Need help to buy a Mill Vice

[tmuir]

Hi,

My budget has finally recovered so now I can buy all the tooling needed for my mill.
The mill I've got is basically an X2 just sold under a different name.

I remember a post on here about buying vices for Mills but can't find it now.

Before I part with my hard earned cash I want to check I'm not wasting my money.

I'm thinking of getting this toolmakers vice.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/50MM-2-ToolMaker-Vice-Harden-Milling-Grinding-AU_W0QQitemZ110291104822QQihZ001QQcategoryZ161355QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Need to be careful with my money but is this a good vice for someone just starting to learn to mill or would I be better with something else?

Thanks
Tony

 

[ksouers]

Yep, that looks like a good one. Very similar to the one I use.

$25 AUD is not a bad price at all! I think I paid about $40 USD (about $50 AUD?) for mine.

Just avoid the ones for drill presses. They don't hold the work tightly enough for mill work.


Mine sitting on an X2:
Holes along the sides and slots in the ends for clamping. The mouth is 2 inches wide, 1 inch high and opens about 3 inches.

 

[tmuir]

Thanks for that.

I've already got a drill press vice and its fine for my drill press but can see it would be no good on the mill.

 

[Mcgyver]

Hi Tony, you see a lot of that type of vise on these smaller mills, and in privacy of one's home between a consenting adult and his/her mill you can do anything you want, but, be aware they really intended as grinding vises not milling vises. The don't have the clamping power of a milling vise (small screw, not an acme screw) and are a pita to adjust in comparison. Holding power might be perceived as less important with a small mill (arguing either side of that statement is not a slam dunk imo) but having used both styles for a quite awhile, I'd prefer not to put up with the awkward adjustment mechanism - on the surface grinder where cutting forces are light and high precision is the order of the day, a light vise like those are just the thing.

 

[ksouers]

That's interesting, Mcgyver. I've never seen them described as a grinding vise, though I have seen them recommended for the mill which is why I bought mine. The smallish size also helped make that decision. I'm not disputing what you said, just remarking on it.

I agree it can sometimes be awkward to tighten up on something, making sure you are locked into the proper step. But overall I've gotten good service. I've only had one or two instances where it failed to hold the work and I can easily put that blame on me rather than the vise.

Thanks.

 

[Cedge]

Tony
I have one and have used it plenty. The locking action is such that it eliminates part lift that some vises experience. It's fine for small work and holds things nice and tight. You'll want a couple of things to make the best use of it. One is a set of parallel bars... something you'll find indispensable due to the way the vise lock works. You'll use them for spacing parts or elevating them for easy tool access. The other is some sort of low profile clamps that will let you mount the vise perpendicular to the mill table.

I still use mine on the X2 mill and it's a keeper.

Steve

 

[tmuir]

Thanks Steve.
I'm debating on whether I make myself a set of paralells or buy them and plan on making some clamps a T nuts as milling exercse. Something fairly easy to give me some practise before I try anything harder.

 

[steamer]

I used a similar vice on my mill for quite some time before I sprang for something bigger

A tip if you use that vice. Put a piece of writting paper down on the table under the vice before you clamp it down.
Those vices are usually harder than woodpecker lips and ground to a nice finish. As a result they will squirm around on a deep cut if clamped down to a bare table. Putting paper down first really does help keep them in place.

Additionally, I might spring for the 3 inch vice instead of the 2. If your unsure as to how it will fit and clear handwheels and such, get the footprint dimensions and make a cardboard cutout to try out on the machine first.

Making parallels is not a problem. A good exercise.

Dave




Dave