[KSky]

Pretty simple part, and if it wasn't for the chamfer around the two boss's I would just do it in 2d, maybe I should do it in 2D anyway, depends the advice I get from the internet machinists.

I was just going to hold it in the vice, and then turn it over and cut off the bottom. Or I might do tabs.

My stratagy is to mill the two bosses, then the profile.

I don't think I am milling out he bosses correctly, right now I am selecting them, and milling around, Should I select the flat, and mill everything but the bosses?

[MikeC8]

Hold your stock in a vise on a set of parallel blocks and machine the first side to full depth, or even a little past. Then machine a set of soft jaws to index the part for the second side, clamp, flycut the back off, and machine your chamfer.

If you only need to make a few, you could get away with a single soft jaw.

[Ben S]

I would machine the bosses using a pocket strategy. Make the outside edge a dotted line and keep the boss edges solid. Select the outside edge and bosses for your geometry. I would use Advanced Pocket/Adaptive Rough.

To cut the chamfers I would use a chamfer mill strategy with a chamfer tool. All 2d stuff.

How many are you making? To turn it over and cut the bottom off I think you will need a jaw machined to fit, which is a really nice way to go if you're making a bunch. If only one or two, leaving tabs or just a skin at the bottom might make more sense time-wise.

[KSky]

It's one of those were I will make two or three, but there is always the promise of they may want several hundred. If so, I'll go with the soft jaws.

I tried a 3D approach, where I selected the entire top including the bosses and chamfer and came pretty close to what I want. I don't quite understand why 1/3 of the bottom boss shaded dark blue like it's uncut, but it's doing what I want. I may try your advice Ben and go 2D and see which one I like best.

[MikeC8]

If it is a job, with potential for more orders if they like the work, I would make at least one soft jaw so you can locate it, and hold it for the backside chamfer. Its worth the price of at least one jaw to impress them if it could lead towards more business. I've made soft jaws for one off personal projects.

[KSky]

I would machine the bosses using a pocket strategy. Make the outside edge a dotted line and keep the boss edges solid. Select the outside edge and bosses for your geometry. I would use Advanced Pocket/Adaptive Rough.

The "gotcha" about adaptive rough is that is assumes that there is nothing outside of the dotted line so it will plunge the tool right into the work. I might make the top the same size as the material so the plunge happens outside, and the profile will get the right shape.

[jrmach]

That's a 2 D PART,Advanced Rough

[KSky]

I now need to make a bunch of these which involves making a jig to hold them and machine the flip side. I was thinking of using a 2D operation to machine away the outside of the stock down to a specified depth (like .5) and making a custom set of soft jaws to hold the part upside down. What's the best way to do this? Draw a box the same size as the stock and do an adaptive roughing, or is there a operation that will cut away the stock down to some level?

The end result is a part that's has the stock cut away down to a specified depth, that way I know exactly how tall my part is sitting and I can free the part and do a chamfer around it.

[Ben S]

If I understand your question correctly, use the same technique as before. This time, define the outside edge of your stock with the dotted line and use adaptive rough to clean it away. Just define the total depth in your tool path wizard to be whatever you want it to be.