The tip this month concerns work holding devices. It is of prime importance that the work piece that you are cutting be held in such a manner that it can not move in any direction while it is being cut. On a horizontal machine, the cutting tool pressure tends to force the part away from the cutter so it is a common practice to adjust the tailcenter to start with the blank or arbor slightly toward the cutting tool to compensate. This is particularly important when using a small diameter arbor. The fact that the cutters have a lead also tends to turn the part as it is being cut so clamping is of the utmost importance. A good tip is to use knife edge washers in the cases where the blank does not have a keyway to hold it from turning on the arbor.