Lifting milling vice off mill table

I am getting fed up struggling to lift off my vice from the mill table and wondered if others have the same problem and if anyone has a solution. The problem arises after I have been using neat cutting oil and there is a film of oil under the vice which binds the vice to the table. The vice base has quite a large surface area and is fitted with an alignment tenon which means it can only slide sideways when trying to lift it. Is there any way of breaking the oil "glue" before lifting?

Doug

Hi Douglas,

I usually mill dry so not much of a problem for me. May be a Mill Vice Grip would help you?

Thor

I don't use cutting oil or tenons on the vice, ergo no problem.

Andrew

Simple answer is to put a large screwdriver into the tee slot and lever the vice upwards to break the oil film. I always oil the bottom of the vice before mounting on the mill to stop any coolant etc rusting the table and only use tenons on smaller vices that I can lift off easily, the larger vices are slid to the edge of the table before being lifted.

If I understand the question properly put a length of bar in the vice sticking out to the side, and a piece of wood on the table and use a piece of wood as a lever to crack the seal. If its that much of an issue shim stock under key mount positions will decrease the "suction" area allowing the air in .

Alan

This is also a neat idea Thor, and would work well with a dry table and vice but not too sure that it would improve matters with the oil problem.

Doug

Just a long piece of wood clamped in the vice , with another piece of wood on the table opposite the end sticking out. It then lifts the vice off of the table easily. Then slide a piece of thin board under neath to cover the bed slots. You can easily do the reverse to remove it. Putting some wax paper under the vice can also help with this issue sometimes. I would avoid using printer paper, as if you use coolants, sometimes the printer paper can cause rusting.

I'm ashamed to say that I often use a crane. The 6" vice isn't too bad, but the 6" vice and its swiveling base is a bit more, the rotary table with its over sized chuck is definitely dangerous and the tilting table is an accident waiting to happen.

I've cut the pieces up and am waiting for an opportunity to weld together a number of arms to mount on the side of the mill to hold the vices, table etc. Then I'll be able to put them on and off the table by raising and lowering the knee.

Neil's method seems least complicated, eminently common-sense and easiest to implement from my (armchair) perspective.

With their tendency to have bigger machines the Americans seem to more often be discussing moving big devices off their mill tables. have a look round the HSM forum. (hope nobody objects to mention of another forum - my view is everyone should be monitoring both these forums)

Re the waxed paper tip:

One source might be the greaseproof (paper? plastic?) bags used inside the larger sizes of cereal packets. Cut the bag so the part used contains no fold or seam.

Silicon baking "parchment" might be another but I can't speak for its ability to avoid or encourage rusting. (NB: you might need permission before raiding the kitchen cupboard...)

I don't use flood cooling on my milling-machine but if I intend leaving a vice bolted down for a long time I generally spread a thin film of grease over its underside first.

Why ashamed? Making due allowance for one's health and physique is intelligence in action.

Model Engineering isn't a weight-lifting competition. I'm not going to risk my delicate back  just to persuade the forum I'm a he-man.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 02/07/2022 13:57:17

Is there a convenient place on your vice that you could install a soft faced jacking screw to break the base to table seal.

Mike

Drill some small intersecting holes so you can apply compressed air to the centre of the adhering areas?

A good idea but I don't have a supply of compressed air.

Doug

I did think of that but there is no convenient place to provide a screw. Mind you I could clamp a bar of steel in the vice jaws with part of the bar overhanging the vice and put a screw in the overhanging part.

Doug

I suppose if the only problem is the 'suction' of the oil later, then a lever with a pin through it would do. The lever would reach under the edge of the vice through a T slot, with a pin through it to provide leverage against the table. This could break the vice away from the table an allow it to be picked up.

Alternatively, use a T bolt or similar held in the vice and <something in the spindle>. Either lower the table or raise the head, as appropriate to the mill. Then a bit of wood can be slid under the vice and it can be released from the spindle and hauled out of the way.

Bicycle pump?