Like
those used on many of our large production machines, the mill tooling plate
solves two main problems. It not only protects your mill’s table from damage
(while also adding additional stiffness),
but it also provides an inexpensive, modifiable surface for clamping work that
is as flat as the machine’s original table. The best way to hold a part more
securely is to add more clamping points rather than over-tightening the points
you already have. The mill tooling plate allows you to easily do this. Like a lathe
faceplate, the mill tooling plate should be looked at as somewhat disposable. It
has a hole pattern predrilled to make it easy to clamp down the Sherline mill
vise or the rotary table, but you should feel free to drill and tap whatever additional
holes are needed to meet your clamping and setup needs for a particular job. The plate is
made from 6061-T6 aluminum that is accurately milled to 3/4" thick, which
is 1/4" thicker than our standard P/N 3560 tooling plate. The
surface is not anodized. Therefore, additional machining to the plate can be
done to suit your unique needs.
This
7" x 13" tooling plate is a larger version of the standard 4" x 10" tooling
plate P/N 3560. In addition to an extensive pattern of
10-32 holes on 1-inch centers, the plate has three T-slots milled on its long
axis to provide additional mounting capability. 10-32 holes are also provided as
needed for mounting the Sherline P/N 3700 or
8700 rotary table. Provided with the
plate are six 10-32 x 7/16" mounting screws and T-nuts. Also provided are
four 1/4" diameter steel pins that go in locating holes in the bottom of the T-slots to help
quickly locate parts parallel to the axis of the plate.
This
fixture is not limited to use on Sherline tools. Like the rotary table and some
other Sherline accessories, it could be useful on larger machines in your shop
as well.
The
following images show how the Sherline rotary table and mill vise can be mounted
on the 7" x 13" Mill Tooling Plate
Click
for details