can't have cleaned the parts as well as I should have. Also I shouldn't have double dipped the brush I know.
I have a patreon account if you wish to help support the channel. Through this you can get early access and more
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The hex stock material was 1214 steel supplied by Tyne Valley Metals. They have a variety of engineering metals including 4140, bearing bronze, D2 tool steel and more.
www.ebay.com.a...
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Question, are those free cap screws digging into the t slot bottom? Aren’t the t slot bottoms irregular, not machined? Won’t they get chewed up as cast is softer than steel? Just asking because I think I am going to add a washer or t cover to mine.
Yes, I flattened the tip to prevent damage. Also I don't tighten them crazy hard, there is a risk that the jacking action could break the T-slot. I've allowed provision for a top clamping plate if required
Excellent addition to the shop 👍.
Great vlog and editing.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers they are going to be handy!
Thanks for watching
I can seriously watch this all day.
Thanks for watching!
Oh, I like those a lot, especially the floating cam. That’s going on the list.
Excellent! Enjoy making them
My 'things I need to make' list just got slightly longer 😉 Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks for watching
The list never ends! You should use Emma's toolmaking competition as a chance to shorten it slightly
Ay! Both you and Quinn posted low profile mill clamps hahaha, you guys all read eachothers minds! ok time to watch
Very nice little compact clamps btw, love your stuff Tom, awesome as always
I can't tell you the number of times that seems to happen!
Good job. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎
Thanks!
You need a magical copier like the one I have. Saves having to making multiple identical parts. 😁
Let me know where I can get one!
@@TomMakeHere I just found one on ebay... www.ebay.com/itm/Haas-VF-3YT-50-5-Axis-CNC-Vertical-Machining-Center/174081319784?hash=item28880e2368:g:MNsAAOSwoBFducuM
@@BurtonsAttic thanks for offering to buy it! You are too kind
Gday Tommy, they work very well and a simple design, thanks for sharing, Cheers Matty
Yeah they're a good thing to have
Thanks for watching!
That ER collet block in the 4 jaw was clever!
Cheers!
Really like the work stop on the mill
Thanks!
I love the editing on this one Tom. Great result - you put a lot of work into the video editing and it shows! Those clamps will be super handy. I have thought about making some in the past too, but it's on the infinite todo list still :-) Cheers, Craig
Cheers Craig. Yes I thought it was about time to get around to it
I'm forever holding big flat plates and it's becoming a problem
@@TomMakeHere yeah, machining the entire face of a plate is a pretty common use case. Surprised these clamps aren't more common. I suppose the large 2 piece style mill vise (ToT style) could be used with parallels too, for plate surfacing, but this sort is much cheaper and easier to build.
@@CraigsWorkshop Yeah I decided to go simple. At some point I will make up 2 precision rails to go with these for repeat plate work (so I can make an inside corner to butt a plate against)
Honest to gawd! I thought you had screwed up those screw heads. I did not get it until the end. Good job and great entertainment!
Cheers! I nearly overdid the eccentric, there's not a lot of meat around the hex!
@@TomMakeHere I wondered what was going on there as well !
Out of curiosity, why did you do that?
@@tcratius1748 Do what? Turn the bolt eccentric? This makes the the action of turning screw allow it to cam against the hex shape and exert a sidewards pressure on the work piece. The whole tool is a compact cam clamp
Well done video . I like the format and how you preaent the material !
I appreciate that!
Hey before you remove your chuck from the lathe spindle next time chuck up a rod of cold roll close to the size if the spindle bore in the jaws that extends into the spindle bore 6 " and sticks out of the chuck jaws 6" on the face side. The bar will then act as an insertion guide on one end and line up the threads on the chuck adapter and act as a handle on the other side. This makes taking the chuck off and putting the chuck back on real easy and avoids thread damage.
Good tip.
Cheers
Tip: don’t put the brush back in de bottle after you used it on blueing metal. Just pour a little blueing liquid an a plate or something.
Not arguing with you, but may I ask why?
@@ebayollis during blueing oxides form, which you partially rub off the metal onto the brush and then contaminating the blueing solution.
In essence you put a small portion of rust back into the bottle of blue. Mind you it's only small quantities and it's basically just sloppy work, personally I doubt that it will pose any real risk of real degradation. It'll probably function just fine for 99% of the jobs.
Hell I dip my part's in a five gallon bucket of blue, it's five years old still does a excellent job.
@@kentuckytrapper780 Yeah, I just dunk the parts into the container. Been using the same container for a while now. You'll see some bits(prob iron oxide) in the bottom, but I just pour it through a strainer to remove them.
I like those,surprisingly effective! Looks like another job to add to my todo list. Cheers!
Yeah, it's better than I expected!
Definately going to be a good thing
Editing on point 👌 i wont lie, when you put that part in to test the way it was aimed on the rotational force i was waiting for it to go shooting out haha
You need to get a 'grip'!
@@TomMakeHere just had a thought because the bolt heads are only using friction to hold the nut against the work piece if you use a smooth sided piece just be careful if your drilling it doesn't lift up, as there is nothing holding the nuts to the T nut
@@troyam6607 yep good point. I think generally I'll use this for surface milling, but in that case I'd probably put a strap clamp on it. I'll just need to remember not to drill my mill table lol
@@TomMakeHere haha that's what it's there for! 😉
Nice design, thanks for sharing.
Cheers Steven. I think they will be useful
Excelente ideia para travar peças em mesas. Parabéns por a ideia!
Obrigado!
outstanding, great way to grab odd stock. will head out to shop and make some!
They are useful!
G’day Tommy, simple yet effective, well done.
Cheers
Peter
Cheers👍
4:30 - hey, you got Polish made chuck here:) old, good Bison❤
Nice. They will come in handy.
Absolutely!
I want to see if a shaper equivalent works now!
Oh man the OCD part hit me really hard... 😂Great!
He he 😁
4:23 I recognise this logo on lathe chuck - oldshool Bison. Built in a time when tools supose to last forever.
It's a nice chuck, I just wish I had the outer jaws to go with it
Well done. I was on the edge of my seat with this one ! :)
Cheers! They work better than expected
Thanks for watching!
Nice. Different way of doing it. But can't argue with results.
Cheers, yeah they work well!
seems like useful, clever idea
Thanks, I can't claim credit as these already exist. I only made my interpretation
Great job i could really have used these on my last project
They are one of the most useful things I have made
My second comment: I just noticed another commenter talking about whether the bluing stuff was available in Aus. You're using Birchwood Casey brand in the video, which I can get locally in Hobart (Moonah fishing/hunting place). If you want more Tom, let me know and I can get some and forward it to you.
😮 Why you !$&/? turn that back around!, you’re killing me!!!! Don’t mess with my OCD! That just ain’t right 😂😂😂 good vid! 👍🏼
😁 thanks!
Nice and functional
Thank you!
thanks for the idea..
No problem!
Nice job. I'm going to do some of these. Thanks for putting this together
Go for it!
Thanks for watching
well done! thank you 👍
Top job mate.
Cheers!
very good video..thanks for your time
Cheers!
Grazie mille, lo costruirò anch'io.
Grande! Sono utili
Very nice! 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
Nice job I might have to make some 👍
Go for it!
Enjoyed it!
Thank you! Cheers
Just enjoying the process. Do you use machine oil or way oil on the clamp heads?
I think I used a light spindle oil from memory. It doesn't matter too much, you just want oil to soak into the blued steel
I am a Korean MCT engineer. Is it necessary to do so? You can put an aluminum plate on top and tap it to make it easier
There are many ways of completing any task. These are just another option
They are best suited to milling the entire surface of a plate where you cannot have clamps on top as they are in the way of the milling operation
Well done! 👍
Thanks for watching!
Do you have a love/hate relationship with that vice too? The mechanism on the bottom that locks it different hooks for different widths is so iffy sometimes.
Yes, I've now upgraded to an 'anglock' style vice. Much more reliable for milling
@@TomMakeHere Bit too high for me those, it's just a desktop cnc machine not a full on mill.
@@xConundrumx yep, height is always an issue. A 2 piece vice might be worth looking into too
@@TomMakeHere My thinking too, maybe not a vise in the classical sense though. Something modular maybe. Haven't quite figured it out yet. Vacuum holding is another option I am exploring.
Am I correct in assuming the clamping force is from the 'tipping' of the T nut by the rear cap head screw?
So, push the hex as hard as you can to the job, lightly tighten the rear cap head, then tighten the hex cap head, then repeat to all of them, then tighten the rear cap heads to gain clapping force?
If so, very neat and I want some.
Yeah so it is the cam action of the eccentric cap screw that pushes the hex against the work, after the rear screw has locked it in place
The rear screw is ok, but could damage a mill table if tightened hard. Ideally there would be top and bottom clamping plates. I might make this change
They are very useful
Nice mate! I know I saw a comment about this already, but thought I would just reinforce the idea that using the cap screw to push it up from the bottom of the t slot isnt the best idea. Not only can you damage the tslots, but you're drastically reducing the clamping potential because of the lack of surface area on the bottomed out screw. T slots are meant to be clamped in compression 😊 if how you have it works for what you need then awesome, but just something to keep in mind. Maybe consider custom washers with csk screws for the future to retain that low profile.
Yep, I've allowed space on the T nut for this purpose
All of the commercial designs run like this so I thought I would try this first and upgrade if required
nice vid, late to the party- Q: how did you determine the eccentricity amount? i frame by framed and it looked like 100thou//2.5mm?
@dumpy4289 to be honest, it was a guess based on what seemed reasonable and didn't destroy the screw head. If it didn't work I would have tried something else
@@TomMakeHere cheers man! I love the design, i’ll give it a go!
impressive. the heads of the cap screws seemed to be turned off-center (wobbly in chuck). is that by design? to create a partial cam-effect?
100% correct. It is the cam action of the screw head holding the part
I guess they could be made as a two piece. One Eccentric and one hold down
Absolutely 2 would work fine, but 4 will allow clamping of very unusual shapes
Great job, and way cheaper that the brand name...
Cheers. They work so I'm happy
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
What liquid do you use (the blue bottle), what type is it called?
It is a cold blue solution. The chemical is usually Selenium Dioxide for steel.
It adds a black oxide layer with pitting which allows oil impregnation to prevent rust
@@TomMakeHere Thank you very much!
Parabéns, ótima ideia !
Obrigado!
Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working on a saw? And a mag chuck? You have a lot of nerve publishing another video ..... just as good! I love your style.
I'm in for the mag chuck. Actually, I want to make a medium sized mag chuck that doubles as a mag drill base.
:) all in good time!
Nice! I'm going to have a shot at this. How much bigger is the hole in the hex nut than the cap screw head?
Maybe 0.5 to 1 mm clearance should be fine. The most important thing is the cap screw head must be eccentric. Mine was maybe 1 mm eccentric
As an improvement on this design, I would have a plate on the rear cap screw so the plate is pulled down onto the table and the T nut pulled up. If that makes sense
@@TomMakeHere makes sense, much appreciated!
i wanna buy these
what would you be charging for them good sir?
They already exist as a product. Mitee Bite is the most common, but other companies make them too
@@TomMakeHere Beautiful. thank you very much.
Buen sr cómo se llama el químico que utiliza para poner negro el acero
Se llama 'azul frio'
El compuesto es dióxido de selenio.
Thanks Tom. I’m trying to mill 8” sine plates and having a bitch of a time. Vise/fail, clamping/fail due to multiple clamping changes. This I hope will work. Tks. Gilles 🇨🇦
bolt stuff downwards too if it is more than 2x the height of the clamps don't ask me how I know this. but they look good
That sounds like it was fun to find out lol
I'll remember that!
Wonderful! One tip - the cut on the lathe is made no further than 5 mm from the end of the Chuck Cams. Then the spindle bearings will live longer.
Clamps the bolt with the ER collet.. out of round completely.. zero fucks given.. my man! :D
That was actually intentional, it let me turn an eccentric head on the bolt
Nice work Tom. I think Blond Hacks May have copied your idea 😉
Cheers. She just beat me to it!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thanks for watching :)
@@TomMakeHere 👍👍👍👍
Nice job, but I was disturbed when you put the last clamp down backwards! Not that I'm OCD or anything.
Ha ha! Thanks for watching Presso
You can buy ones that work properly for around 50 dollars
These work fine
I could save up to buy a 5 axis milling machine too, but the fun is in making stuff. I'm only a hobbiest, my time is not money
Bastard! That fourth clamp backwards still bugs me.
🤣
7:02 chinese hardened
Just cold blued for aesthetics, and for corrosion protection.
But yes, about as hard as a lot of Chinese hardening!
8mmplet clamp India plies
Wouldnt recommend putting your Hand under the sawblade
I just realised what part of the video you were referring to. In that top down shot, my hand is about 150 mm below the blade and is off to the side (The saw is up on a rotating plinth)
"AAAAAHHHHHHHRRRRRRGGGGG"
- OCD viewers
He he
contaminated the bottle of blue
O. and sweet project. i’m copying this idea for sure. thanks!
Contamination wasn't too bad luckily, I learnt since this mistake, I've nearly used up the bottle but still get good blue results
7:22 🤣
👍💪✔👏😎
Thanks for watching 😊
Sa15 hi good 👆👆👆👆👆👆👆
Thanks for watching
Omfg those are aweful surface finishes and blueing :/
Dull endmills and contaminated cold blue don't make for good results
My current standards are higher
Min 7:22 I hate you :'(
🤣 Thanks for watching!