Author Topic: Making a milling vice (Read 32975 times)

Bill Stupak · « **Reply #25 on:** August 13, 2014, 09:56:01 AM »

Just curious, will aluminum hold up to the rigors work-holding on a milling machine?

Bill

NormanV · « **Reply #26 on:** August 13, 2014, 09:57:39 AM »

I hope so. That is why I have made the castings quite substantial and it will have steel facings to the jaws and the screw will run in a steel nut.

vtsteam · « **Reply #27 on:** August 13, 2014, 09:57:54 AM »

Andrew's can did the trick!

I mean the riser.....

NormanV · « **Reply #28 on:** August 13, 2014, 09:59:44 AM »

Yes, the cans certainly took all the contraction.

vtsteam · « **Reply #29 on:** August 13, 2014, 10:04:54 AM »

And they stayed hot because of the sand in them to insulate. I like it!

Your square sprue and risers look bigger in the last picture than I realized. Good work!

Your vise should be pretty tough with your big fillets --are you planning to mill the upper one off because of the top plate, but leave the lowers on the sides and just shape the moveable jaw base to match them?

awemawson · « **Reply #30 on:** August 13, 2014, 10:20:13 AM »

Funnily enough I found a box of topped and tailed bean cans stored with my foundry bits since my move 7 years ago - I'm surprised that I didn't chuck them !

Norman I've not forgotten the Sodium Silicate - first bottle I set ready the wife used as a puppy toy and is now in bits

Waiting for large lemonade bottle to empty which shouldn't take long as more grandchildren coming at the week end - yikes run for the hills

NormanV · « **Reply #31 on:** August 13, 2014, 10:45:29 AM »

Steve, I have to remove the top fillet, I'm not sure about the bottom ones. I may have to remove them to make space for the mounting bolts. I was intending putting pins in the bottom to engage with the Tee slots to set the vice square to the mill.
Andrew, Thanks, I'm in no particular hurry.
Enjoy the grand kids!

vtsteam · « **Reply #32 on:** August 13, 2014, 01:22:45 PM »

It would be nice if you could keep those side fillets at the fixed jaw end,

For a hold down at the fixed jaw end, my vise has a lug extending off the main casting, and two lugs on the side of the base casting.

If you wanted a lug at the fixed jaw end you could shape one out of the gate. To get more material you could cut that sprue off horizontally, flush with the top of the gate.

Here's a pic to explain the lugs:

NormanV · « **Reply #33 on:** August 13, 2014, 02:13:21 PM »

I have checked the casting against the milling machine table and find that I won't need to machine away the side fillets. This black dots on this photo show where the fixing bolts will go. I plan to have hollow dowels on two of them to locate the vice.

Arbalist · « **Reply #34 on:** August 13, 2014, 03:12:19 PM »

You're doing great so far, looking forward to seeing how this turns out Norman!

NormanV · « **Reply #35 on:** August 14, 2014, 11:12:57 AM »

I've machined the moving jaw all over, I just need to bore the hole for the adjusting screw to pass through. The box slide turned out nice and smooth with no play. I've temporarily attached the clamps with countersunk screws until I can obtain some shallow head cap screws.
The screw holes that come through the top will be filled. I had to drill them right through to enable me to clamp the piece on the mill.
Next job is to start machining the main casting.

awemawson · « **Reply #36 on:** August 14, 2014, 12:16:27 PM »

It's a bit like a MakerBot if you think about it, a machine making bits of itself

vtsteam · « **Reply #37 on:** August 14, 2014, 12:17:08 PM »

Looking good, Norman!

Arbalist · « **Reply #38 on:** August 14, 2014, 01:16:52 PM »

Nice work Norman. For what it's worth my vice has hex bolts (and washers) for the moving jaw slides.

Meldonmech · « **Reply #39 on:** August 14, 2014, 02:46:09 PM »

Hi Norman
Pleased your casting turned out well, I have been using the tin can risers for several years. I originally got the idea from Myfordboy's web site, and used thick walled pvc piping for some time. However one day I had a slight spillage, and set one on fire, so now use pineapple tins as they are wider than beans tins and allow a larger pouring and shrinkage reservoir.

The vice is coming on nicely.
Cheers David

NormanV · « **Reply #40 on:** August 14, 2014, 03:50:39 PM »

Thanks everybody. I got most of the machining on the main casting done this evening. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

NormanV · « **Reply #41 on:** August 15, 2014, 03:07:04 PM »

As promised, here is the main casting with the slide attached. I had to use a mixture of screws as that is all I had, doesn't affect the performance but doesn't look too good.

NormanV · « **Reply #42 on:** August 15, 2014, 03:08:33 PM »

Here it is with the moving jaw installed, I had to machine some of the fillet away in the lower corners as it obstructed the moving jaw.

NormanV · « **Reply #43 on:** August 15, 2014, 03:11:46 PM »

I was anxious as to whether the care that I took to get the jaws parallel had paid off so I made a couple of wooden wedges to clamp it and was delighted to find that it clamps squarely.

NormanV · « **Reply #44 on:** August 15, 2014, 03:15:40 PM »

Can somebody tell me the diameter of the clamping screw usually used on a 4" milling vice. I am undecided whether to use 1/2" or 5/8".
Thanks.

Meldonmech · « **Reply #45 on:** August 15, 2014, 04:08:05 PM »

Norman my vice has a 5/8inch screw, and that is what I would use.

Cheers David

NormanV · « **Reply #46 on:** August 16, 2014, 02:09:58 PM »

The steel facings are now fixed to the jaws, they don't line up perfectly but that will be the first milling job on it when it is finished.
I've found two problems with the "make it up as you go along" method of design.
1) There was not enough space to fit a 5/8" clamping screw so I will have to use 1/2" but I don't think that will be a problem.
2) My choice to use shallow head cap screws to hold the clamps was unworkable as I did not make enough space for those screw heads and the clamping bolts to pass each other. I can't remember why I did not want to use countersunk screws for the clamps but that is what I have had to do.

NormanV · « **Reply #47 on:** August 16, 2014, 02:14:58 PM »

I've got the holes prepared for the clamping screw. I had originally planned to buy an acme threaded rod for this but have decided to use standard 12mm threaded rod, albeit left hand thread. Where it passes through the fixed end of the main casting I have made the hole oversize so as to avoid any problems with alignment.

philf · « **Reply #48 on:** August 16, 2014, 02:58:40 PM »

Quote from: NormanV on August 16, 2014, 02:14:58 PM

I've got the holes prepared for the clamping screw. I had originally planned to buy an acme threaded rod for this but have decided to use standard 12mm threaded rod, albeit left hand thread. Where it passes through the fixed end of the main casting I have made the hole oversize so as to avoid any problems with alignment.

Norman,

I have a few 9/16" ACME leadscrews (1/8" pitch) if you would prefer something a bit beefier than M12. I have a right handed one with a very snug fitting nut and a left hand one where the nut is a bit sloppy.

You would be welcome to either as they're just taking up shelf space. (They came out of my Alexander engraver which I converted to CNC using ballscrews.)

Cheers.

Phil.

NormanV · « **Reply #49 on:** August 16, 2014, 03:49:41 PM »

Phil, that is very kind of you. I would like to take the left hand one, I don't think that a bit of sloppiness on a vice is a problem. Certainly less of a problem than the mental gymnastics trying to remember to turn the vice handle the "wrong" way.
I'll send you a PM.

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Author Topic: Making a milling vice (Read 32975 times)