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2nd Feb 2017, 11:01 PM #1Golden Member
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- Apr 2009
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- Kingswood
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Sacrificial Milling Plate Material
I intend milling with 4-5-6 mm end mills some 10 mm CI disks clamped directly on the table.
What I need is a relatively thin (say 2 mm) sacrificial plate that will be partly machined by the tips of the end mills.
As I believe the sacrificial plate should be softer than the work, I have aluminium, PVC and brass available.
Looking for comments on the advantages and disadvantages of these materials, or suggestions for better alternatives.
John.
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2nd Feb 2017, 11:37 PM #2Senior Member
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- Oct 2015
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- melbourne
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- 473
If it were me, aluminium definitely. Brass = $, pvc may not compress equally and so allow the work piece to tilt.
-russ
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3rd Feb 2017, 12:00 AM #3
Hi John,
I agree, aluminium is perfect. I made a false table from 12 mm plate to do just that. Easy to drill and tap holes exactly where needed. I originally used 3 mm alloy plate and the "T" slot bolts with clamps, but found that I couldn't always get clamps in the best place.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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3rd Feb 2017, 09:05 AM #4Senior Member
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- Jan 2012
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- Hinchinbrook
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- 112
MDF or HDF
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3rd Feb 2017, 05:08 PM #5
MDF -- can't say I have tried that.
Dunno if I would like to put it on mine with coolant and all. And wouldn't the "swarf" go to dust, come sludge??Frisky wife, happy life. Then I woke up. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.From an early age my father taught me to wear welding gloves . "Its not to protect your hands son, its to put out the fire when u set yourself alight".
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3rd Feb 2017, 05:55 PM #6Golden Member
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- Apr 2009
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- Kingswood
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- 930
Thanks to all, aluminium it is, I have some 3 mm which will be perfect for this job.
BaronJ,
Yes, I think a thick plate like yours could be very useful.
John.
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3rd Feb 2017, 07:02 PM #7Diamond Member
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- Mar 2014
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- South of Adelaide
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3rd Feb 2017, 08:38 PM #8Most Valued Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2007
- Location
- Sydney
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- 3,112
John I don't know why you feel it's necessary to have the sacrificial softer than the work, it really won't make any difference.
What you use is largely a matter of what you have available and the tolerances you need. Wood is fine if the tolerances aren't tight. Aluminium/acrylic/steel/cast iron/etc if the tolerances are tighter. In the latter case it's easier to use a piece considerably larger than your work, fix it down to the table, and then give it a light skim with a fly cutter or large end mill. Thicker material will make that job much easier. Your sacrificial table is now as accurate as your machine can mill. Then clamp your work down to this new "table". A lot of people make fixture plates specifically for this purpose with tapped holes, especially for clamping down small work, I've heard them called "mini-pallets" so you can look that up if you like. A small pallet like that has been on my list of jobs to make for a while now, and of course the same principle can be taken as large or small as you like.
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