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Side Clamps - Drawings & Models (Patreon)

Published:
2020-05-09 17:11:57
Imported:
2026-06
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  • SideClamp.f3d
  • SideClampDrawing.pdf
  • SideClamp.f3d
  • SideClampDrawing.pdf

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Content

Hey Patrons! Today's video is about a design that I came up with for a low-profile side clamp for the milling table. Here are the drawings and Fusion 360 models for this clamp, in case you want to make some yourself! I can say they seem to work really well. I have done aggressive cuts in steel since this video was shot, and they held up perfectly. One change I would make is to make them a bit deeper. They barely span the T-slot, and would benefit from more meat at the back. I hope you enjoy the video!


Comments

Dean Williams

Those look pretty good for low profile clamping, Quinn. Your videos are the only place I have seen that design, but being an old codger I miss new things. Just kind of started with certain things and stuck to them. A couple of other options are what I think are called Mighty-Bite or Mitee-Tite nuts. They are a clamping system based on an eccentric inside a low profile nut, (which sits above the T-slot) and another type I've used for many years called wedge clamps. I think they were made by Armstrong. They are small, have a dovetailed section separate from the half that mounts to your mill table and the dovetailed section is moved by a set screw. The dovetailed section has jaw teeth. They can be had in fairly thin sections. I used them years ago to hold a machinists clamp on a built up setup on a Bridgy, and they held the works and I got the job done. Either of these two types would be good for holding the coal feeder engine parts flat on your mill table. Hope your shop clamps work out well for you. Good idea! BTW, if I knew how to put pics here I could show you the wedge clamps I have. Very handy. Dean...

Dean Williams

Sorry Quinn, I got the name of the ones I have wrong. I has said Armstrong but mine are Gibraltar. Just in case you want to know. Dean..

Blondihacks

Cool, thanks for the info! The Gibraltar clamps sound a lot like one of Harold Hall's designs (perhaps he borrowed from there, or maybe it's an old idea). There was a wedge against another wedge, with a clamping screw in a slot. As you tighten the screw, it forces the "anvil" down and outwards. Seems very effective for inward and downward force. I considered that, but didn't think I could manage to make it within 1/2" of height, which was my limit for what I need these for.

Dean Williams

Yeah Blondi, the ones I have are about 1/2" high, but to get them to work at that height you have to get the set in the T-slots juuusst right. I think the Mitee Bite hex nut type clamps would work best for that particular project. Again, I can't figure out how to send pics in this format, but I'm sure you can look them up. The Mitee Bite type go down to 1/4" as I recall, but have not have a set of my own. Only used co-worker's models. They look like a hex nut with an off center stud going through them.

John E Smith

I know this is a bit off topic, but why don't machinists use vacuums for chip control? It just seems more efficient than blowing or brushing the chips into the machines or on the floor to be cleaned up again later. Great content, great presentation. Thank you.

Blondihacks
>>37047284

That's a great question! There are a couple of reasons, I think. One reason is heat. When doing heavy machining (of the sort real machinists normally do) the chips come off very very hot, and you don't want hot oily chips shooting into a vacuum cleaner. A second reason is convenience. Compressed air is generally available at a machine tool because you need it to run other things anyway, so you've plumbed it to each machine. Bigger machines use air for draw bars, coolant misters, fixture plates, etc. Since the air is there, it's handy to just put a nozzle on it to blow chips away. There is a school of thought that says you shouldn't do that, though, because that sprays chips everywhere and will drive them into corners of your precision tools where you don't want them. Most machinists do it anyway, though, because it's so effective and easy. The third reason is that compressed air is a lot more effective than vacuums in many situations, such as cleaning out threads. A puff of air works perfectly, whereas a vacuum....sorta helps a little. Vacuums are like leaf blowers, whereas compressed air is a jet engine.

John E Smith

Makes good sense, thanks for the great content..

JBFromOZ

I saw these parts on youtube, and thought that was pretty cool, but have just finished watching the Steam Stoker plate project where you put them into use. So you've spent a lifetime working on British cars? where do I find out more about this? My first car was a 1961 Austin Healey Sprite, and have spent a lifetime working on Austin Healey, Jags, Minis, Morris Minors etc. Live steam enthusiast? how cool is working on an actual real life steam engine? fitting out a workshop so you could work on live steam projects? SNAP! I've also added the Stefan G solid tool post (compound slide delete) and highly recommend it. anyways, had to sign on to Patreon to try to find out the more to this story! cheers JBFromOZ

Blondihacks
>>37449456

For most of my adult life, I've been take care of three Lotuses- two 1970s Elites, and a 2005 Elise. I recently sold the Elise to help fund the channel, which was a hard thing to do. The Elites were race cars as part of a team I was on, but I no longer am. In the past I have also had two older BMWs and an old Jeep, so it's been interesting to see how all the different companies engineer things differently. The Jeep was basically built like a tractor, the BMWs were build like tanks, and the Lotuses are built like motorcycles. 😀