I don’t know about others, but I’m really not a fan of the silicone “plugs” that are provided to hold down material during laser use. I find them finicky and hard to put in proper position. I’ve seen binder clips, which would work when the material is bigger, but not so good for smaller sized material. Has anyone successfully used other ways of holding down material to the bed?
Been using clothespins and other spring clamps.
I’m thinking of bolting some Rockler T-Track (well, the generic version really) to the laser bed, so I can use some sane workholding mechanisms. The silicon-clamp-on-black-anodized-aluminum idea seems to assume that you’re firing the laser haphazardly around the bed, which really isn’t the case.
Probably do the same for the CNC wasteboard, now that I think about it.
I use masking tape or binder clips.
blue tape.
Or use cnc spoilboard and either clamps or blue tape.
Some people use museum wax/putty.
It doesn’t take much to hold down. Not like it’s making physical contact with work piece.
-S
I printed my own version of the plugs in TPU with an oval pin so you can twist them into the slots using a cam effect.
3 Likes
I LOVE this idea, @albutch! Thank you!
1 Like
I appreciate all the replies and tips. I can see myself using a combination of all of those things depending on the circumstances. Thank you all!
There’s also Snapmaker Laserbed clip by Darthwolff - Thingiverse
1 Like
Here’s what I’m talking about for the CNC wasteboard:
The extra clamps and the bare t-slot screw are just to give you an idea of what sort of basic workholding-jig hardware might be worth adding, presumably on bases that bold into the wasteboard holes… Might be worth making a small length of t-slot (covering just two holes) in order to place those blue rockler clamps anywhere on the board. I have plans to make an aluminum vise jaw, using the classic “two hex bolts threaded through a fixed block and pinned to a movable jaw” approach, to press against a fence bolted to the T-slots.
Same thing on the laser bed:
I should have mocked this up before I drilled the holes, as the clamps have nowhere to lever against, but you get the idea. clamp the t_slot where you want it to be, drill a 4mm (or #26 drill, if you’re using #6 bolts like I am) hole down through the laser bed slot and into the t-bolt, countersink the T-slot with the smallest of the Harboer Freight single-flute countersinks. So you need a hacksaw or bandsaw/portaband, to cut the aluminum, and a drill press or a hand-drill and a steady hand to drill the aluminum.
Looking at the CNC version, I think the two of the top-center clamps, screwed to hardwood or even clear plastic bases and clamped to the edges of the bed, would fill most of my needs - the T-slot might be overkill. But it’s a nice square fence to butt a workpiece up against. Also, in regards to smaller workpieces: generally you can use hardwood spacers or wedges to force the workpiece against a reference surface (such as the T-slot above), then clamp those spacers in place - that way you are holding the workpiece from the sides, which allows the entire top to be worked on.
Sorry for the sorry pics, sent them as ‘Medium’ insted of ‘Large’ and that compressed all the fun thready stuff out.
1 Like