Hey folks, newbie at 3-d (2d+) machining as prior experiance is 2d plasma table. Anyway have a project that I am struggling with trying to know the best approach to complete the CAM. Id like some recommendations on how you folks would approach this. I only need two so hoping to do it without creating a specifically machined softjaw to hold it. I have shared the Fusion file at Hinge. Use the “Continue in Browser” option on the link opening page
thx
Dan
You could tackle it in a few ways. I like to keep the thinnest features like tabs and eyelets for the end operation. Just doing a quick sketch I’d do something like the following process:
Machine the long D profile 1st, w/ the long side of the shape parallel to the X axis.
Machine the opposite side leaving a lug for the eye to be machined later.
Something like this maybe:
Last 2 ops would be machining the eye and drilling the hole:
Actually doing it this way you’d end up with whatever your tool radius is in the corners. Sort of like this:
For a few parts this could be filed off if it’s going to cause interference to the application. The process could be tweaked to sharpen that corner transition a bit if needed, but that’s just a quick spitballed idea of how I’d make them today if I needed them for a project tomorrow.
Let us know how it goes. Always cool to see what other people are making with these mills 
Thx Jeff for the reply and recommendation. Have a question on the OP depicted in your second sketch. When I attempt that using the actual CAD model of the part Fusion tries to make steps for the slope and the eye. Would I need to CAD a model to match your sketch with the square corners and then revert back to the full model for the last ops?
You could probably let fusion rough the eye and leave around .030" or so stock on eye lug and the angled surface. It will look like stairs on that angle I imagine, but having the roughed shape would actually be better than having knock off the entire square corner on the later ops finishing the eye.
May have to play around with stock amounts to verify that it cleans up everything on the later ops, but Fusion does pretty good at the roughing path and leaving stock.
I’ve CAM’d up the thing in the first two ops you recommended. I’m trying to figure out how I’d hold it for the third op. I only have the SMW vise so not a bunch of jaw height to hold it but I guess I can mount my Kurt vise on the MR-1 bed…will see…probably a few days before I get a chance…relatives visiting! 
Thx for the help
Dan
Pardon the hastily drawn model. I just tossed it together based on what I remember from drawing it yesterday. Scaling is probably off a bit 
Since the machining won’t be really aggressive on the 3rd op I thought about another option for machining it on the baseplate if you needed to.
You could bolt or clamp two blocks down to butt the square corner of the part against like this:
You’d need a shim of some sort under the thinner end to take up that .100" or so gap under the part and you could toe clamp over the part like so:
Just a thought. There’s always more than one way to do stuff.
Have a good weekend.
Thats a good option…thx. hope to try it soon.
