Fixture Plate for Taig CNC

The Taig Micro-mill is a great machine when converted to CNC. I have been constantly making improvements as any reader will discover as they peruse the pages of this web site. One thing has always made me wonder was the width of the table. The standard table is 3 1/2 inches wide. In this report I show how I made a wider "fixture plate" to fit the Taig bed.

There are two available lengths with standard as 15 3/4 inches and optional 18 1/2 inches. The Taig web site doesn't agree as it quotes slightly different lengths on the same page. The longer bed gives 2.5 inches more travel (12 inches) than the shorter bed (9.5 inches) The mill shown here is the long bed.

I ordered the plate from Metal Express because my other source doesn't list Aluminum "Cast Tool & Jig" Plate, also known as Mic6. Here is how the package arrived. I ordered a plate 5.5 inches by 18 inches by 1/2 inch. Check out this link about Mic6 plate.

Mic6 has a PVC film stuck on both sides of the flat surface to protect the finish. It has been machined flat and the cast aluminum is stress relieved so the plate will not warp when being further machined. Here is a trial fit on the Taig with the protective film still in place.

I measured 1" x1" grid of lines on the surface of the plate. Next I center punched each line intersection. I then proceeded to drill 75 holes and tap each one 1/4" x 20. This took most of a day.

Another trial fit. The holes have been chamfered both sides (150!) but not by what you see here. The tool in the Taig is a V-Bit engraver. It makes a good pointer.

This close up of the holes shows the chamfer and the threading. I also used this picture as a teaser on my Blog. The Mic6 is great material to machine.

This is a typical use for the plate. This is just one method of clamping. I am sure I will discover a lot more.

This is how the plate is held on the Taig bed. The socket head bolts are 1/4-20 x 3/4 SS. The holes are clearance drilled then I used an end mill to recess the heads by 1/4 inch. The companion holes are there so the plate can be flipped over and bolted down in the same manor. The offset was required to properly mount the plate within the travel range of the Y axis. It provided just enough clearance for the flip mounting. The bolts are exactly 2" apart.

This is the mister set-up but it works just fine for just blowing the dust off without using the mist.

The full travel on the X axis from just to the right of the second column of holes on the left just behind the riser block to the same position on the right of the table. That is why I did not run an additional column of five holes at each end.

A close view of the end. Although the plate is slightly shorter than the length of the bed, the fit is good. The 1/4"-20 bolts screw into home made aluminum nut plates inside the channel. The 3/4 inch long bolts work perfectly.
 

There it is. Now I have full support for wide materials I want to carve or engrave with the Taig mill. I think it is a smart looking accessory and has real function. It took about one day and a half to make. Mic6 Aluminum is nice to tap and I had no broken taps in 75 holes. I used only one tap and it has a lot more threading time remaining!
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