Figure B There are many types of clamps that can be used. However, only one pump needs to be used when machining smaller parts or partial pieces of sheet goods. Often CNC routers like this will have two smaller vacuum pumps instead of one large pump. Worse, many varieties have very weak holding power. Check Out: Best Parallel Clamps. Send this to ohld friend.

The piece is Cnc Router Low Profile Clamps 30 slid or dropped into the jig and held in place with one or two quick clamps. Cam clamps Figure H that rotate to lock a piece into place with horizontal force are common in jigs, as are toggle clamps Figure I that clamp things in place vertically.

Clamps can have the disadvantage of getting in the way while cutting. Many of my clamps bear the mark of shame Figure J that motivates me to take extra care. Many operations need the workpiece to be fully exposed Cnc Router Clamps Hold Down Youtube without clamps sticking up. In these cases there are three basic approaches. The first is to screw or nail the piece directly to the table.

The second approach is common on many large CNC routers used in cabinet and woodworking shops. The worktable will have small holes in the surface and channels underneath through which a vacuum is drawn, like an air-hockey table in reverse. This pins the workpiece in place for the duration of the cut and quickly releases it afterwards.

Smaller vacuum clamps are available and can be used like vises Figure K. The third approach is to mount the workpiece in place with double-sided tape. This is easy with small pieces, but difficult with larger ones.

Even a hundredth of an inch difference in height between supported and unsupported areas can be a problem with many materials. Unfortunately, double-sided tape in quantity is expensive and frustrating to work with. Worse, many varieties have very weak holding power.

Ben Crowe, a master luthier at Crimson Guitars crimsonguitars. He uses regular masking tape generally the very wide variety on both the table and the workpiece, then applies thin squiggles of cyanoacrylate super glue to one side of the tape and, optionally, cyanoacrylate accelerator to the other side. When the work is completed, the workpiece peels off the tape and the tape peels off the table. This has allowed me to adhere large pieces of leather to my worktable very solidly and very cheaply without having to carefully apply multiple strips of tape.

The spray gives me even coverage of adhesive and the shelf paper easily peels off the surfaces without Bench Clamps Hold Down Uk Meaning problems when done, but holds firmly while in place Figure M. Tim Deagan TimDeagan likes to make things. He casts, prints, screens, welds, brazes, bends, screws, glues, nails, and dreams in his Austin, Texas, shop.

He's spent decades gathering tools based on the idea that one day he will come up with a project that has a special use for each and every one of them.

Tim likes to learn and try new things. A career troubleshooter, he designs, writes, and debugs code to pay the bills. He has worked as a stagehand, meat cutter, speechwriter, programmer, sales associate at Radio Shack, VJ, sandwich maker, computer tech support specialist, car washer, desk clerk, DBA, virtual CIO, and technical writer.

He's run archeology field labs, darkrooms, produce teams, video stores, ice cream shops, consulting teams, developers, and QA teams. Our websites use cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the Make: ecosystem.

Out of these cookies, some are categorized as essential for the working of basic functionalities of our websites. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use our websites. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Your choice here will be recorded for all the Make: Community Websites.

Figure A. Photography by Tim Deagan Read articles from the magazine right here on Make:. Get one today. Anchoring Essentials On a CNC machine, the work surface can be unbroken, or have built-in methods to hold items, such as T-slots. Figure B There are many types of clamps that can be used. Figure E Some clamps are designed to hold with an edge, rather than flat Figure F.

Often CNC routers like this will have two smaller vacuum pumps instead of one large pump. This option can have a modest increase in the initial cost of the CNC router. However, only one pump needs to be used when machining smaller parts or partial pieces of sheet goods. The next variation is a vacuum pod, which can be as simple as a piece of plywood that fits within the grid dimensions of a spoilboard and over one of the holes that deliveries the vacuum.

With the workpiece secured above the spoilboard, an edge can be profiled without interference from the work surface or causing excess wear on a router bit. Most of these pods have vacuum control valves to operate when needed. Some CNC routers simply have pods attached to rails without a spoilboard. This type of setup is usually used with very sophisticated CNC wood-machining centers that can have multiple spindles with automatic tool changers as well as drills.

They can machine in up to six axes and often work in conjunction with other CNC machines that can, for instance, apply a variety of edge bandings or hardware. T-track is used as a non-vacuum work-holding method because of its versatility.

In some cases there is an aluminum T-track panel that serves as the primary machine top. There are a variety of work-holding devices that can be affixed to the slots in the T-track. Some Cnc Router Cam Clamps Zero that come to mind are:. Ultimately, the choice of a work surface and work-holding method depends on the type of CNC router and its intended use.

A large shop making cabinets from sheet goods will tend to the vacuum systems, while a small shop making one-off pieces of furniture might be better served with a combination of T-track and vacuum pods. At The Galleries. News Desk. Wood Markets. Out Of The Woodwork. New Products. Cutting Edge. Over The Workbench. Pro Shop.

Stanley No 7 Jointer Plane 90 Cool Wood Furniture Projects 95