Angle Plates - How are they made? - MadModder

I'm wondering if the fixturing method used for non-crazy accuracy with two raw angle plate castings, using a lathe, might just work for crazy, as well?

Here's how:

On the lathe for non-crazy, you take one as-cast raw angle plate, flatten (not square) the faces with a file enough to mount it so it won't rock on the faceplate. It doesn't have to be square yet, just flat.

Then bolt it on to the faceplate with a shim under it until the extending face IS square to the faceplate, checking with a true square.

Then you take your second raw angle iron casting, flatten the faces as before, and mount it to the first angle iron leg, which you made square to the faceplate. It now has a raw face that is somewhat parallel with the faceplate, and you proceed to turn that off flat, which makes it truly parallel to the faceplate and square to the other leg of its angle plate.

Then you take apart the rig, and mount the newly squared angle plate to the faceplate, and mount the second (still untrued) faceplate to it, and face it's extended leg true. Now both angle plates are square (non-crazy).

A similar process may be possible fo you using a flat but not absolutely true angle plate (or even angle iron) with shim -- checked with your true square, to yield a vertical surface to your surface plate for mounting your second and important piece to be squared. Thanks for the tips.  I was, indeed, asking about doing this on a surface grinder.  I believe that's the only way you could get close to the finish you see on commercial examples, not to mention the only practical way if the plate is hardened.

It seems the general consensus is that you need something square to begin with.  Be it a machine, a square setup by shims or other adjustment, or a proven master.  I thought there might be some "magic" method that zeros out any errors that may creep in.  I was trying to think of a way to use two of them in a way that would do this with theoretical perfection; kind of like when you lap 3 plates together in turn and end up with a dead-flat surface.  Unfortunately everything I could come up with so far just kept the two equal, rather than exactly 90 degrees.

I like the idea of using cylindrical squares for the reference.  I'll have to also look into how to accurately make one (or two) or those now.  I'm thinking if you didn't do it quite right you'd be relying on the perpendicularity of the lathe.  Taper is easy enough to eliminate but how to ensure the end face isn't concave/convex?  I suppose if you hollow out the bottom a bit it would only be sitting on a small circular ring of contact area.  Whether or not that face was dead flat would matter little at that point.

So, I'm left believing for now that you can only make an angle plate as perpendicular as you can make (and more importantly "measure") your setup.

Hi, if like me, you are a beginner with a new mill to play with and have Harold halls 'a complete milling course' Book I have some bad news. College engineering have no raw casting angle plates and have no plans to make anymore.

Hengfeng are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

I have tried to google some more but with no success. Any ideas? Of course I could just buy some new finished ones but that's not the point of a course in milling is it!

Best regards

Keith MM

I suppose you could pop into your local structural steel fabricators and see if you can get an offcut of angle, weld in a couple of triangular webbs and then treat it as a casting. You could probably get away with no webs if you get 10 or 12mm thick angle.

With teh low cos of imported ready machined angles there can't be much demand for the raw castings and College are obviously running down their stocks. Looks like a finished one can be had for about £1 more than the raw casting so add in a worn cutter an does not make ecconomic sense to a lot of people.

Edited By JasonB on 26/12/ 07:58:47

Edited By JasonB on 26/12/ 08:00:31

I use an angle iron angle plate, as described by Jason, with no troubles, although I would prefer a heavier one, maybe 5/8", or 3/4" thick, but still with diagonal bracing, I think something could be welded up from a couple of bits of steel plate. With say 3/4" there would be plenty of metal to machine it square.

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Ian S C

I was thinking along the lines that Steve and Mike suggest but see they have beaten me to it. However, the link Mike gives for Hemingway kits has heavy duty alloy castings for the faceplates so the machining process will be a little different, but of course the set ups will be the same which is the main purpose of the exercise.

Another possibility is that Hemingway's Quick set face plate also includes an angle plate using an iron casting so this is much the same as the College eng, one but a little smaller. Perhaps Hemingway would be prepared to supply you just the angle plate, worth a try.

Details for machining this faceplate, and the angle plate. is covered on my website here , machining the angle plate being much like the process I describe in the book.

Harold

Bringing an old thread back to life. I am looking at getting some castings done and a small number of angle plates will be part of the order.

would there be any interest in some from this forum?

would only supply Europe as the shipping costs will be insane.

A long defunct local steel fabricating company ,at one time were a bit short of work so they made some heavy angle plates,about 10 inches long with sides of 8 inches,no webs,they used flat steel plate possibly one inch thick,for their own use. the plates were welded together ,i was told that they were annealed after welding,and prior to machining. My friend who worked there aquired some of the plates when the factory closed, some years later he gave me two of these plates, they were a bit rusty so I cleaned them up and found they were out of square by about two thou over 8 ins, so I set them up on my col triumph face plate using a good cast iron angle plat eand machined them square,after ten tears they are still square.so it can be done but the welding must be first class , I have some WDS cast iron angles,and a U section which is very useful, most I picked up at s/h dealers,auto jumbles or gifts from friends,they are very accurate ,new sections from WDS are horendously expensive ,if you buy a foreign angle plate or a used one take a good sqare with you and check the angle plate for squareness ,some can be out of square.

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