Fixturing 101

Douglas Ruuska is a recovering physicist whose pendulum has swung back, once again, to the realm of art. He has worked at CERN and Fermi Lab, the Antarctic and many, many places in between. He has done such things as DAQ and control coding, stained glass, motorcycle and Landrover mechanic, Bio-Tech instrumentation design, 1-MeV neutron radiation damage studies, photography all over the planet and kinetic sculptures such as his Galaxy, Let's Go Fly a Bike, Invisible Light of Distant Stars and Cosmic Praise for Burning Man, among other things. He tends to stay busy and enjoys good beer very much...

This class will show you various techniques for holding items you want to mill. Not everything is small and flat. This course goes beyond the simple tasks of clamping to the table or holding in a vise. In this class, we will work with various methods (clamps, risers, custom fixtures, supports, etc.) that will enable you to hold round, tapered, odd-shaped pieces or items too large for a vise. We will demonstrate the repeatability of set-ups and how to ensure rigidity when machining. We will also cover the properties of different types of materials and what methods of fixturing work or do not for them.

There is no materials fee for this class.

After the is course the student will have a good knowledge of the many techniques available for fixturing and holding of material for machining.

Scrap metal for learning.

Clothing that you do not mind getting dirty. Pen & paper.

Must be 16 years or older. Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Students should wear closed-toe shoes. No flip-flops. They should wear clothes that cannot get caught in equipment. Wearing an apron is preferred.

Learn more about our class and ticket cancelation policies Here.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

*Sales end 2 hours before the start of the class to allow the instructor and staff time to prep.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Artisan's Asylum, 96 Holton Street, Boston, United States