Seating workpiece in vise

[jwsvandr]

I just got my mill-drill a couple of months ago and have been making a lot of swarf. A project or two has painfully emerged so I am very pleased with myself.

On a couple of occasions when seating the workpiece in the vice, tapping it smartly with a dead-blow hammer it hasnt seated against the parallels properly. I think it is because the piece is somewhat tapered with the large section to the top and is jambing against the jaws. Am I right and is using a piece of rod between the movable jaw and the piece the correct solution??

 

[artrans]

There is a article about that in home shop machist and it was about squareing a piece of metal and that was the way they said to do. It place round stock on the moverable jaw side and it hold the piece straight seems odd but they say it works. ever wonder who they are

 

[Tin Falcon]

A round rod should work fine I tend to use a piee of hex stock on the shape so the work piece is not pushed up.
Tin

 

[Davyboy]

As an apprentice, I was told that "You can't square up a piece in a vise". Well, yes I can. Make sure the fixed vise jaw is true (vertically) with the spindle. Yes the round pin technique works, be careful not to squeeze a mark into the finished work. I've also used a thick piece of paper, or single layer of card stock at the moveable jaw to allow for the out of square condition of work or moveable jaw. Don't over tighten the vise, that tends to lift the jaw and the work.

Also, I've found that how "smartly" I tap the workpiece is sometimes the problem. If I try to hit too hard, the work just bounces back up, away from the parallels, soft taps mostly will work better.

DB

 

[artrans]

would hitting with a sledge hammer over head be consided hitting it ;Dsmartly

 

[Davyboy]

Ouch, That "smarts"! :big:

 

[jwsvandr]

would hitting with a sledge hammer over head be consided hitting it ;Dsmartly

Not sure but probably so... I have a multi hue fingernail because of "smartly" seated a piece in the vice. The hammer bounced off of something and nailed me a good one. After a considerable period of jumping around, kicking things and general mayhem, the cat looked rather pleased with the additions to his swear word vocabulary.

 

[Stilldrillin]

As an apprentice, I was told that "You can't square up a piece in a vise". Well, yes I can. Make sure the fixed vise jaw is true (vertically) with the spindle. Yes the round pin technique works, be careful not to squeeze a mark into the finished work. I've also used a thick piece of paper, or single layer of card stock at the moveable jaw to allow for the out of square condition of work or moveable jaw. Don't over tighten the vise, that tends to lift the jaw and the work.

Also, I've found that how "smartly" I tap the workpiece is sometimes the problem. If I try to hit too hard, the work just bounces back up, away from the parallels, soft taps mostly will work better.

DB

What he said.......

I always used to temporarily remove the hard jaws of a new vice, then flick the jaw castings with an endmill, before re assembling. Just to ensure the faces were vertical, in line with the machine spindle.

Always use a copper hammer, or lead tup.

 

[Paula]

Also, I've found that how "smartly" I tap the workpiece is sometimes the problem. If I try to hit too hard, the work just bounces back up, away from the parallels, soft taps mostly will work better.

I have one of those "dead blow" hammers that seems to work well in this regard. The head contains some kind of loosly-packed lead shot(?) which has the effect of canceling out (or at least attenuating) the rebound from the initial impact.

Paula

 

[joeby]

I use round stock between the movable jaw and work when squaring up. I stick with smaller stuff, 1/4" diameter maybe, and long enough to be able to hold onto the end while you tighten the vise. I've seen bearing balls used too; but you would be risking putting a dent in your vise jaws.

I have several sizes of dead blow hammers, all Lixie with black faces (green is too soft, haven't tried red), and a rawhide that I use all the time. I've used lead and copper too. They all work ok, I like deadblows the best though. No need to kill your part when seating it, as was already mentioned, it can bounce your part back up.

If you're using two parallels under your part, you can try moving the ends after seating your part. If one is free, either your vise or part isn't square. Pretty obvious; but a quick and dirty check anyway.

Kevin

 

[dwentz]

I have some lead sheet that I cut from old lead pipe. I have 1/4 1/2 and 1 inch strips that I use. It works well on the movable jaw, and will not leave marks.