Milling a square lump of steel that isn’t square

[TerrydParticipant @terryd72465]

Hi John,

 

I never said that the item should not look well or that it should not be machined or decorated etc. After all it was one of one of my heroes, William Morris who said that one should;

 

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”,

 

i.e. form and function, a philosophy also espoused by the great Bauhaus designers, and this is a tenet I have attempted to live and work by. What I did say is that this tool only needed two faces to be reasonably accurately machined and an over emphasis on excessive accuracy was unnecessary. I accept that some may argue for maximum accuracy whatever the circumstances (I have seen the argument here) and I also accept that there are those who believe the article is not complete without a carving from Angkor Wat to appease the gods of craftsmanship on each non datum face but that will not change my own personal philosophy

 

By the way there is an example of the 4 jaw method of producing square objects in the latest MEW No174, which I still think for a beginner is the best, most accurate and safest method. The method is shown in the article on the Worden tool grinder.

 

With respect and best regards

 

Terry

Edited By Terryd on 06/03/2011 22:09:24

[John CoatesParticipant @johncoates48577]

UPDATE

 

All worked out well in the end. I used a piece of wood against the rough face and the good face against the fixed jaw. Got the majority of material removed by milling with an endmill and am now finishing off with a fly cutter taking lighter cuts for a better finish

 

Thanks to all and I enjoyed the segway into apprenticeships and former trials and tribulations

[Robert Dawes 1Participant @robertdawes1]

I’m glad that John Coates got everything to work out O.K.in the end and I found all the comments and advice helpful and interesting. The method that I have used ever since I’ve owned a milling machine is this, seen in ME many years ago

 

.First, the problem, As has been mentioned above, the moving jaw lifts when it is tightened taking the workpiece with it .

 

I have, in the top surface of the moving jaw of my milling vice, two holes drilled and tapped 5/16 BSF. Having placed the workpiece in the vice I tighten the vice until I see the workpiece and the moving jaw lift. With two of the slotted clamps normally used to clamp work to the milling table, using the two tapped holes, and a couple of 5/16 bolts I force down the workpiece to touch the base of the milling vice.This has the effect of raising the moving jaw as far up as it will go. ie it can’t go any further because it is restrained by

whatever holds it to the base. I next fully tighten the vice. It is now safe to remove the clamps. Nothing will move. The jaw is “up”, it can’t go down. The workpiece is “down” and it won’t go up because the moving jaw is up as far as it will go.

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