Machining a block to have sides square to each other

[Mark BusParticipant @markbus97330]

How does one machine a block square on a milling machine without the use of a machine vice? What is the sequence of operations?

[Mark BusParticipant @markbus97330]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

What holding devices and measureing equipment do you have at your disposal? A vice is quite basic tooling, it would not be worth suggesting other methods if you don’t have things like angle plates, hold down set etc and something to set the work true with like a Dti.

 

Also what sort of size block are you talking about.

 

Jason

[Stephen BensonParticipant @stephenbenson75261]

Well if you can get hold of a angle plate and some G clamps it is quite easy otherwise using an end mill is the next easiest.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Angle plate. More versatile than a vice IMHO. Even better if it has ground vertical edges and you bolt a fence to one of them. More accurate than a vice and larger capacity.

[macmarchParticipant @macmarch]

If the block is relatively small, (lets say 3″ x 3″) and you are only going to skim the surfaces to produce the square faced cube then how about using a set of Harold Hall’s cylindrical squares? These you can make yourself very easily in any size you want.

 

 

1 set 3 cyl sq’s on the mill table.

2 pick one face and clamp to them.

3 skim face. 5 thou will be enough to clean it up if it reasonably sq.

4 clamp 1st and 2nd faces to both sets of cyl sq’s and skim the face.

5 from here on you can carry on to do the rest or switch to a machine vice making sure that the reference faces are against the fixed jaw.

 

It is easier to do than explain.

 

This is how I was taught when I was an apprentice many many moons ago.

 

ray

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

In a vice, skim one face flat.

 

 

Set that face against the fixed jaw and skim 2nd face, holding a short stub of metal against the rough front and the movable jaw.

 

Rotate through 180 degrees with second to the bottom, skim 3rd face face to size

lay 1st face to bottom, clamp in vice across faces 2 & 3 skim 4th face.

 

You now have a choice, clamp in vice across 2 & 3 faces mill end face (5th) rotate around and mill 6th face OR clamp across faces 2 &3 with a good face set vertical with a DTI and then mill top face, rotate 180 degrees and finish last face. Checl for square and if not already to exact size, finish to size.

 

Again, easier to do than explain.

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

Put the block in a vice, hold on the bottom 1/8inch (3mm).

Flycut the top.

Mill all around the block.

You know have 5 faces true and square.

Turn the block over and tap it down on to parallels and finish the last face to size.

You now have a block completely true on 6 faces.

regards David

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Kwil & David I think you both need to re read the question, Mark wants to know how to do it WITHOUT a vice

 

J

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

If you’v got a V block or something that is sqare, clamp that to the table, then clamp the block to that.

I had a similar thing to do many years, at least 20 yrs ago, so I found a bit of 4″ x 4″ X 1/2″ angle iron, I welded some bracing in each end, then machined the outer faces, and drilled some holes. Ian S C

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

If you’v got a V block or something that is sqare, clamp that to the table, then clamp the block to that.

I had a similar thing to do many years, at least 20 yrs ago, so I found a bit of 4″ x 4″ X 1/2″ angle iron, I welded some bracing in each end, then machined the outer faces, and drilled some holes. Ian S C

[Mark BusParticipant @markbus97330]

Hello ,

Thanks to everyone for replying . I was on vacation and not able to reply this past week. I’ve got an angle plate and a set of the Harold Hall (?) high profile clamps and of course G- clamps.

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Without a vice, yes, but the technique is just the same. Flat surface of machine table / vice, upright angle plate or cylinders / fixed jaw of vice and a means of holding the block in a safe way. Machining is no different.

[jomacParticipant @jomac]

Mark, Hi. I know he is using a machine vice, But Bogstandards article on making the MiniMag magneto, on the madmodder site is an eye opener, his articles on this are a joy to read and observe. He has a very good description of what he does, and, A picture is worth a thousand words. You can learn a lot from him and others on this site. So making a block square, the way he does it, makes it look simple, although I tend to make a mess of things lately.

John H.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

After facing a side make sure that you deburr the edges, so that you have a flat burr free surface to place on the table. Ian S C

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