Little Machine Shop vise.

[websterz]

I finally broke down and ordered myself a 3" milling vise. LMS had them on special for $75 and I can't turn down a bargain. This is the same vise that Enco sells under their brand name. My first thought on opening the box was "Damn...that thing's cute!". It looks for all the world like the 6" Kurt vises I am used to seeing on B'ports but in 1/2 scale. It's just cute.    And greasy...

I have not gotten it to the shop to clean it up yet but my observations so far are that it is well ground, well painted, and seems very solid. With the swivel base it weighs in around 20 pounds (9 kilos). The hardened and ground jaws are removable, and can be mounted on the outboard vise faces like a Kurt for holding much larger work. I noticed that the jaws are slightly misaligned on the top so I will be chucking the vise up on my surface grinder and truing them up. I plan to fully dismantle the vise before I use it to check for sand, casting voids, etc. So far though the action is smooth and even. The swivel base is well marked and seems to be plenty solid. It only takes an additional inch and a half or so of vertical space up so I don't see a problem fitting it to my x2. I will take pics of the clean-up and assembly process.

All in all I am happy with it so far.

[Brass_Machine]

...... I will take pics of the clean-up and assembly process.

All in all I am happy with it so far.

 

[websterz]

As promised here are the pics of my new toy. We'll start with a side shot. BTW the gunk is dragon fat, not rust:



Next a close-up of the swivel base. Some folks hate them, I plan to use the heck out of mine!



Here's a pic showing more grease, and the nicely ground surfaces (on TOP...the underside's not so nice)

[websterz]

Okay, time to start pulling this thing apart for a good cleaning.



...and the underside:



The underside of the swivel base is nicely machined, and a good casting to start with too. The scale is well stamped and easy to read. The only thing it lacks is a place to put keys on the underside. I'll get around to that eventually.

Here's the underside of the vise. Not so pretty but it is flat and free of major voids. Seems solid..



And here's the machined surfaces on top of the vise bed. Very nicely ground and extremely flat. Again, that is grease and not tool marks.



More pics coming...

[websterz]

Now we start getting to the inside bits. I am not sure what you call this part, but it is very well cast.



until you look INSIDE.



The underside of the moving jaw is none too pretty either.



The circled area is  (was) so badly ground that the vise wouldn't open all the way.



I cleaned it up with my dremel and it fits much better now. No close-up of that.

[websterz]

After a good degreasing and deburring I put the vise back together, eager to try it out. I swept it in with my Last Word and clamped a piece of mild steel in the jaws. The part lifted up about .030" when I closed the vise!!  I tried adjusting the locking collar and the jaw lift setscrew but it wasn't getting any better. The problem is that knowing a part needs to be there, and actually understanding how it works are two different things. Here is a pic of the little hemispherical doohickey that holds the jaw down when pressure is applied. The original Chinese part is the flat-topped one that is .030" too short. The other is the 4140 steel version I made on the lathe to replace it.    No more jaw lift...imagine that!



While I was at it I retapped the setscrew holes for the lift adjustment and locking collar to 1/4-28 and replaced the screws with some nice grade 5's.

Finally here are a couple of pics of the completed job.





Aside from the two casting voids and the part I had to replace the vise seems to be of better than average quality for a Chinese import and I think it will be a very nice addition to my shop. Plus it fits the x2 mill really well. 

[gldwight]

Very nice vise, great pictures, thanks for sharing.
George

[D_Harris]

Is this the vise you are talking about?

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3487&category=

And did you really get it for $75? 

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Artie]

Looks nice and simple to make that a worthwhile piece of gear. Good job! My vice is similar but US made and 6", cost a fortune about 10 years ago (from memory nearly $300 Aussie).
Unfortunately, with teh stuff Im doing lately its like cracking a peanut with a sledgehammer so Ive jsut ordered this lil 2" beasty.

. Ive gone this route to avoid the jaw lift you have just dealt with.

I was going to make one but at $35, Ill give this a go first.... 

Rob

[D_Harris]

I goal is to get the best vise I can so I won't have to worry about it later.

Am I correct in assume that I can't go larger than 3"(on my Mini mill/drill)?

And any opinions on this? http://www.shars.com/products/view/7465/3_x_3200quot_Lock_Down_Precision_Milling_Machine_Vise_with_Swivel_Base

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.