Trash to Treasure? Modifying a 3" Vise-shaped-object into a Shaper vise

[ErichKeane]

So, I have an Atlas 7B, as some of you may know, that didn't come with a Vise. Shaper vises are stupid-expensive, at ~$350 for one filled with holes.

I built a 2 part vise from (mostly) scraps, which has been... "alright". I get quite a bit of jaw lift on it that even putting a piece of wire in between the jaw and material doesn't fix completely.

SO, I decided to use my extensive tool collection to take this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Milling-...d-With-360-Degree-Swiveling-Base/264266308467


A distinctly vise-shaped-object, that has about the right dimensions. It is a little tall at nearly 3" and I have no idea how the bolt holes will line up. PLUS, the reviews on these seem to be "don't buy this for anything requiring precision unless you have a surface grinder". However, I _DO_ have one, so $60 for a big step ahead in the project seems like a good idea! Plus, I really do like ang-loc type vises.


I plan on modifying this in a few ways.

-I am hoping to get the total height under 2.25" if at all possible, which seems like a doable goal, closer to 2" if at all possible.

-Length wise, it seems a little long. I might find myself removing a bunch of the surrounding casting on the mill in order to make it fit better on the table.

-I'll obviously surface grind it to the best of my ability to get it running flat and true.

-Deburr/desand-for-days. I know these chinesium vises come filled with chinese sand and junk and goo. I'll be removing as much as I can.

-Anything else you guys think would be a good idea!

So far, I've ordered the vise, and thats about it! It should show up in about a week.

 

[benmychree]

Your link does not work for me.

 

[ErichKeane]

Your link does not work for me.

Woops! Fixed! Looks like I got a stray 'backspace' in there

 

[Nutfarmer]

When you have the vice finished and mounted pictures please. Good luck

 

[ErichKeane]

When you have the vice finished and mounted pictures please. Good luck

Will do! I intend to take pictures as I go along. This might end up being a success, or just a waste of a $60 + shop time

 

[JRaut]

Incredible that anyone is making any money on that thing.... $62.24 delivered to your doorstep..... yet they must be. There's gotta be at least 25 bits and pieces and fasteners to that thing, all of which are machined at least once, most more than that.

Crazy world (and not just because that vise is cheap...)

 

[ErichKeane]

Incredible that anyone is making any money on that thing.... $62.24 delivered to your doorstep..... yet they must be. There's gotta be at least 25 bits and pieces and fasteners to that thing, all of which are machined at least once, most more than that.

Crazy world (and not just because that vise is cheap...)

Right? I cannot even buy the cast iron used to make the vise for that much. I priced out making my own vise at one point and couldn't get the materials this cheap. I'm sure its junk chinese cast iron, but it SHOULD at least hold its shape, at least thats what I'm counting on

 

[Hawkeye]

Most of that style of vise works fine with the swivel base removed. That would lower the vise and add to the rigidity.

 

[ErichKeane]

Most of that style of vise works fine with the swivel base removed. That would lower the vise and add to the rigidity.

I definitely intend to use it that way most of the time, but I figure I'll try to reduce both the swivel height and overall height as much as seems reasonable. The 7b does NOT have every much of a 'height' allowance, so any 1/8" I can steal will be valuable. I might even thin out the top jaws as much as as reasonable to pick up a little.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

As Hawkeye mentioned, ditch the swivel base. You never actually need the vise to swivel, you just need the ability to mount it at all different angles.

Which brings us to a different problem: mounting. The vise that came with my Ammco has two critical features: a central mounting post (goes through the table to a nut/washer combo on the underside of the table top), and a way so that it can easily be aligned to a 'normal' (jaws perpendicular to the ram travel) orientation via the central slot.

The keyway is easy; the mounting post, not so much. You might consider making your own graduated base which incorporates one. This is not as bad as it sounds: the base itself does not need to swivel, as the central post acts as the pivot. Of course this assumes the Atlas as the same style of vise mount - if it doesn't, then you'll need to come up with a mounting plate that can be indexed to common angles (you really don't need all 360 of them, right?) using the table mounting holes.

I don't know what class of work you are doing, but don't fret overmuch about the clearance. The stroke of the ram and the X-axis travel are much more limiting factors. You want the tool to be mounted as close to the end of the clapper as you can (unless you are doing dovetail or T-slot style work, in which case the point is moot), so tool stickout isn't an issue like with a mill. Remember also that you can replace the lantern on the clapper (or even the entire clapper) in order to support front- (not down-) facing tools. Workpieces that eat up the space between the vise and tool are probably too large to be held in the vise anyways. Don't neglect the sides of the table for mounting.

I've been doing a lot of work on my Ammco this week to get DROs mounted. Dunno if I'll start a thread on that, as I'm not really the photojournalist sort so my projects are not documented. I think there's already a shaper DRO thread.

One last thought for newly-christened shaperheads: track down the Ian Bradley books The Shaping Machine and Lathe And Shaper Tools. Slim volumes, aimed at the hobbyist size of shaper, lots of good ideas. You can usually find the books cheaper when they are written under his pen name, Duplex.