Easy Machine vice location

First of all apologies if this has already been posted, but for years i have spent many fruitless hours gettig it to be true to the x axis.

I saw this somewhere, and it is soooooo easy once made. First of all get a piece of MS bar that will fit tightly in the bed slot and stand proud about 0.25in above the bed.

Then get the vice and turn it upside down and clamp the jaws onto the bar. Make surethe the bed of the vice is level in both planes.

Then milla slot equal to the width of the bar in the slot and as deep as the bar protrudes above the bed, again make sure by testing with a spare length of bar that it is a tight fit.

When the vice is turned correct way up you will find that the jaws a parallel to the x axis and can be removed and replaced with spending hours setting it up.

Hope this makes sense!

No, does not. I thought you DON'T want spending hours for setting it up?

Rgds, Frank

Ron

I think that your last paragraph should have read 'without spending hours etc.' . and not "replaced with spending hours setting it up." As Frank noted.

Martin

PS Is that workshop fit for inspection yet??

Ron: if you have the vice mounted on its rotary base then it is very easy to set up:

Clamp both base and vice down, put your indicator in the centre of the vice jaws, take note of the measurement and move the mill bed out so the indicator is on the outer part of the vice jaw. unclamp the vice and rotate until the indicator reads the same as in the centre of the jaws. Move the bed so that the indicator moves to the other side of the vice jaws and you should find zero run out.

Bars mounted under a vice is only as good as the original fit of the bar into the bed/vice: don't trust the fit always  always check by measuring. On my indexing head there was a 4 thou offset: it did not matter if using the head on its own but when used with the tailstock it caused a taper.

Jo

Edited By Jo on 07/04/2014 08:49:55

Best modification I have done. Saves hours of set-up time for non precision milling.

The fit between the key on my vice and the table slots is an easy slide fit, so always push against the side of a slot to locate key before tightening bolts.

I still check alignment with an indicator for precision work.

Paul.

The company where I first worked had all the machine vices fitted with keys held by csk screws,one keyway run parallel to the slot the other keyway was at 90 degrees,this allowed the vice jaws to located either parallel to the table slots or right angle to the slot,the keys had to be unscrewed and fitted in the other keyway , if keys were looked after, location was within about one thou.Saved a lot of time.

I have a dividing head with x & y slots milled from new. Not uncommon. So if you are doing it make both slots. Problem is you will keep having to switch slots.

An alternative method is to machine at least 2 sides of the base true to the jaws. Then fit a plate in the rear slot to butt the side up against, using parallels if necessary. For larger vices that overlap all slots use some thought and make reference points that are accessible eg on the bolt 'ears'.
That reference plate is often useful and can be held in place either with typesetters quoins or custom made with 2 tapped holes that have bolts of length just under slot width that are unscrewed to push the plate against the other edge. (from Mike Chrisp ex editor of ME).

Edited By Bazyle on 07/04/2014 13:49:53

Exactly what I do - takes maybe 20 seconds to do, and you know that it really is square.

JohnS.

I've had keys on my milling vice and dividing head for the last 30 years. I believe one can call them feather keys since they are fixed in one part but are able to slide in the other. Mine are at 90 degrees but I almost always use them in the one orientation.

The dividing head can fit on the cross slide of my Myford lathe or on my mill table. Whilst I've kept the seats in the dividing head the same size on both faces, you can just see in the picture that the keys for the mill have been reduced in width to fit its narrower T slots.

Thanks to Ron for publicising this feature, I've found it to be a great time saver

Rod

Gents,

Yes there was a typo and well spotted.I have had the vice on and off the bed and milled a piece about 8in long. there isn t enough difference to worry about 2 thou end to end if you are lucky, and the first geek to notice it when its on the engine, will get something rather hot put somewhere!! Vindictive...... Me?, so i am happy and it takes me longer to pick the vice up and place it than it does to bolt it down!!

Martin.

Nearly there

Good talk Friday eh?

and if you want to see just how bl**y massive Rolls Royce front suspensions are, pop round Sun Am as i am changing the rubber on the bottom ball joint, The disc is the size of an LP. Replacement ball joint £150.00, replacement rubber £19.00. bit of a no brainer However a pair of 6 ton axle stands and a weapons grade ball joint splitter is eating into the theorectical savings!!!

Ron

Edited By Ron Vale on 08/04/2014 21:55:19

I locate the milling vice on my Dore Westbury using a piece of 1x3/8 steel tapped M10. I set the vice dead square and tighten its clamp bolts. Then offer the 1x3/8 bar to the edge of the table and push it hard against the table while tightening the M10 bolt. I then just make sure I have the bar against the table whenever I refit the vice. No backlash and no modification to the mill or vice.

Edited By Otley on 09/04/2014 10:10:06