Angle plates

[JimM]

Hi all

Since acquiring my milling machine I've built up a small assortment of tooling to go with it (Vices, RT, arbors, end mills etc) however one of the things I haven't bought yet is an angle plate. Would most members consider this a must have item or are they one of those things that are only used occassionally (but are probably a lifesaver when you need them !)

If they are a necessity then what size would you recommend for a 28" x 7" table

Cheers

Jim

 

[Tin Falcon]

I have a small angle plate for my seig x-2 . I use irt for layout more than anything.They are good to have on hand. ihave used 1-2-3 blocks to clamp thin stock in the vise to mill the edge,
Tin

 

[Blogwitch]

With them being so cheap, having one in you arsenal for those odd occassions when nothing else will do seems to be a very good idea.

I do use mine a fair amount, especially as I said, when nothing else will hold the job easily.

I used one to get my milling vice into the correct position so that it could be machined, but anywhere you need to hold something out of the ordinary, they really come into their own.

It all boils down to using your imagination on what you can use it for.

With your size of table, a 6" x 4" or 7" x 5" seems to be about the right size for a general purpose one. I tend to prefer the ones with webs on, I find they are a little more rigid, but sometimes you are restricted on the number of mounting holes they have if you go that way.

You can also use them on the faceplate of the lathe, but great care must be taken to make sure everything is well balanced and rigid before use.


Blogs

 

[kendo]

Hi Tin
Blogs is spot on, the angle plate really comes into its own when you need
to hold arkward jobs. for me its a must have piece of kit. Bit like a face plate
for your lathe, you may not use it a lot. But when you haven't got one, you
wish you had. Well worth investing in you wont regret it,you never can have
too many work holding devices.
Ken.

 

[user 2584]

I used one when repairing a carburetor

 

[starbolin]

Definitely a necessity. Mine get used as work stops, work supports for long work, end drilling, and as a subplate in the vise.

Here's a Rube Goldburg setup for truing up an awkward cross-slide nut. Here I use the angle plate as a subplate.