Clamping wedges ???

[joahmon]

On page 22 of the August MSC flier is something called a clamping wedge. Their big catalog calls them a "must".

This newbee doesn't know how they are used. Anyone venture an answer?

Bob

[chief]

I didn't look at MSC but I think you are referring hold down clamps, They look like
flat tapered stock.
They are used to clamp work directly to the milling table, the work is placed between the clamps.

[joahmon]

No, these aren't hold down clamps. These have one round (seems to be threaded) hole at the end away from the tapered end.

Hummmm, the pics on the MSC site look different than the one in the flier; they look like they could be used like a variable shim.

[This message has been edited by joahmon (edited 07-24-2005).]

[chief]

These things?
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...&PMT4NO=332125
If so they are used as I described, theyare placed against the work and thena regular milling clamp is used to tighten them down.

[andy_b]

Bob,

in several of my shaper manuals they show clamping wedges being used to hold thin flat pieces down on the shaper table. they are used on the edges like chief explained so the shaper can have access to the entire surface of the part being machined. quite frankly, they look to me like they wouldn't hold, but they obviously must work if they can keep a large metal plate from moving with the force of a shaper shoving on it.

andy b.

[kap pullen]

These may have other uses, but we used them under the corners of castings on Blanchard Grinders for leveling, and chocking parts, for grinding operations as well as on planer mills.

We also had to "block" the castings in to keep them from sliding on the grinder..

On a mill, or planer they will loosed up, but the magnet holds them in place on a grinder.

I don't see where they are a "must", as I haven't used one for 20 years.

MSC "Must" have an overstock of a "little used" item!

Andy B.

I think you are talking of shaper hold downs.

They are useful for holding thin work in a shaper, or mill vise for finish cuts.

Yoy can hold parellism within tenths depending on the accuracy of the vise.

Few machinists these days know how to use, or what these tools are for.

Kap

[This message has been edited by kap pullen (edited 07-25-2005).]

[JCHannum]

http://catalog.starrett.com/catalog/....asp?groupid=3

These are hold downs. As Kap describes, they will hold thin work flat to the base of the vise for milling shaping or grinding. They are very useful.

The clamp wedges are nothing more than wedges. They are useful as tapered shims, or two can be used to wedge something against a fixed jaw. They are also useful for lifting something to get a pinchbar under. They are not among the first things I would buy.

[ahidley]

Call me an idiot, but does anybody have a picture of these in use?

[joahmon]

Here is a photo of the ad I saw. Apologies for the poor quality.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...hmon/wedge.jpg