Vise soft jaws

[Aukai]

I have anodized AN fittings that I work with, and when I work on the polished SS shafts for my hand gaffs that I make is why I'm looking. The aluminum magnet ones shown above is what I use for the ANs, it's another set similar to that one that keeps falling off.

 

[graham-xrf]

I must be missing something here. I don't think that there is anything soft about replacing one type of metal jaw with another type of metal jaw. They are both hard. Or is this just an oxymoron when referring to one metal as soft. I cut and bent a plastic lid from a can of planters peanuts or use one of my shop rags if I want to protect something. These are truly soft.

You are absolutely right in that plastics are very much softer, and I have resorted to them, but the advantage of deformable ductile metals like copper and Al is that they can get up to a pressure still short of marking a part, but useful in the friction, grip and stability they provide.

I once (briefly) used a couple of small off-cuts of 2mm PTFE, because I was going to heat up the part for a soldering operation. Copper or Aluminium made for too much of a heat sink. It was a mistake! Way too slippy! In the end, I settled for bits of cardboard notebook cover. It worked, even though they ended up a tad smoky charred!

Right now, for one vise, I have two bits of aluminium 30mm x 30mm x 3mm thick angle extrusion + 2 x fat rubber bands, and for the other vise - these plastic jaws..
-->


These are the type with the built-in magnets - so no rubber bands needed. They are hard plastic, but could never mark a metal. They slip like crazy on smooth metal, e.g. a stainless bolt. They deform and threaten to break if you get up enough grip. They were completely non-viable to hold a bolt while I added a few mm of additional thread with a M8 die. That takes real grip! The aluminium angle could get clamped direct onto the threads without hurting them. It leaves the pressed-in imprint of part of the threads circumference - a self-shaping exact fitting 2-sided almost-chuck that just keeps increasing it's clamp area until things stop slipping.

Sure, there are times when plastic is very appropriate, but one needs quick change options. That is why I go for the easy clip on method instead of machined jaws bolted on. The guys who praise copper jaws only do so, because they tried it, and very much liked it.

 

[mksj]

Similar to Terry, I fabricated "soft jaws" made of aluminum a long time ago. Tried the hard plastic magnetic type prior to that and they never stayed on and eventually warped. My aluminum jaws are a bit oversized which gives me more clamping area and I can hold smaller stock vertically. If the jaws were not bolted on they would move all over the place and couldn't clamp just on one side. I do not see much difference using aluminum vs. copper, other than the former being significantly cheaper. If I am clamping a softer materials that I do not want damaged, then I will tape on some hard cardboard stock, plastic or neoprene sheet to the jaws. Probably depends on what you use the vise for and how beat up you want it to get in the process. I am often filing/finishing parts in the vise and cutting off screws and so forth, aluminum doesn't damage the threads but still has enough holding grip.

 

[hman]

Lol, I was baiting to be sure but it has its name for a reason. I think it is a Gressel but a German made Leinen type for sure. The vomit name comes from the dynamic jaw being the rear jaw and after using American vises often for so many years, I get vertigo looking at it when clamping a part. A friend of mine who owns a marine performance engine shop tried it and had the same reaction. A couple years on and I still have to look away while spinning the handle.

What I find most disconcerting about the vise is that the front jaw LOOKS like it should be the moving one! That I-beam looking bar underneath just HAS to move into and out of the base. Does the vise close when you turn the handle clockwise (as with a "normal" vise)? If so, that would mean that the leadscrew is left-hand threaded.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

Back when I made a bunch of vise jaws in one sitting, so to speak, I made hardwood, brass, and delrin ones as well as the steel and aluminum. Did not have the copper bar at the time. Woodworkers often use leather or carpet-lines jaws when they want something non-marring.

I think what I missed in the original post was the need for temporary vise jaws. I've tried the magnet and the clip-on style (albeit homemade), and neither works all that well. My solution is to keep a stubby screwdriver by the vise so changing the jaws is not that awful.

If you really need quick-changing jaws, you can try something like bolt-on secondary jaws: put extra-long steel jaws on the vise with a 1/4" thru-hole at either end (sticking out from the vise), then make secondary jaws with 1/4" threaded holes (don't have to be blind) to match, and a thumbscrew that bolts the secondary jaws to the primary via the thru-hole, obviously with the thumb-twiddly bit on the outside edge of the primary jaws. You lose some throat space, and making the secondary jaws is complicated by the threaded hole (but simplified by needing no inner bevel, and being able to use the primary jaws as a template when drilling), but it would probably pay off in ease-of-use.

 

[NC Rick]

What I find most disconcerting about the vise is that the front jaw LOOKS like it should be the moving one! That I-beam looking bar underneath just HAS to move into and out of the base. Does the vise close when you turn the handle clockwise (as with a "normal" vise)? If so, that would mean that the leadscrew is left-hand threaded.

Exactly! The rear jaw moves on dove tail ways and the left hand screw is protected in a hardened tube that also serves as the support for the nut. It is a well made vise, just not at all patterned as I have become accustomed to.
@graham-xrf I appreciate the input on my short comings when is comes to vertigo. I have done some flying and aerobatics which can test those limits for sure.

 

[Aukai]

I have spent over 30 years on the ocean, and some times watching the lathe working with all kinds of rotation like the lead screw, the piece in the jaws the carriage advancing, and, stuff flying off I can get some vertiginous feelings.

 

[NC Rick]

I have spent over 30 years on the ocean, and some times watching the lathe working with all kinds of rotation like the lead screw, the piece in the jaws the carriage advancing, and, stuff flying off I can get some vertiginous feelings.

My prior Bridgeport knee mill (am "m" head) was made in 1942 and was purchased by the US Navy for shipboard use. I often tried to imagine what it must be like operating machine tools under such conditions! Right now I'm picturing an indicator on a stand moving on it's own. I'm getting a little nauseous

 

[NC Rick]

I'm getting tire of my aluminum soft jaws with the magnet getting knocked off, and bouncing under the shop bench. The Wilton copper wrap on jaws are 92 bucks Are there any alternatives, or just bight the bullet?

"Wilton", "bight the Bullet". It takes me a while!

 

[hman]

I cobbled together some 6" vise jaw liners from a pair of 2" copper pipe couplings (found on close-out at a Home Depot in early 2016). Photos show the fabrication steps. The toughest part was unrolling and flattening the couplings. Unfortunately. I'd forgotten that you can anneal copper to a nice, soft state with a butane torch. I did mine "the hard way." Live and learn! After making the folds, I beat the curves into shape on the vise with a hammer. They're easily removed if I ever want hard jaws. These are still going strong. Don't know what the current price for such couplings is, but I'd replace them in a heartbeat, now that I know how.