Question about facing a warped aluminum plate

I had a job last week with a 6061 plate that was bowed about 0.020". The choice was to either shim it on the table and face it, or try to flatten it with clamps first. I went with shimming using feeler gauges, then took a light finishing pass. It came out flat within half a thou, but it was a slow process. Has anyone else had good results with a different method for something like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

blairf482mo ago

I always clamped first but your shim method actually sounds smarter for a final finish.

the_river2mo ago

That reminds me of a time we had to shim a whole porch deck that was warped.

faithbarnes1mo ago

Always rough finding that much warp in a deck, good on you for making it work though.