Question of the day.
Starting today I’m working on designing 5" x 14" homeowner name signs for a community. They already have existing signs so I’m just matching what they have and will be providing new signs when a new homeowner comes in. The signs are 1 1/2" HDU.
Question:
How do YOU clamp down 1 1/2" or 2" [HDU] for routing?
Bonus question: can you up the speeds for HDU over softwood?
You can create some “riser” boards that you can attach to the T Tracks and embed some threaded inserts in them that accept the bolts with your clamps.
Or maybe just manufacture clamps that are taller but still can bolt to the T Track.
There are lots of commercial clamp options but many of them present too much opportunity for collision for my tastes
Hmm…I shall think that through. Good idea. I just told my wife that I’m pretty sure a 3d printer is in our future.
I would try painters tape and ca glue…at least once.
I shall definitely. Have not yet. Thanks for the suggestion!
I created a stop along the from of my pro. Then I use Slider Clamp for T-Tracks – PwnCNC
The work very well for holding larger stock. I have tried several product but these work the best
I was also thinking…when I did an HOA… work holding on a vacuum table is awesome if you don’t need to cut through. Are you just doing addresses and text? If the HOA has enough work, it would pay for a vacuum table in labor savings alone. I built one myself for the project out of 3/4 inch pvc and it was/still is solid.
Interesting. I will look into that for sure!
I made various plywood hold down clamps, a slot for the bolt and a step to register at the edge. When the workpiece is thicker I use some scrap under the tail end of the clamp, a cheap version of the stepped clamps on a mill.
The longer plywood clamps help keep the metal hardware away from the workpiece and toolpaths and, if you hit them with a careless rapid, they just get cut and you make a new one.
I bought a kit of handy stuff for making jigs from a local tool supplier, I’m sure Rockler and others have similar in the US. The kit comes with various lengths of bolts for the T tracks for different height workpieces.
Couldn’t find a pic of thick stuff, but I’ve used the larger slotted plywood clamps to hold down 3" thick workpieces.
The perforations in the spoilboard are holes with M6 Tee nuts inserted from behind with a few 6mm bores for alignment pins, but you probably have way more T track than I do.
I’ve screwed my work piece directly to the spoil board in the past. On one project I ran two edges of my work piece across the router table so as to cut 1/4" grooves for clamps to bite into.
I use the same method for clamping. Run a groove down the sides and insert the clamps…
This is the kind of thing I LOVE! Once I get going I’m pretty sure this will be one of my projects.
Ok…that makes me a little nervous having screws that can get hit by my bit if my idiocy proves superior while designing. But I will definitely add that method to my “toolbox” of ideas as needed!
Thanks!!
@Redlander and @Ed.E
The groove method sounds quite viable! Another option I see myself using very soon!
Thanks!
You can use these with your standard crush it clamps and worry less about potentially ruining into them. Amazon.
Nice!!! Adding that to my CNC list on Amazon right now!!!
I countersink them to a safe depth.
Ah yes…pardon my ignorance! That should have been obvious.
