Milling a Vise base

[Splat]

Warning: it's Newbie time! I picked up a 4" Phase-II machine vise last week to use on my Johansson/Atlas Clausing small knee mill. I think it's just a tad long in length for the table. I'm thinking a 3" vise might be just a tad small so now I'm thinking of milling the coolant troughs off to gain some travel space back. Since I guess it's hardened cast iron should I use a 1/2" HSS roughing mill or something else? Thank you.

 

[Tony Wells]

It's not hard. Only the jaws are hardened. Cut it with whatever you have. You may be thinking of toolmakers vises, which are often hardened and ground all over. Normal machine vises are not.

 

[Tom Griffin]

Yup, mill away. There's no such thing as hardened cast iron.

Tom

 

[Splat]

Tony, Tom, thank you buds!

 

[8ntsane]

All good advise as to cutting cast iron.
A few things nobody has mentioned.
Cast iron is very abrasive. Cover up the ways of your machine, cast iron is very gritty stuff, on par with sand, so cover up , and protect your machine. A shop vac to clean up in between passes wouldnt hurt either.

The next thing is cut cast iron dry, dont use cutting oil, coolant DRY!
Other wise the cutting oil makes a slurry of abrasive compound, and will dull you cutting tools really quickly. Allways keep in mind cast iron is very abrasive, to your machines, and cutting tools/endmills.

Allso, I wouldnt waste a roughing end mill on cast iron, just use one of your old not so good endmills, that the life span days are allready numbered. No sense dulling a expensive endmill on cast

 

[revrnd]

Allso, I wouldnt waste a roughing end mill on cast iron, just use one of your old not so good endmills, that the life span days are allready numbered. No sense dulling a expensive endmill on cast

BTDT. I found out the "hard" way & chewed up a fairly new roughing mill when m/cing slots in the vise base. I did know that you work "dry" w/ cast iron.