Clamping Larger Tube In The 10" Milling Attachment?

[brownac1983]

Hey guys,
I'm fairly new to this, I'm working with an Atlas 10" lathe with milling attachment and a fair set of tooling. I need to mill three slots in a piece of 1-5/8" OD .093" wall DOM steel tube. One slot needs to be 1/4" x about 6" long, the other two need to be 7/8" x about an inch long. I figured for the larger two I could drill the holes and mill the edge with a smaller mill to make the slot. Both sets of slots will be parallel with the length of the tube.

The problem I'm running into is that even though the milling vise is plenty wide enough to clamp the 1-5/8" tubular, it's just barely too shallow. When I try to tighten the jaws it will spit out the tube. Does anyone know any tricks to clamp a larger tubular in a shallower vise, or am I just outside the envelope of what I can do with my machine? I do plan on picking up a mill eventually, but I'm waiting for the right deal to come along.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

-Drew

 

[RJSakowski]

If you place two taller plates , one on each jaw, and a -5/8 spacer on the floor of the vise, you should be able to clamp your work. The plate should be tall enough to catch the tubing plus the spacer thickness. If you have access to a vee block, it will give you a more stable grip.

Bob

 

[wa5cab]

This will work.

 

[brownac1983]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry to take so long to get back to you, I've been a bit busy the past few days. I made a set of spacers exactly as Bob described, very similar to the drawing posted by wa5cab. It worked like a charm. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas.