Tool for quickly setting up your vice on the mill

[CannonFodder]

I saw one of these devices for rapidlysquaring-up your vice on your mill and thought it was a great idea. I saw it on a video somewhere, Ican't remember what they had called it, but it looked easy and foolproof. It turned out to be a successful day-long project. The picture shows the device in the jaws of my vice and pushed up against a plate on the vertical column.

I constructed mine with some scrap pieces of 3/4" x 3/4" bar stock (probably hot rolled) and some 1/2" steel rod (the polished looking stuff that you can buy at the hardware store, I don't know what it is called). I just drilled through the barstock, fitted the rods through, and held them tight with some 5/16" set screws coming in from the ends. The only careful work I did what to make sure the two square bars were parallel using my surface plate and an indicator.

When I first saw the device on the video, they were applying it to a full-sized Bridgeport and had the entire dovetail of the knee to push it against. That's a nice flat surface I don't have. This difference made this project just a little more challenging.



The painted portion of this vertical column is not square, it has a slight convex radius to it. But the little boss where the rubber chip cover attaches is flat (except the paint). I filed the surface of the boss flat (not caring if it was parallel to the ways), and make a little steel plate (3/16") to take the place of the dovetail ways that I don't own. The plate feels very stiff when bolted down. I drilled and tapped a couple of extra holes at the top of the plate in case I wanted to firm up the plate with some set-screws touching the column under that location, but it seems unnecessary.

So the idea is to loosen up the vice from the table, clamp in your device, push it against the reference of the column, tighten down your vice, and your vice is square to the ways (good enough for most jobs, and certainly a good place to start from if you go ahead and make it great with your dial indicator or other method).

Everything was going great. I was eager to test out the accuracy of my new tool. My vice was still in its carefully indicated position, so I put the tool in my vice, and wound the vice and it's tool up against the little plate using the y-axis, and . . . . . yuk.
I could see about a quarter inch gap just in the space of that 4" (approx) width of metal plate. Wow, that looked like some bad work!




Can you see the gap? Now, I know I'm a beginner, but that is some bad work!

But that got me looking around, and I found the same angle nearby:




Can you see the same angle between my column and my base? [Insert the usual "Chinese" commentary here.]

Now there are two reasons why the angle of this column did not become a new project for me - first, I am a beginner, and that work sounds too challenging. Secondly, this machine is trammed perfectly, and I love it.

The fix seemed easy enough. If I set my vice, using my new tool, to match that angle (right up flush to the metal plate), bolt it down and machine a shim in that position, it should be the perfect fix for the angle between the metal plate and the x-axis of my machine.

So I put a chunk of 1/2" aluminum bar in the vice and made some passes along the x-axis.



Here is the wedge after I cut it out of the bar stock with a hacksaw:



I don't have pictures of drilling two holes and mounting it between the little boss of my column and the steel plate, but you get the idea.

I loosened my vice, and repeated the procedure of pushing my vice up against the metal plate using the new tool. It looked squared away.

I put the dial gauge to the solid jaw of the vice and ran the table the full length of the jaw - the needle never moved.



Can anyone out there tell me the name of this thing I made?

Best wishes in everything,

CannonFodder (Bob)

 

[hman]

Can anyone out there tell me the name of this thing I made?

It's called a dam good idea!

Gonna have to make one for my Grizzly/RongFu mill. Thanks for posting!

 

[Karl_T]

Ah, another way to skin the cat. Good job.

I put keys on the bottom of the vise so the gaps in the table do the locating.

Karl

 

[ecdez]

Looks like one of my most dreaded tasks just got a little easier. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ebgb68]

Good idea . It looks like you would have to use the same spot on the ways each time ? Have you checked that ?

 

[CannonFodder]

Good idea . It looks like you would have to use the same spot on the ways each time ? Have you checked that ?

I think you are asking whether the x and/or the y must be in the original position of fabrication in order for this system to work.
I must admit, I have not thought about that except for the following. Since the little plate (and admittedly, through the parallel tool I made) is now parallel to x and perpendicular to y, I think it will work universally across my table. But it IS the combination of that little plate and that particular tool, that results in my vice being squared away. I have not checked the little plate on its own, since it will "never" be used without the tool.

Is that what you mean? Otherwise, let me know how else I should be thinking, and thanks.

CannonFodder (Bob)

 

[Mark_f]

I don't know what it is called but I gotta have one ....soooo off to the shop to make it. This is a wonderful little gadget. Thanks for posting it.


Mark Frazier

 

[CannonFodder]

It's called a dam good idea!

Gonna have to make one for my Grizzly/RongFu mill. Thanks for posting!

Awesome, please let us know how it works out.

Bob

 

[CannonFodder]

Looks like one of my most dreaded tasks just got a little easier. Thanks for sharing.

You are welcome. If you make one, let us know if it does the job for you.

Bob

 

[CannonFodder]

I don't know what it is called but I gotta have one ....soooo off to the shop to make it. This is a wonderful little gadget. Thanks for posting it.


Mark Frazier

Hey Mark, you sound like a motivated man. Enjoy the process and let us know how it turns out.

Bob