Newbie- Determining order of operations

[woodr004]

As a newbie here I have a question about determining what I do first when I get a print. I understand that the part needs to be squared up. But how do I figure out the best next step and the one after that? Here is an example, I have a 6 inch piece of 1 inch bar stock that I need to turn into a parallel for my project. I need to machine both sides down to .150 deep x 6 inches x .500 wide. I need to drill six holes holes in it and mill a slot to put my initials in.

After I square it up, I think I will machine the slot in it, alternating sides so that the material does not warp on me. I than will drill the holes and lastly put in the inital slot.

I could drill the holes first but fiqured that it would be easier on my end mill not to have and interupted cut.

Am I thinking this out logically?

Thanks.

Pat

[HuFlungDung]

It is a good idea to rough the part to eliminate stress relief. But don't paint yourself into a corner. Flipping the part repeatedly to end up with a 4 square parallel part is difficult.

Does the parallelism need to be maintained on all four sides? If possible, devise a method to cut the parallel sides in one setup. This makes the best use of the accuracy of the ways in the parallel axis of the machine itself.

The .150 dimension might require the extra depth in the initial 1" direction to hold the piece in the vise with approximately 3/4" sticking up where it can be cut on both sides. Finish mill the thickness in this setup. This will create a T shape.

Flip the part over and mill the Tee edge off.

To finish the other dimension (.500), you might need to make use of the holes as a means of holding down the part to a temporary fixture, so that the work is itself above the vise jaws. This way the part will be totally accessible for milling the remaining two sides.

I wouldn't worry too much about the interrrupted cut. Milling tools always have interrupted cuts.