Shims/Shim Material

[Mark W Pugh]

I need to shim some equipment in my shop. The amounts vary, and some are quite small.

Any recommendations on shim stock or shim washers (if there is such a thing)?

I would prefer something in the washer variety, so where would one purchase something like this? I can find a lot of shim stock, just not washer style shims.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mark,

Before I retired, when I needed shim stock, I went to a local machine shop. They have pages (as in paper) of brass shim stock of various thicknesses measured in 0.001" . You can punch hole in it with a hole punch used for paper. You can cut it with common scissors.

[John Schweikert]

I bought this a few years ago: http://www.amazon.com/Unpolished-Finish-Temper-0-001-0-015-Thickness/dp/B002BYTCL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432782144&sr=8-1&keywords=brass+shim+stock

Excellent lifetime supply of brass shim stock for cheap. Easy to cut with scissors or shears. Just sharpie your cutoffs for future reference.

[John A langley]

Google it Mr. shims

[Jamie Buxton]

Mcmaster Carr has shim washers. www.mcmaster.com

[ian maybury]

McMaster Carr are great Jamie - pages and pages of shim washers. Wish we had them over here. It's only recently that they have started to become more available by mail order in small quantities from the UK to retail/private markets. Most engineering and toolroom supplies places will sell you a pack of pieces of shim material (brass is good - no rust) in graded thicknesses up to about 0.4mm too.

It's tempting at times Mark to use tape and the like as shim material, but beware of the fact that most materials of that sort will slowly compress under pressure over time.

[Andrew Ulsher]

I bought a sampler pack of brass shims from Lee Valley/Veritas when I was ordering other items.

[Peter Quinn]

What are you shimming? Are you talking table alignment, or height adjustments, something else? My general recommendation is McMaster Carr, I've bought a variety of shim kits from them for different purposes. Some are washers, some are square stock, some are slotted like a wishbone, depends on the application. I've used steel, brass and plastic again depending on the particular application and strength requirements.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Go to a decent hobby shop, most have a K & S Metals display... You can get brass shim stock from .001 up at the K& S display, the sheets are 3" x 6"..

[Jon Shank]

Not to go too low rent on you but Beer/soda can aluminum makes excellent shims. Depends on the thickness you need of course, but it's a perfectly valid material you might have around the house and easily cut to shape/size.

Jon

[Mike Cutler]

Google it Mr. shims

A big +1
Whether shimming a table to a frame, or putting shims under legs and corners, these are great. We use them at work to shim motors to stands. Big motors.