Magnetic Chuck Table

oldboy1950

oldboy1950

Registered
Registered
Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Messages
115
can a magnetic chuck table be used to hold parts to be milled in place of a vise ?
is the holding power strong enough for small parts ? light cuts? small cutter or none of the above.
Dan
 
I'll be interested in the consensus on this question. I worked through high school & undergraduate days as a machine operator / burr hand for my father who had his machinery in a larger shop where he subcontracted. Occasionally we used a large surface grinder with a traversing magnetic table. I was afraid of that machine simply because it was in it's own small room and I'd heard tales of what would happen if the wheel broke apart, etc. You know where this is going... So one job involved grinding 100 or so blocks at a time - carefully arranged on the table to be a solid "mega-block" held down by the magnetic table. I loaded the table up and was there watching the table & parts traverse back & forth under that wheel spinning away when one block in the middle of the array lifted just enough to catch the wheel. Blocks & wheel bits flying everywhere banging & ricocheting off the walls of the little room while I crawled under the machine trying to reach up & hit the stop button.

I don't know why that one block lifted, but I assume it was some operator error - perhaps I didn't clean that section of the table or the part enough, or I didn't make sure it was completely down when I turned on the magnet?

So even if the consensus is that a magnetic table can work for milling light cuts, I'd suggest making sure you've done everything correctly!

Howard
 
Doing light work on a big part is not so bad, but doing heavier work on a small part is hopeless. You can add some additional containment by boxing in the part you are working on with 123 blocks or other hunks of iron, which helps. You can also mount the work in a toolmakers vise and put that on the mag chuck, but that might defeat your reason for wanting to use a mag chuck. If you want to work on aluminum, brass, or Delrin, you need to go a different direction! If it is an electromagnetic chuck, good luck if the power goes off while you are working...
 
Last edited:
besides vises are cheaper than eyeballs ;-)
 
Never tried it on my mill but I know small parts don't hold well on my grinder without some sort of work stop.
 
I have both a magnetic plate and a vacuum plate. And I have MUCH better luck with the vacuum plate holding parts. Please keep in mind that each has problems in holding parts. USE extreme care and always think safety. Might even want to keep a change of underwear close by:eek:.
 
Small round mag chucks can be used on lathes for facing very thin parts (washers for an example.

Keep your cuts small, and think about where your cutting force is actually going. It can work just fine, but I would get fed up with chips sticking to it.
 
i understand the safety concerns posted as i am very cautious myself when trying something new to me.
work holding is an interesting subject in itself with so many different ways available to hold a part.
i was wondering if magnetism would be use full on a milling machine or possibly a lathe.
 
It is possible to use a mag chuck for milling, but bracket the part with other pieces steel of as much mass as possible. I have a mag chuck I use on my mill sometimes. Don't get greedy, take light cuts and use a small diameter end mill, 3/8 or less. A fine pole magnet is better than a wide pole for holding power.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top