Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
While there are many ways to hold a part during machining the ones illustrated in this chapter are the most commonly used for prototype and short-production machining. They work well for the types of parts you are likely to make.
Work holding for prototypes is often different than that for production machining. Large production lots allow the cost of tooling and fixtures to be amortized over many parts. While it is worth investing in complex fixtures to save seconds when making thousands of parts, it is not making only a few.
The goal with prototypes is to get the job done with minimal investments of time and money. This means using off-the-shelf components when possible and using methods that do not require a lot of time and effort.
There is often more than one work-holding method that will work for any given part. Review a tool supply catalog to familiarize yourself with the many types of clamps, bolts, and other holding devices that are available. The method you choose depends on many factors including personal preference, what work-holding components are readily available and cost.
In the end all that matters is that the method is safe, that it works, and that it is cost effective. Devising fixtures can be challenging. It requires being creative and thinking completely through all steps to machine the part. If you machine many parts, you will likely mix and match ideas learned here or from other sources.