Small parts clamping fixtures

[threesixesinarow]

Here are three fixtures I use to hold small parts for machining additional features. They use different kinds of home made clamps.





The hinged clamp is for holding screws on the rocker slide for slotting on my lathe. It has easy-to-make replaceable jaws so I can clamp different diameters up to about 3/8”.

It doesn’t lock and just works by leverage by feeding the slide upwards with one hand and pressing the top jaw down with the other.





The just-completed sideways toggle clamp is for holding round parts on a mill or drill press. It has the same kind of replaceable jaws as the slotting clamp.

It works either with the regular handle, or with a foot pedal by hooking up the bicycle brake cable and engaging the torsion spring. The clamp has about 1/32” range of adjustment by rotating the eccentric toggle pivot pin that’s farthest to the right.





The upright toggle clamp goes on the sliding table on my router. The angle iron base has a vertical fence for attaching temporary wooden fixtures, and this mounts to a slotted base plate that I tapped in lots of places.

The clamp has a couple extra links in order to apply downward pressure along with the usual sideways force to position parts more consistently, as well as to keep them in place during upward plunge cuts, also operated by a foot pedal with a cable.

[rossbotics]

Made a lot of those things over my years, great job

Doug

[DIYer]

Thanks threesixesinarow! We've added your Screw Slotting Fixture to our Lathe Accessories category,
as well as to your builder page: threesixesinarow's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Screw Slotting Fixture by threesixesinarow

tags: lathe, fixture

[DIYer]

Thanks threesixesinarow! We've added your Sideways Toggle Clamp to our Clamps category,
as well as to your builder page: threesixesinarow's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Sideways Toggle Clamp by threesixesinarow

tags: clamp

[DIYer]

Thanks threesixesinarow! We've added your Upright Toggle Clamp to our Clamps category,
as well as to your builder page: threesixesinarow's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Upright Toggle Clamp by threesixesinarow

tags: clamp

[threesixesinarow]

Thanks, Doug,

That’s reassuring! I just figured I was missing something obvious when I couldn’t find more off-the-shelf solutions.

Ones that fit, anyways!

Nice job on your replacement jaws for the Craftsman vise - I need to copy them.



- Clark

[threesixesinarow]

Pedal for the sideways clamp

[Philip Davies]

I particularly like the wooden wedge, very elegant, is there another component with it? I enjoy looking at your pictures of fine machinery, but the wedge is the only thing I can make.

[threesixesinarow]

I particularly like the wooden wedge, very elegant, is there another component with it? I enjoy looking at your pictures of fine machinery, but the wedge is the only thing I can make.

Hi, Philip,

I think the piece you mean is a stationary spacer that’s c-clamped to the vertical face of the base so the part can index off of a corner. The toggle arm clamps the part against it as well as the horizontal base of the fixture.

Here is what those parts look like at a later stage, the fixture was used holding them to cut the round bottomed slots on the glued on cross grained pieces.

[Philip Davies]

And I thought you had only made one!