Opinions wanted on vise construction

[edan]

Hello,
In the past, I have needed a larger vise for my Sherline mill and with a new project coming up I thought this would be the time to start.

First, the parts that I will be working on are 5.00 x 3.125 x .625. The operations will be to mill the length (5.00), and a T-slot toward one side. The rest will be drilling and tapping and 2 bored holes.

My primary concern is the length (3.95) of the jaws. Does anyone foresee any problems with this length? My alternative is to use two regular Sherline vices or fabricate some sort of jack to support the ends.

Materials:
Solid jaw = steel
Movable jaw = steel
Vise body = aluminum
Clamping SHCS = ¼-20 or ¼-28
Clamp piviot nut = drill rod

Again, I have never seen a vice of this type as wide as this and I would appreciate any opinions/suggestions anyone may have.
Thank you.



View attachment VISE.pdf

 

[steamer]

Hi Edan,

That design is is very common one. As for material, I would use steel everywhere, but I know Sherline uses aluminum, so for light work, it should be fine I suppose. This style vise is very commonly sold as an import and is made from hardened steel and ground....for very cheap money.....

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=3767&category=

However, if the goal is to make a vise for your self to exactly what you want...have at it! ;D

Steel would be my first choice though.

Dave

 

[Mainer]

It would be great to use 4142 pre-hardened ground stock. The thing is, you could probably buy one of the LMS vises for less than what the pieces of 4142 stock would cost you, since you would need to buy 18" lengths of various dimensions.

As far as the width...I don't know. I think you will need to be careful to center work in the vise and to not try to clamp work out at the end of the jaws on only one side. You will have quite a lever arm there that will be trying to twist the jaw if it's loaded at only one end. If you do want to clamp something at the edge of the jaws, put a filler piece of the same thickness at the other end of the jaws (good to do with any vise, for that matter).

 

[kuhncw]

I don't know exactly what your part looks like, but can you add a few holes (possibly countersunk) to your part that would let you attach the part to a sacrificial plate on your mill table. This mounting, if your design permits, eliminates the vise and makes a solid mount for the part.

Regards,

Chuck

 

[edan]

Thank you to those who replied to my question.

I would like to make the base out of steel but this would take a lot of time to “whittle” it down on my Sherline. The base will be 7075 aluminum (free) and the little bit I have worked with this material I have been impressed with its strength.

I think I will go ahead and make the vise, as this will be useful for other large projects as well. Again, I have not seen a vise this wide and I thought I had better check with some “real machinist” before I got too serious.

Thanks again.

 

[deverett]

Edan

If you haven't started making your vice, you might consider low profile clamps - MiteeBite is a trade name for such, but they are easy to make and will allow you to hold any material that will fit on your mill table.

Also, Harold Hall described 5 different types in Model Engineers Workshop magazine (last year?).

Dave
The Emerald Isle