Cnc Router workholding

[Austin-The_child]

Hi teams!! I’m the manufacting mentor for team 858 and we are venturing into the world of desktop style cnc routers for our build this year. Im wondering what unique ideas there are for holding 1x1 and 2x1 square(rectangular) tubing for cutting lightning holes and other features into them!!

Right now we put together a shapeoko style table on our millright mega v xxl with tslots from McMaster and flat pieces of pvc instead of wood and I cut a locating feature into one of the pvc pieces that we superglue (with masking tape of course) to the pvc.

Its plenty secure hold for the cuts that machine can take but consumables part doesn’t seem very sustainable. Any other ideas?

[troy_dietz]

TubeTragic: bolt some cheap drill press vises to a piece of MDF; use the straightest piece of tube you can find and a dial indicator to line everything up.

[Weldingrod1]

Our Stinger has a place for a rotary axis. I made a nest with cam clamps to take a tube. Doesnt affect the table at all!

[Austin-The_child]

Would you be willing to share Pics if you get a chance?

[RoboChair]

We used to run our router like this.

[asid61]

West Coast Products sells a tubing jig. You can DIY your own using Mitee Bite eccentric clamps ($80 for 12 ish) and a chunk of 3/8" aluminum plate.

[Weldingrod1]

Here’s mine. For some reason the only nice picture is on Slack, and its not opening right now
Here’s the general idea; aluminum blocks to allow a track to be bolted in, long edge of large angle for another face, and the green block for an end stop. The cam clamps can go in any of 7-ish places.

Here’s the assembly after cutting all of the surfaces.

YMMV; we haven’t actually cut a tube on it yet. Just cutting itself!