I have recently commissioned my Denford Novamill and had it make its first chips. All good! Now I turn to using it in anger and realise I need to sort a good way to hold workpieces. It looks like most small mill users make some kind of general purpose fixture plate.

Top offer some background, I plan to make small parts in brass, steel and ally - many for clock making. Hence milling shapes from sheet material is a common requirement. But I also want to be able to do general milling, and so need something versatile.

I guess I had in mind some kind of aluminium plate, bolted to the mill table, with a grid of tapped holes in it. This seems to be what most people make as a general purpose fixture. But how big should it be, in relation to the table? Same size? Bigger? What material? Is tool[plate the way to go, or is ordinary flat ally OK? And what thickness seems to work well? What screw sizes work best? I have my own thoughts, and I know some of this will depend on the work you do, but I'd like to put this out to the group. Any experiences or guidance would be much appreciated!

Cheers
Graeme