On 2011-11-29, wrote:
I acquired a piece of precission machined cast aluminum tooling plate
and wonder if others have used this type of material and for what.
The piece I have is 5/8 inch thick and about a foot square.

Looks like it would be good for vise jaws, but think there might be
some better use for it.

Machine it to serve as a fixture for some piece which you are
machining multiples of, to assure that they all are done the same way.

Small ones could be sized to fit in the vise, ideally with a
step on one end to define its location with respect to one side of the
fixed vise jaw for repeatability (given zeroing on the fixed jaw before
inserting the fixture).

Larger ones would be mounted directly on the table, with a pair
of keys to align with the T-slots, and a notch at each end to accept
hold-down bolts into T-nuts.

One machinist who I worked with for a while made one (about
1-1/2" thick) on a pair of tall 'I' shaped legs which he planned to bolt
down to the outer T-slots on a Bridgeport, but then he changed his mind
and put a big projection of similar thickness to clamp in the jaws of
the vise while the legs defined the height. On top of that, he put some
3/4" thick tooling plate, and would regularly drill and tap it and
machine stops and such to hold a workpiece (this was on a Bridgeport
clone which had been converted to CNC). After a while, he would face
mill it a bit thinner and continue to use it to make new fixtures.
Eventually, it would get too thin, and he would replace that top face
only.

The tooling plate is flatter than normal aluminum stock, and is
of a precise thickness.

It can also be used as part of something you are building if you
get it inexpensively enough, and especially if you can benefit from the
greater precision.

A good thing to make with a couple of slabs of that is a gear
train, with the plates bored for the bearings.

Enjoy,
DoN.

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