Getting started with Fixture Plates

In our latest Fab Lab video, Mike C. demonstrates some basic techniques for setting up and using fixture plates on a PCNC mill. 

This is too cool.   If you're into CNC machining, this is great.  If you're into knife making, this is also great.  If you're into both - then it probably doesn't get much better than this :) Introducing Knifemaking Tuesdays John (and Erik) Grimsmo make small-batch production knives and accessories out of their garage in Ontario, Canada, and sell their wares on johngrimsmo.com. 

If you've been around a lathe, you're probably familiar with 5C collets. What sometimes gets overlooked is that they are a really useful way to hold small diameter bar stock to a 4th axis turntable because they are self-centering and more accurate than a 3 Jaw chuck. We've offered a lathe-style 5C collet holder for a while that works really well - our only real gripes with it were that its a bit spendy for occassional use, and it only fit on the 8" table. We recently developed our own design to address both those issues: the 5C Collet fixture.