Fuzqq Low-Profile Side Clamps (4-pack)

That changes which jobs are easy on a 3018:

• Full-face engraving. A logo or border that runs to the edges of a coaster or plaque.
• Surfacing. Flattening a slightly cupped walnut or oak blank with a wide bit, edge to edge.
• Repeat parts. Two clamps fixed as a corner stop, two used as pushers, so each new blank lands in the same place.
• Clean toolpaths. No keep-out zones drawn around clamp heads in the CAM file.

The bodies are machined aluminium, 54 × 22 × 19 mm each, with a serrated grip face. The teeth bite lightly into wood and plastic edges so the blank resists sliding under side load from the cutter. In hardwood the marks are shallow and sit on the edge, where a pass of sandpaper removes them.

Walnut makes a good first test. It is stable, it cuts cleanly with a 1/8 in two-flute bit, and a firm side clamp stops the chatter marks that come from a blank lifting at one corner.

A few failure modes show up again and again:

• Over-tightening. Thin stock arches, and the engraving depth varies across the sheet.
• Clamping on the cut line. When the profile cut frees the part, the clamp is no longer holding anything.
• One clamp per side. The blank pivots around it; use two on the long edge.
• Round stock. A serrated jaw on a curve holds a single point, which is not enough.

For through-cuts, leave tabs in the toolpath so the part stays tied to the frame the clamps grip. Tabs matter more with side clamps than with top clamps, since the grip is on the outside of the sheet.

Acrylic chips and melts if it vibrates, so any sheet under 5 mm is happier taped flat. Keep the side clamps for the thick offcuts of the same sheet, where they grip well.

1. Place the blank on the bed and mark roughly where each edge will sit.
2. Fix two clamps on one long edge as a fence, bases tight on their M6 screws.
3. Slide the blank against those jaws.
4. Bring the other two clamps in from the opposite edge and snug their bases.
5. Snug the M4 screws in small turns, alternating, until the blank will not move by hand.

What the set fits on a 3018:

• MDF spoilboards with M6 holes. The Genmitsu 3018 MDF spoilboard is drilled for M6, so the bases screw straight down.
• Aluminium spoilboards with M6 holes. The same screws go in.
• T-track tables. The T-nuts ride in the track so each clamp can slide to any position.

The kit includes two wrenches and a gasket for each clamp. Keep the M4 screws lightly greased where they thread into aluminium, and they will keep turning smoothly after dozens of set-ups.

The four-piece count is the real difference against the two-clamp sets. Two clamps can only push the blank into a fixed fence; four let one pair act as the stop and the other pair do the pushing, so the setup needs nothing else on the bed. All four use the same M6 and M4 screws, so the two included wrenches cover the whole setup.

Three measurements decide whether the set suits a given 3018:

• Your bed has M6 holes or a track the T-nuts fit; a bare 3018 T-slot bed may need a spoilboard first.
• Most of your stock is thicker than the 19 mm clamp, or your CAM safe height clears it.
• You have space on the bed for a clamp on each side of the blank; each one takes about 22 mm.

Clamps are the second or third part most 3018 owners add, after a probe. The sequence with the quickest payback is laid out on 3018 upgrades in order of payoff, and the materials that suit edge clamping are covered on what a 3018 cuts.