Looking for a work stop

[Shotout]

I'm looking for a source for a work stop similar to one we have in the shop. The one we have is made by SPI. It has two arms, one with thru holes for mounting the other with a mounting hole on the side for a hardened pin. Both are connected along a hinge barrel assy with a spring assist. When released the free arm will drop back flat so as to drop below the work piece. Does anyone know of a similar work stop that is currently on the market, seems SPI stopped making the one we have as it isn't listed in the online or print catalog. Thanks

[Geof]

Make your own.

[crabbass]

I haven't seen this type before, and If you use one like this I would do one of two things,

1. Make sure it is perpendicular to the work, The changing height would also change the position of the stop due to cosine error.

2. Modify the clamp so It could be raised to the exact same height each time. You could make a thumbscrew style height stop so It would be adjustable for different setups. This however would just add another component to the problem. For precision work? NO. There are just too many long flexible pieces + the bushing it pivots on has some clearance. One more thing, tooling (clamps, stops, etc.) should be made of toolsteel, or an appropriate hardened alloy steel.

[Shotout]

@ Geof. I will if I have too but I need 12 of them so it will take up some premium spindle time on booked up mills plus the time for a machinist on the lathe. Difficult to fit in but not impossible.

@ crabbass. It drops down for clearance to allow a tool to cut along all sides of the work piece. The stop only rotates about 30deg and is set to the 1st piece to be machined so it repeats well. If I end up making them I'll keep it as simple as possible to eliminate places for error to accumulate.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Shotout @ Geof. I will if I have too but I need 12 of them so it will take up some premium spindle time on booked up mills plus the time for a machinist on the lathe. Difficult to fit in but not impossible. ....

I found this was what evenings and weekends were invented for; thank goodness I no longer have to go in and do that kind of thing in a mad panic so my guys can be productive the following week.

[Shotout]

Originally Posted by Geof I found this was what evenings and weekends were invented for; thank goodness I no longer have to go in and do that kind of thing in a mad panic so my guys can be productive the following week.

If I was salary at this shop I'd probably put in a couple of hours extra a day to do it myself, would actually be kind of a fun project. You're a shop owner so you know how it is. Once you figure employee time in, materials plus shop rate on a project that isn't direct pay it comes out more cost effective to buy them. We are kind of hurting for spindle time right now anyway. I like these since, one, they drop down and, two, they are spring loaded so they stay down and will also work on the tombstones. What I need is some machines at the house but no shop to put them in

[dertsap]

Originally Posted by Shotout It drops down for clearance to allow a tool to cut along all sides of the work piece.

something that I've commonly used for this is a 1/2" dowel pin in a tool holder and code for the tool to drop into position with an m0 to follow then butt the part against it . it works great on single part runs but probably not so well if your running multiple parts

[Shotout]

Originally Posted by dertsap something that I've commonly used for this is a 1/2" dowel pin in a tool holder and code for the tool to drop into position with an m0 to follow then butt the part against it . it works great on single part runs but probably not so well if your running multiple parts

Thanks Dertsap.

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by dertsap something that I've commonly used for this is a 1/2" dowel pin in a tool holder and code for the tool to drop into position with an m0 to follow then butt the part against it . it works great on single part runs but probably not so well if your running multiple parts

I use a 1/2 Spot Drill Shank to Bank then Retract and Spot all my Locations, LOL.

To the original Poster, this is called a Movable Work Stop. I made my own a long time ago when using a standard stop wasn't practical.

Like Geof said, Make Your Own, Use Dertsap's Idea, or mine. This is what being a Machinist is all about.

Personally I enjoy making my own tooling or Improvising on the Go!!!

[BobWarfield]

Love the movable stop!

I went looking for these stops last night for about an hour. The name "Flip Stop" gets you these woodworking stops for table saws. I suspect there may have been a trademarking conflict that took them off the market.

I could find no trace of them anywhere, though they seem like a good idea.

Cheers,

BW

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by BobWarfield Love the movable stop! I could find no trace of them anywhere, though they seem like a good idea. Cheers, BW

Bob, "Good Idea", LOL, those are great ideas!!!!

Which is why I improved the design and made my own. I will see if the solid model if floating around in the back-ups, but there is no way I can put a Pat. on mine, LOL.

One of the greatest things about being a Machinist is taking a thought and being able to make your idea.

[Shotout]

We do use dowel pins on the vmcs but that isn't feasible on the hmc (where 8 of them would be mounted) or for large billet parts on the vmcs where the spindle is in the way.

It would be a fun project for the 1st few but when you figure shop time to make 12 of them, employee wages (namely mine), anodizing of the aluminum part, heat treat, grinding setup and time for the tool steel components etc it is a loosing proposition if we can buy them. If not I will make something, but we are working overtime 6 days on every machine so it isn't something we can just fit in. Worse comes to worse I'll press some bushings into the tombstones and make ones with two dowel pins and and adjustable stop and stamp it for which station it goes to. That will be accurate enough since the idea is to be able to cut 5 of the six sides of the stock. Like crabbass said they aren't accurate enough to use for repositioning work, but we design a fixture or softjaws that will accurately locate parts if it requires repositioning across multiple operations. The main thing is I'd like to get away from using gage blocks to flush parts to the vise jaws for the 1st operation.
It really surprises me that SPI quit making them. The one we have is perfect for the horizontal and the spring tension is more than strong enough to keep it down during heavy cuts. The shop lead said they bought it about 4 years ago and it is still nice and tight with good spring tension.

I, as always, appreciate everyone's suggestions and input.
Scott

Originally Posted by tobyaxis I use a 1/2 Spot Drill Shank to Bank then Retract and Spot all my Locations, LOL. To the original Poster, this is called a Movable Work Stop. I made my own a long time ago when using a standard stop wasn't practical. Like Geof said, Make Your Own, Use Dertsap's Idea, or mine. This is what being a Machinist is all about. Personally I enjoy making my own tooling or Improvising on the Go!!!