Low Profile Mill Clamps

John Hinkley describes a project to help with machining thin work.

This is a weekend project to construct a set of milling machine low profile clamps for use with material as thin as 5mm, as well as irregularly shaped objects. They can also be utilised as a longitudinal vice for small pieces where low cutting forces are involved.

The design was configured to use steel stock which I had in my scrap box, hence the use of 1x1” and ¾x¾” square material. (I have converted these sizes to the metric equivalents in the drawing as I normally work using that measurement system.) The actual dimensions are not in any way critical, although one should endeavour to keep the overall dimensions as small as possible, in order to achieve the tool’s objective whilst maintaining its strength. As always, it is a matter of compromise.