Building a Simple Fixture Plate for Repeat CNC Jobs

Building a Simple Fixture Plate for Repeat CNC Jobs A fixture plate lets you repeat the same job without re-zeroing every time. Essential for the 200-peak project or any batch run. Concept A fixture plate is a sacrificial board with: A fixed work zero reference (corner or center) Indexing pins, ledges, or machined pockets to locate each workpiece consistently The same X/Y/Z zero used every time Making a Basic Fence Fixture The simplest fixture: two straight edges at 90° screwed to the spoilboard. 1. Mill a perfectly square corner into an MDF waste sheet using the CNC itself 2. Screw two straight strips of MDF along the X and Y axes 3. Butt your stock into the corner for every piece 4. Re-zero Z only — X/Y stays the same This eliminates re-zeroing X and Y between sheets. Making a Pin Fixture For parts with a hole or slot you can use for registration: 1. Machine a hole pattern into your fixture plate (CNC-drilled for accuracy) 2. Press steel dowel pins into the holes 3. Design matching holes into your workpiece CAD 4. Drop workpiece onto pins — perfectly located every time The 200-Peaks Fixture Approach For the peak project: 1. Mark a fixed corner on the spoilboard in permanent marker 2. Always place sheet to that corner (add a fence strip if needed) 3. Re-zero Z per sheet (thickness varies), leave X/Y alone 4. Run the nested toolpath — same file every sheet With a consistent fence, 30 seconds per sheet setup instead of 3 minutes. Material for Fixture Plates MDF — cheap, easy to machine, flat, disposes easily HDPE — durable, reusable many times, dimensionally stable Aluminum — most accurate, reusable indefinitely, overkill for wood work Replace MDF fixture when it gets cut into too many times or warps.

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