DFM A2 Steel Dowel Plate 17 Holes MADE IN USA (English 17 Holes)

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I saved the best for last. Fixture Plates are just the starting point for true Modular Fixturing solutions. Tosa Tool has an extensive line of accessories that cover virtually any need. At his price points, that is unusual to see, but it is the norm for much more expensive high-end solutions. It’s great to be able to add more capability through these accessories which are also very reasonably priced. With an accurate Fixture Plate, you can machine big parts in sections, moving the part to allow access to each section. That’s very hard to impossible to do with T-Slots. Install 3 T-Slot Nuts, one in each slot. Position the top and bottom at the right end of the T-Slot. Slide the middle one as close to center as you can reach. These plates are HEAVY, so take care and get help if need be. One thing to keep in mind when handling heavy components is don’t ever lift them clear. It’s all about tilting and pivoting so that most of the weight is supported by the machine table. Then all you have to do is safely guide the plate to its desired location. Also, be careful not to pinch your skin between Fixture Plate and Table or you’ll be sorry!

If we make one hole perform both functions, we reduce the tolerance and repeatability with which we can perform the Location function. Imagine dropping a dowel pin down two bores. One is half or even 1/3 as long as the other. Remember, we’re talking 1/2″ diameters in bores that are 3/4 to maybe 0.8″ deep. There’s a chamfer at the top and bottom so we have even less length available. Which bore is going to hold the pin more accurately vertical and in position? The 76 mm (3 inch) diameter mounting plate (which can be used over a 19 mm or 20 mm dog hole) has two screw holes for permanent mounting; the interchangeable inserts snap into it securely. You need at least one mounting plate and one insert in the size of the dowel you want to make. Works equally well with soft, green or hard woods. The curved blade is relatively easy to sharpen. Available in three sizes only: 3/8 inch (9.5 mm), 7/16 inch (11.1 mm) and 1/2 inch (12.7 mm).The Tosa Tool Fixture Plates are well made and have some premium features found on much more expensive plates and not available from the other inexpensive vendors. Here are my favorites: We can set up a work offset on the machine for the left corner of the fixed jaw, and the g-code will also know exactly where to find the vise and can assume that corner is part zero. Now if we design parts with that in mind, we save all sorts of time. Soon you’ll wonder why you wasting so much time setting things manually! Fixture Plate Review: Tosa Tool Fixture Plate To use the three pins, place the vise on the Fixture Plate and slide it up against the two side pins. This locates the vise on the X-axis and ensures it is square (trammed) to the Fixture Plate.

For more on machining big parts see this article: [ Tips for Parts That are Too Big for Your CNC Machine ] Fixture Plate G-Code Programming Dowel Pointer Counterbore Conical Drill Bits Gimlets, Spoon Bits Self-Centering Hinge Drill Mushroom Bit Wood Thread Cutter Drilling by hand: Aluminum is a great material for many purposes, but I prefer steel for Fixture Plates. The one exception is where weight is a problem. This is more likely an issue for rotary axis tombstones than for Fixture Plates.

Install 2 T-Slot Nuts in the top and bottom T-Slots on the left. Position them at the end of the T-Slot. The precision doesn’t affect most of the functions of a Fixture Plate at first glance. After all, the fact a hole is off its theoretical ideal position by 0.001″ doesn’t affect repeatability or most other factors. What it does affect is how easily we can use more than one hole to locate and orient whatever we’re positioning on the Fixture Plate. Tosa Tool’s Fixture Plates are not the cheapest available, but they’re very economical when you consider how well they’re made and what the alternatives are that include similar features.