Making Dovetail Table Clamps

In this video we make a set of dovetail table clamps for the Atlas 7B Shaper.
Channel artwork: Ryan Toomey

[@Larry537]

I love watching shapers run. It’s been 47 years since I ran one. Very nice!

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Larry

[@SimonPEdwards63]

42 years for me...

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Like those Jon. Thanks for sharing!

[@kennethstaszak9990]

Showing the angle set in use gained you a subscriber. Well done!

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Kenneth, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@homemadetools]

Nice job yet again. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the share, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing 👍 enjoyed watching the shaper.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks 👍

[@michaelleskoske7723]

Yours is the first surface grinder that I've seen rotate the wheel in that direction.

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Nice build Jon, Should be handy clamping option.. Nice use of the angleset block 👍👍 Cheers......

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Dean, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@cynthiastandley5742]

I have no idea what you are doing, but you are funny and I will watch more videos and find out what you are doing. 😋

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Steviegtr52]

Very well made Jon. Nice one. Steve.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Steve, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@kevinhoward8611]

Nice job.

[@hilltopmachineworks2131]

Those clamps should hold down a pint of Guinness no problem.

[@chrisstephens6673]

A lesson for all homeshopists, even the best of ideas can be improved, take an idea, run with it and make it your own! And my improvement would be perhaps be lifting springs for the moving jaw.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Chris, thanks for the comment and feedback. Good idea on the spring, I shall have a play on the next usage (if my memory holds). Cheers, Jon

[@chrisstephens6673]

@@jonsworkshop I occurs i didn't make it clear that the improvement in the first sentence was your adding a replaceable hardened face.

[@TERRYB0688]

What more could a guy want on a Sunday morning, nice big slice of toast with black currant jam and watching Jon’s refurbed shaper in action, smashing nice innovative idea Jon, just a thought you could also make some copper soft jaws for these clamps,, yet another project for old Tel👴🏻👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Terry, lol, thanks for the comment. Soft jaws is a great idea and a very easy mod now the hard work is done. Cheers, Jon

[@billginivan2080]

Thanks! Coppied your dwgs for angleset. Retired sparky with ambitions. teaching myself machining!

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Bill, thanks very much indeed, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@roylucas1027]

Great video. I enjoyed all the steps and how clearly you explained everything.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Roy, glad you enjoyed it. Cheers, Jon

[@camillosteuss]

Finally, someone who went my route and made the sliding blocks with an interlocking feature... A 2 piece vise is a great design aswell, but i dont know why are so many people almost obsessed with those eccentric bolt and nut clamps and other such designs... Sure, more simple to do... Lower profile... No specific tools(d.t. cutter) other than what any machinist should have on hand(drills, reamers, boring bars, hhs blanks)... But why the mighty bite style... Its the worst approach to the issue at hand, what with the nature of the mechanism, what with a lot of force being channeled through a small screw and a small t-nut into the slots and so on... With this larger design, one is automatically more inclined to make larger t-nuts, merely to please oneself aesthetically if nothing else... While you are at this project, why dont you make your own sliding gauges or some proper adjustable parallels? Its the same principle, just a bit longer and taller and wider... I also advise the same design for machine feet... Of course, it depends on what do you do, and what do you want, but this sliding block design offers a lot of projects solutions with this one dance sequence... But this is very nice! A beautiful project and nice work!

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the comment and feedback / suggestions etc. I may do adjustable parallels in the future, would be an interesting project. Cheers, Jon

[@pauldehaan3574]

Very nice job.....Thanks for sharing

[@jonsworkshop]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@improviseddiy]

Burning the midnight oil! 22:27 on your watch. 😁 Nice work! 👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Lol, that's what a full time job does to me, I have to grab a few minutes each night to do this stuff. Cheers, Jon

[@mikeparfitt8897]

ARTESIAN : adjective noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of an artesian well ARTISAN : adjective noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of a skilled worker :-)

[@jonsworkshop]

Lol Mike, I rely too much on my brain, and it let's me down 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

[@tonypewton5821]

Morning Jon, fantastic video! What a great pair of clamps, good job! Good to see the angle set in use, awesome tool! Regards Tony

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Tony, thanks for the comment and feedback. Yep, this was the job that inspired the Angleset. Cheers, Jon

[@terrycannon570]

Fantastic concept. I may make some with brass or aluminum jaws to keep from marking the part. Thanks Jon. It is always a treat watching you build something.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Terry, thanks for the comment and feedback. I may well make some soft jaws for mine too. Cheers, Jon

[@Mexmanix]

Nice work Jon; I made myself a couple for my mill earlier this year, exactly same idea but smaller in height.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks for the comment. They are very useful. Cheers, Jon

[@stevechambers9166]

Very nice your angel jig made that job a lot less fiddly 👍👍👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Steve, thanks for the comment and feedback. This job was the inspiration for the Angleset. Cheers, Jon

[@ShedBuiltStuff]

That’s very elegant and nicely executed.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[@BenButler1]

AngleSet is nice. I believe a vertical V groove in that hard face would be handy.

[@nathanhays1746]

Very nice clamps, particularly for holding longer parts on the mill. But dang, I wanted to see the dovetails done on the shaper! Classic use case, better finish. Your parts came off so clean! Wish I had one of those beauties. Shaping is such a primal, yet very controlled operation. Also super happy seeing your angle pin plate prove its worth. I've seen related designs (e.g. Joe Pieczynski), but the genius of yours is having it act as a vise jaw. I like your discovery of the built-in stop function. Simple things like that show off the fundamental solidity of your idea. I once used my lathe as a "shaper" to rough out a camelback straight edge blank. Painfully slow, but very little left to scrape flat - a precision operation limited to the accuracy of the ways and their rigidity. I then used it to scrape the cross slide on the same lathe, cleaned up nearly two thou of error from the factory. As Gotteswinter said, "consider these machines a kit of parts". I've three-plate ground my own optical flats to 1/10 wave (50 nm, 2 uinches) which I used as a repeat-o-meter to bump my cheap surface plate to AA. So rewarding to use primal methods to bootstrap the machines to essentially arbitrary precision. I had mentioned in your pin plate video I was thinking of how to achieve sine plate variability with your design. My ideas all sacrificed some area of the jaw face character, which is not good. Then duh, make the bottom of your plate a sine bar. The sine plate feature would be against the vise jaw, the part-side would include an apron that covers the sine dowels, and your peg holes would be arranged to miss the cutouts around them. Could also eliminate some of the smaller angle incremental peg holes, keep the most useful angles, and now one can etch labels for them since there are fewer options that otherwise crowd the space. Thanks for sharing your inspiring designs! Of course, now I have yet another project on my list of projects that never leave the shop... Cheers!

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Nathan, thanks for the comment and feedback. I so wanted to do the dovetails on the shaper, but unfortunately it is not man enough to slot out the female ones. I need to modify the clapper so I can lock it, this should help a bit. Cheers, Jon

[@NellsMechanicalManCave]

Nice job there mate. Very impressed with the clamps 😊😊

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Neil, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Hi Jon Very interesting and enjoyable to watch. An excellent pair of clamps made as a result. Well done. 👏👏👍😀

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Andrew, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@eyuptony]

Enjoyed the machining setups, Jon. Your Angleset worked well. Ideal for clamping tapers or odd shapes as well. Nice job. Cheers Tony

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Tony, thanks for the comment and view, hope you are well mate. Cheers, Jon

[@jimdean7335]

Hi Jon, great content. Now I have two more projects. I love your “vintage” wrist watch, I used to have one just like it.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Jim, thanks for the comment and feedback. Lol, I used to have one of these Casio's back in the 80's, this is a modern day version, but just as good. Cheers, Jon

[@MrFactotum]

Nifty Little clamps Jon👍👍👍👍👍👍 regards Kev

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Kev, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@swanvalleymachineshop]

Great set of clamps . Another job on my to do list ! 👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Max....... Sorry! Cheers, Jon

[@GoCreateHobbyMachineShop]

Nice! Another job to add to my list. Hardened jaw faces a good idea.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Nigel, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@carlwilson1772]

Just catching up with your videos Jon. I've watched the Angleset and this one so I will comment on both. The Angleset is a genius idea. Also eminently patentable and would sell like hot cakes, so Kudos to you for making it open source. The clamps are absolutely brilliant too, and making them showed off the incredible versatility of the Angleset. really enjoyed both films.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Carl, thanks for the comment and feedback mate, much appreciated indeed. Cheers, Jon

[@624Dudley]

Gosh, Jon, the fit of those dovetail joints seems quite nice. Quality project! 👍

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Dudley, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@MarkATrombley]

Very nice. It seems to need some captured springs to hold the front jaw up off the table though. Yes you can lift them as you did but I would forget.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Mark, thanks for the comment, great idea, I will look at adding springs before I use them in anger. Cheers, Jon

[@Rustinox]

That's a very nice pair of clamps. They seem to work very well and easy to make. Ishould make some myself one day.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Rusti, maybe you won't chicken out and do the dovetails on the shaper too😂😂😂. Mine just won't manage it yet, I need to modify the clapper so I can lock it. Cheers, Jon

[@bostedtap8399]

Nice design, build Jon, your AngleSet proving very adaptable 👍. Great job and video, thanks for sharing.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks John, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@TrPrecisionMachining]

very good job Jon..thanks for your time

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Tr, thanks for the comment and feedback, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@dermotkelly2289]

Good job John. What handy clamps! Great for big chunks of metal

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Dermot, thanks for the comment. Yes, they will come in very handy. Cheers, Jon

[@MattysWorkshop]

Great job mate

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Matty, Cheers, Jon

[@RB-yq7qv]

Hi Jon. The new agle plate works a treat and the toe clamps look great.

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks, much appreciated. Cheers, Jon

[@dennythomas8887]

Geee I thought I was the only one that checked hardness by biting the part! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jonsworkshop]

Ha haaa, you are not alone. Cheers, Jon

[@nobbysworkshop]

Some great machining Jon and a perfect job for your angle set-up block. I do like those hold down clamps. Cheers Nobby

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Nobby, much appreciated mate. Cheers, Jon

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

Nice result on those, Jon. The fixed part of the commercial clamps is a lot longer, to stop the clamp cocking back under high loads and cracking the T slots, might be worth considering for later builds. Soft jaws for odd shapes would be an option with your setup, I like that.

[@jonedmonds1681]

I’d like to see that modelled, but I think the way this design clamps the moving jaw into the table, it practically eliminates the tendency for the fixed jaw to cock. Almost all the rotation force is opposed by the moving jaw screw (and I suspect that is where the highest stress occurs in the table)

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Wibbly wobbly, I will not be using much force on this little machine so hopefully the T Slots will be OK. Soft jaws is an easy adaption and a great idea. Cheers, Jon

[@Bakafish]

The wedge angle is pretty small, so the amount of movement of the moving jaw towards the workpiece is pretty minimal, but it feels like that movement is fighting the T-Nut for that clamping bolt causing the bolt to canter as it is unlikely the T-Nut can move to maintain perpendicularity. It feels like having a rounded profile nut in the slot (or a dowel with a threaded hole through it) and/or a spherical washer and nut would deal with these forces. Again, the issue may be negligible, but worst case you could be tipping the T-Nut in the slot and digging a corner in on the underside of the slot, at least check for this when using these to make sure you are not causing damage or point loading. The other issue with this type of workholding is that they apply their force using the table itself for support, which is often not designed to deal with this type of load. This can cause binding or wear to ways and gibbs and create accuracy issues, so these are best used with the minimum gronk required for holding and replaced with conventional workholding as soon as possible.

[@watahyahknow]

shouldnt matter mush but from wat i can see the mecanism moves the cariage while the cutter runs through the piece , you would think that its supposed to move the piece with the cutter is on the way back so the cutter doesn have a sideload while it moves through the material (not sure as the cutter might need it to prevent it from bending away from the cutting edge ) that would mean that the ofcenter piece or crank for the mecanism should be 180 degrees rotated so it moves the cariage on the way back

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Watahyahknow, thanks for the comment. You are spot on. I put some text up on screen when I started the shaper work, but I probably didn't explain it very well. I spotted it about half way through the shaper work and switched 180. Cheers, Jon

[@bearsrodshop7067]

Well done Jon. I do hope you blocked your Dentist from watching?? He mite want to remove and sell you RockWall teeth on the Black Market,,,hehe! This one has turned on a light bulb for sure. That machinist vise I picked up early July has a clamping method very similar. It to appears to be on a +/- 10deg angle as well, but yours work and easy to install :-) Cheers from TX.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Bear, thanks for the comment and feedback. Glad you enjoyed it mate. Cheers, Jon

[@ken481959]

Perfect! Maybe better!

[@billdoodson4232]

Jon I think the channel is ARTISAN Makes?? Always enjoy your channel.

[@wibblywobblyidiotvision]

Yeah, but he works pretty well. Pun very much intended.

[@jonsworkshop]

Lol Bill, you are correct. This is what happens when I try to remember stuff🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Cheers, Jon

[@retromechanicalengineer]

More stuff I could do with Jon!

[@jonsworkshop]

Thanks Dean, definitely worth the effort. Cheers, Jon

[@garywilliams9602]

Great little project Jon. How did you harden and temper the jaws in your workshop? Also would it be possible to show some details of your shear tool. The finish you achieve with it is very good. Keep up the good work.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Gary, thanks for the comment. I flame heated using oxy propane to non magnetic (phase change temperature) then quenched in vegetable oil, tempering using just propane up to straw colour and quench again. I will show shear tool at some point, prod me again if I forget pls. Cheers, Jon

[@garywilliams9602]

@@jonsworkshop Hi Jon, thank you for the quick response. That is how I harden and temper, wonder if you had invested in an oven or even borrowed Mrs Jon's Workshop oven for the tempering!!. Will look out for the shear tool info. Thanks again for a brilliant channel.

[@alansmith5690]

Very nice clamps. I was sceptical about your angle set to begin with but I can see it's utility now. Two points, why not cut the dovetails on the shaper? It's what it's good at. Also, I was taught to always climb mill with dovetail cutters and T slot cutters.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Alan, thanks for the comment. I need to modify my clapper box on the shaper to be able to clamp it up solid for slotting (something I keep meaning to do and forgetting), it won't slot cut without this, and even with it I think it will be a challenge but we will try anyway. I have tried slotting once with a 3mm wide tool and the vibration was horrendous. Not sure on climb milling, I wasn't so much taught but I have lost many more teeth/cutters climbing on lightweight machines than conventional milling. Maybe on big solid Mills it would be the right way to go, I never came across these cutters much in my early career or apprenticeship so limited knowledge. Cheers, Jon

[@gyrogearloose1345]

Jon, the channel you referred to is ARTISAN MAKES - as in 'by artist' - not Artesian Makes - relating to a kind of water well. Otherwise - all good! Thanks.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Yup, I got that wrong😂😂

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Good work Jon. What metal is the flat stock that you used for the jaws? Did you harden them by heating and quenching in oil?

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Jon, thanks for the comment. Gauge plate (01) used and yes, flame heated and quenched in Vegetable oil, same for tempering. Cheers, Jon

[@steved8038]

Hi Jon, which video is it were you explain why to use a torque wrench setting for a vice ? Thank you

[@624Dudley]

The title is “Fixing Vice Flex and Improving Squareness”

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Steve, as per Dudley's reply, and you can find it easier in my Tips playlist. Cheers, Jon

[@markrainford1219]

That one slipped by me too.

[@ThePottingShedWorkshop]

I enjoyed watching that, thanks. A couple of questions. If the hardened jaw prevents wear against the workpiece under the tightening forces, presumably the soft dovetails will wear instead? Secondly, when you were using the shaper, you dont seem to have the table support as I do on my 10M which rides on the smooth surface at the front of the base and reduces table sag?

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Robert, thanks for the comment. You are right to a degree, the pressure faces on the dovetails are quite wide (deliberately so), so wear will happen eventually but probably not in my lifetime, these won't be used much really, just handy to have for that awkward job. Lol, I forgot to drop the table support down (as well as setting the feed up wrong...... Newbie). Cheers, Jon

[@alasdairhamilton1574]

Jon, did you learn to check hardness using a Yorkie bar? 😬🍫👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Alisdair, thanks for the comment. Lol, that and many other healthy snacks. Cheers, Jon

[@user-qg9rr5fe8s]

Nice clamps Jon, what is the make and model of your surface grinder?

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, it's an Eagle, if you go back in my videos, I have shown it in detail when I bought it. Sorry, can't remember the model number off hand but I did show the badge plate in the first video I published on the machine. Cheers, Jon

[@user-qg9rr5fe8s]

Thanks Jon, I have been building a machine shop for the past year, and a surface grinder would be a great addition. I will watch your surface grinder video and go looking. It's handy to know the manufacturer of your one.

[@titter3648]

What is the best material to use if you don't have the ability to harden it? I guess it would be a material with good bearing property's for sliding the dovetail under pressure. So maybe cast iron or bearing brass?

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the comment. I would use a medium carbon steel for the dovetail blocks (EN8 or equivalent), and gauge plate (01) for the faces, even in a soft state, gauge plate is pretty resistant to damage. Cheers, Jon

[@Martyn-ey9lw]

Hi Just found your channel a couple of days ago, working through some of your vids. I'm sure there is a good reason but why use the shaper first then finish with the mill when it all could have been done on the mill.

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Martyn, welcome to the channel. Just the joy of using the shaper really, also, it has auto feed unlike my mill so I can set it running and be de-burring, or setting up the mill for the next op etc whilst it does its thing. It's hard to explain, there's something captivating about that machine that just makes me want to use it often. Cheers, Jon

[@richardmills5450]

Just wondering why you used the shaper and not the milling machine for the machining ? Cheers

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi Richard, I often get asked that. Simply for the joy of using such a fascinating machine, some nostalgia as a shaper was the very first machine I worked on day 1 of my apprenticeship, and it has a power traverse which my mill doesn't, allowing me to de-burr etc whilst cutting. As this is a hobby for me, it's all about pleasure, not about speed. Hope this answers👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@richardmills5450]

@@jonsworkshop Yes understandable. Last time I used one was at school 50 years ago. Cheers

[@dawnyWestScotland]

Mind your teeth wee man 😆💛

[@jonsworkshop]

A cannae speak right now😂😂❤️

[@botock8077]

bonjour s'il vous plaît votre adresse complète

[@andrewfisher6462]

"Promosm"

[@howardosborne8647]

Fartisan?????? Full of wind I believe🤣

[@irish-simon]

why would you use the slow shaper when you have a mill ?

[@jonsworkshop]

Hi, thanks for the comment and question. Couple of reasons really, this is a hobby done for enjoyment, and there is no machine quite so enjoyable to use, watch and listen to than the shaper. Secondly, my mill has no power feed, my shaper does, so whilst it may seem slower, I am de-burring parts and cutting parts at the same time. Lastly, my shaper is far more accurate than my mill and leaves a far superior surface finish. Cheers, Jon

[@irish-simon]

@@jonsworkshop cool thanks for the reply when I was in tech school 30 something years ago we were thought about them but never had the chance to run one Love your videos thanks