I Need To Build A Milling Vise. Best Kind To Make????

I vote for a screwless vice.
I built one recently - also for the excercise. I actually designed it when I first got my milling machine without a vice. I found the materials in scrap (very nice cast iron for the vice itself and 1/2" cold rolled steel for the baseplate) and machined the outlines of all parts back then, only to be offered a very heaviy and nice vice on rotating base for $15.... as you can imagine, the project got put in the shelf.
I finally finished it about a month ago. Works a treat. Its 4" wide and opens to almost exactly 6". The grooves for the cross-pin were milled with a 1/2" ball-end cutter.
IMAG2810.jpg IMAG2816.jpg IMAG2824.jpg IMAG2825.jpg IMAG2828.jpg
 
We picked up a genuine 6 inch or so Kurt for 20 bucks about a year ago.

It was covered in crud and looked Chinese and so seller said 20 as we both thought Chinese.

Lugged it arround for a week or 2 in the truck before cleaning it up.

Hunt estate and garage sales and at estate sales find the manager of the company doing the sale and show photos of the things you are interested in and get on their email list.

Got our south bend 14.5 with much tooling for 200 bucks that way...

Craigs list works as well and wanted adds may work but cost more but looking for just vice or junk tools or divorce sale.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 
If you want to drive to Windsor I will GIVE you a milling machine vise that I can pretty much guarantee won't let a part move around in it once you clamp the sucker in there. I think the name on it is Sheffield, it is English built, it's old but very robust and stout-hearted, has a Hi-Lo range for quick open-close. I can get pictures and dimensions tomorrow if you're interested.

Best,
T2
 
ih8beingold,
are you sure that it is your stock moving in the vise? If you climb mill, your table can jump a few thousands or more in an instant, ruining stock and braking end-mills. I'm not suggesting that you don't need a new vise, only to explore all reasons, besides the vise, that you can be having the issues that you describe.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top