Thanks. All great points. Glad to have the folks on here and be a part of a community of folks who are willing to share and learn alike.
I’m a software engineer type and not a mech E or had formal machinist training but I took college physics and am effectively a math degree grad from my Comp Sci program, so I feel like I have a basic understanding of the fundamental principles but I have next to nil experience or education in actual mech engineering or calculating out anything of significance. A lot of my automotive DIY engineering/fabrication has been to just err on the side of absurdly over engineered as opposed to cost savings for mass production.
The pockets appear shallow but they are currently 0.25” (can’t remember which iteration this screen cap is, they were 0.125”) which is what I have to work with as currently planned for this to be op2. If that’s not deep enough, I’ll have to swap the operations around so there is more stock to grab and use alternate work holding for the other op which was op1, that becomes op2.
I think I would be able to mitigate the lever effect by moving the clamp bolts as close to the pocket as possible so there is less lever arm.
I haven’t worked with Fusion’s engineering analysis suite…yet…but that may provide additional insight…
The single beam would be easier to make by just making the fixture longer and adding the two outer fasteners. I did end up running across “commercial” fixtures or other examples that did not use single beam and prefer individual.
I am still working on procuring dedicated tools and allocating tool chests for the basement (where the mill is) as opposed to where they normally live (the garage) and probably will upgrade my garage torque wrench (probably more critical there in terms of absolute accuracy, say for engine assembly) and bring what I currently have down permanently to the mill tool cart.
I bought a vise clamp force gauge which but that would be useless for this and on that note, I have yet to have something eject from the the 4” Tormach Vise when using my calibrated arm to “ugga-dugga” units (when it is actually tightened down) given I’m mostly 6061. Given I managed to machine some tool-ish steel for the vise alignment keys, I’m feeling optimistic to do more steel, even stainless or titanium, once I get the machine situated where I feel like I let it run slow and long…
