Myford Vice for Vertical Slide

Does anyone use a swivel vice with the Myford vertical milling slide such as this one:

I don't know if you could mount it straightforwardly, but even if you could I reckon you'd just aggravate the already apparent rigidity issues. Might work for plastics, woods and other light materials.

I use a double-swivel Myford vertical slide a lot of the time, with a vice t-bolted straight to its face, and that's springy enough to be quite limiting on milling cuts to steel. I very rarely use the swivel in the vertical plane, but quite often in the horizontal. And that will bring in a further issue of crossslide space and travel - I think it might be difficult or impossible to actually make use of the supposed versatility of such a vice, and still be able to get the tool to reach the job without colliding with some other part of the machine.

No myford and don’t use a milling attachment on a lathe, but firstly I don’t use the swivelling base on my machines. Secondly, I agree with Mick - holding items close to the slide can be challenging enough, without introducing extra distance between slide and workpiece.

It may be satisfactory for some materials, but....

I am willing to bet good money that that vice fractured solely because of the local point loading of the way it was clamped down. I cannot imagine any reason whatsoever why I would ever want to clamp a vice in that fashion!

Very occasionally, I use a three way vice like the one above, for milling. But only when there is no alternative. The jaws are so far above the base as to "wave around in the breeze" unless you are gentle.

They have their uses, but at the expense of rigidity.

With regard to Jason's broken vice, the fracture was probably caused by excessive clamping force against the fixed jaw, rather than how it was clamped to the machine. Tightening the moving jaw against the workpiece, and the fixed jaw, imposed a tensile load on the base, greater than the material could withstand.. Cast iron is not elastic, like steel, being strong in compression, but not in tension.

Howard

I thought that too, but what amazes me is that any tommy bar that could fit through the 'ole in the 'andle could be strong enough to deliver it!

Edited By Mick B1 on 16/07/2019 17:38:51

A screw thread can deliver enormous loads. The mechanical advantage is a very high number. Think how little real effort is needed to jack up a car.

You can crack cast iron quire easily with a 1/4 BSF thread., using just an ordinary spanner, without recourse to tubular extensions. It wasn't the Tee slot that cracked, it was the Cross Slide.

Take my word for it! I wanted a long Cross Slide anyway

Howard

Edited By Howard Lewis on 17/07/2019 18:25:51

If any of you were to buy a machine vice for the Myford milling slide from ArcEuro (I have a 10% discount code), which one and what size would you buy?

Many thanks,

Mike

(deleted)

Edited By Mick B1 on 22/09/2019 18:06:43