Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work.

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Default Mounting Precision Vise

I got a hold of a one of those little precision vises that everybody is
selling these days. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be an easy way
to mount and align it to my mill table. Neither can I find any clamps
specifically for these vises in the usual catalogs (Enco, McMaster
etc.) I suppose I could make something easy enough, but that got me
wondering - as popular as these vises are, what is everybody else doing
to mount them? My particular vise has slots cut into the base on either
end, and a series of holes drilled crosswise down the base of each
side.

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Chuck Sherwood
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

I got a hold of a one of those little precision vises that everybody is
selling these days. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be an easy way
to mount and align it to my mill table. Neither can I find any clamps



I have several and use them a lot. A hold down is just a flat plate to
engage the slots on the side of the vise and a spacer block for the
other end with a clamp bolt in the middle.

You can also use hold them in a bigger vise for odd setups.

I use a test indicator to align all my vises reguardless of size.


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Eric R Snow
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

On 25 Jan 2006 10:34:22 -0800, wrote:

I got a hold of a one of those little precision vises that everybody is
selling these days. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be an easy way
to mount and align it to my mill table. Neither can I find any clamps
specifically for these vises in the usual catalogs (Enco, McMaster
etc.) I suppose I could make something easy enough, but that got me
wondering - as popular as these vises are, what is everybody else doing
to mount them? My particular vise has slots cut into the base on either
end, and a series of holes drilled crosswise down the base of each
side.

Don,
Your vise does indeed have provisions for clamping. It's those slots
cut at each end. Use a strap clamp to slip into the slot. Some people
call them toe clamps, but they're not. Toe clamps are similar and
would work too. The series of holes are for repositioning the dowell
pin so the jaws can be set to the proper spot. You will see that there
is a socket head screw in the movable jaw. This is used to draw the
jaw against the work. But this clamping arrangement has less travel
than the length of the vise. So the pin you can see in one of the
holes needs to be pushed out and put in another hole. Turn the vise
upside down and look at the way the clamping works. At the end of the
eye that the pin passes through you might find a set screw. This
retains the pin in the eye. I almost never tighten this screw. And
when I do it's just enough to keep the pin from falling out when the
vise is on it's side. Now, after I just wrote a bunch of stuff to help
you out it occurs to me that you may be a troll. If this is the case,
I hope your pecker dries up and falls off.
ERS
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

Thanks for the reply. "Troll", not sure what you mean by that,
anyway thanks for pointing out how to use a vise. Gees - would have
never known. Allow me to be a little clearer. My question was, "What
is everybody doing to clamp and align these little vices?" Thus far
I have found no good answer. Strap clamps (toe clamp if you prefer)
would work yes but there sloppy and don't lend them themselves to
aligning, "squaring" the head very easily. I did find some
drawings to make your own clamps at,
"http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Projects/ViseClamps.php" but
they seem, just by looking at them, not rigged enough, and wouldn't
make alignment much easier then the strap clamps. I'm figuring now I
will have to make my own clamps for each end. I'm thinking with some
kind of eccentrics and set bolt for easy alignment, and perhaps a stop
block for one side. I'm still hoping that someone out there has some
really slick better idea on what they did and would be willing to share
it.

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Dave Lyon
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise


wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the reply. "Troll", not sure what you mean by that,
anyway thanks for pointing out how to use a vise. Gees - would have
never known. Allow me to be a little clearer. My question was, "What
is everybody doing to clamp and align these little vices?" Thus far
I have found no good answer. Strap clamps (toe clamp if you prefer)
would work yes but there sloppy and don't lend them themselves to
aligning, "squaring" the head very easily. I did find some
drawings to make your own clamps at,
"http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Projects/ViseClamps.php" but
they seem, just by looking at them, not rigged enough, and wouldn't
make alignment much easier then the strap clamps. I'm figuring now I
will have to make my own clamps for each end. I'm thinking with some
kind of eccentrics and set bolt for easy alignment, and perhaps a stop
block for one side. I'm still hoping that someone out there has some
really slick better idea on what they did and would be willing to share
it.



Actually, you got very good answers to your question. When mounting a vice
to a machine, it is almost always necessary to indicate the vice in straight
if you want accuracy.





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Eric R Snow
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

On 25 Jan 2006 12:19:42 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for the reply. "Troll", not sure what you mean by that,
anyway thanks for pointing out how to use a vise. Gees - would have
never known. Allow me to be a little clearer. My question was, "What
is everybody doing to clamp and align these little vices?" Thus far
I have found no good answer. Strap clamps (toe clamp if you prefer)
would work yes but there sloppy and don't lend them themselves to
aligning, "squaring" the head very easily. I did find some
drawings to make your own clamps at,
"http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Projects/ViseClamps.php" but
they seem, just by looking at them, not rigged enough, and wouldn't
make alignment much easier then the strap clamps. I'm figuring now I
will have to make my own clamps for each end. I'm thinking with some
kind of eccentrics and set bolt for easy alignment, and perhaps a stop
block for one side. I'm still hoping that someone out there has some
really slick better idea on what they did and would be willing to share
it.

The way I do it, if I don't clamp the small vise in a bigger one, is
to clamp the vise to the table loosely. I'll list the procedures
below:
Since I think you are using this on a small machine clamp the vise
parallel with the X (long) axis.
Mount an indicator such that you can indicate the front side (the side
closest to you) of the vise.
Note which end has the highest reading. Loosen the clamp for this end.
Not all the way, it still needs to be a bit snug.
Tighten the clamp on the low end on the vise more than the high end.
Now use a soft hammer to tap against the high end of the vise. This
will make the vise move away from you and make the indicator reading
lower. The vise will tend to rotate around the low end because you
have made that clamp tighter. The reason to tap on the high side is
that it moves the vise away from the indicator and put way less shock
into it.
Check again the alignment with the indicator.
Keep tapping the high side until the vise is in line with the X axis
travel. If you have the indicator, and if the machine is that good,
you should shoot for less than .0001" in 6 inches. It takes practice
but not too much and you will be able to get the vise really close
really fast.
ERS
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Ace
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

The alternative to the "precision" vise you refer to is to spend the bucks
for a standard mill vise, which come with slots
in the bottom in which you can place keys to match the slots in your milling
machine table, and also have the standard
slotted bolt flanges to clamp to the table.

Good luck!


"Dave Lyon" wrote in message
news:2qSBf.731502$_o.314376@attbi_s71...

wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the reply. "Troll", not sure what you mean by that,
anyway thanks for pointing out how to use a vise. Gees - would have
never known. Allow me to be a little clearer. My question was, "What
is everybody doing to clamp and align these little vices?" Thus far
I have found no good answer. Strap clamps (toe clamp if you prefer)
would work yes but there sloppy and don't lend them themselves to
aligning, "squaring" the head very easily. I did find some
drawings to make your own clamps at,
"http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Projects/ViseClamps.php" but
they seem, just by looking at them, not rigged enough, and wouldn't
make alignment much easier then the strap clamps. I'm figuring now I
will have to make my own clamps for each end. I'm thinking with some
kind of eccentrics and set bolt for easy alignment, and perhaps a stop
block for one side. I'm still hoping that someone out there has some
really slick better idea on what they did and would be willing to share
it.



Actually, you got very good answers to your question. When mounting a vice
to a machine, it is almost always necessary to indicate the vice in
straight
if you want accuracy.





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DoN. Nichols
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

According to :
I got a hold of a one of those little precision vises that everybody is
selling these days. Problem is, there doesn't seem to be an easy way
to mount and align it to my mill table. Neither can I find any clamps
specifically for these vises in the usual catalogs (Enco, McMaster
etc.) I suppose I could make something easy enough, but that got me
wondering - as popular as these vises are, what is everybody else doing
to mount them? My particular vise has slots cut into the base on either
end, and a series of holes drilled crosswise down the base of each
side.


Well ... I made clamping plates for mine to match the Emco
C5 mill and the toolmaker's vise which I got to use as a milling vise.

Here is the URL to a page which I put up to document that when I
made it. The dates seem to be in September of 2000, FWIW.

http://www.d-and-d.com/EMCO/Vise-and-clamps/index.html

Note that mine does not have the series of holes, which might work with
the round-nose clamping straps supplied with mill hold-down kits.

Or the holes may be part of the draw-in mechanism for the
so-called "screwless" toolmaker's vises, in which case you would want to
confine your clamping to the grooves similar to what I used.

Enjoy,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---
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Chuck Sherwood
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

for a standard mill vise, which come with slots in the bottom in
which you can place keys to match the slots in your milling
machine table, and also have the standard


How accurate is this method? I would be concerned how accurate the
T slots are with respect to the direction of travel.


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Ace
 
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Default Mounting Precision Vise

All I can tell you is from my experience 'many' years ago when I was
constantly changing between vise jobs, rotary tables,
etc.

I machined a couple of keys to match the table slots, indicated the vise,
and thereafter it always was within .001 inch
over the six inch length of the vise jaws. The machine was in excellent
condition as was the vise. Keep in mind that
care was taken each setup to keep the keys against the same edge of the slot
and to tighten holddown bolts slowly
and evenly.

Good luck!

Other machines could possibly yield better/worse results??
"Chuck Sherwood" wrote in message
...
for a standard mill vise, which come with slots in the bottom in
which you can place keys to match the slots in your milling
machine table, and also have the standard


How accurate is this method? I would be concerned how accurate the
T slots are with respect to the direction of travel.



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