Using thin parallels

[SBWHART]

When you need to work close up to the jaws of your vice the parallels can get in the way, so you use thin parallels but these can be a pain to keep in place, so simply slip a coil spring between the parallels to keep then up against the jaws:- like this

Cheers

Stew

 

[ttrikalin]

Nice pointers

both of you!

tom

 

[BAH101]

A styrofoam peanut work great too.

 

[Tin Falcon]

As far as thin parallels I scrounge steel packing strap and cut to 4' long pieces works for me.
Tin

 

[LADmachining]

Excellent tip Stew - thanks!

This one will definitely come in handy.....

Anthony

 

[ttrikalin]

There's a guy on here that uses some strange orange foam to hold his parallels apart. I'm not mentioning any names, but his initials are Z.P... ;D

Hmmm.... who could that be... who could that be...

 

[zeeprogrammer]

Works well enough but I don't recommend it for at least 3 reasons...

1 Swarf gets into it (not necessarily a bad thing)
2 Soaks up oil (not necessarily a bad thing)
3 Upsets the kids (a pretty bad thing)

 

[ttrikalin]

:big: :big: :big: :big: :big:

Tell me, is this for real or are you pulling our leg?????


tom

 

[mklotz]

If you're a real professional, you use one of these...

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=12576867&PMT4NO=74883644

OTOH, if you don't have $85 lying around, put a drop of cutting oil on the parallel and stick it to the vise jaw. Capillarity is your friend and your parallels will never rust.

Steel banding tape works (as does those stainless stiffeners from worn-out windshield wiper blades) but Zee's urethane foam works the best for me because it doesn't "sproing" out of the jaws at inopportune times.

 

[doc1955]

Very good tip Stew.
I use this tip on not only thin but all parallels to keep them in place.
Works like a charm only thing if you are drilling on milling a through slot be carful not to hit your spring. :

 

[Metal Butcher]

I have used packing peanuts and springs. These all work well.

Another good way is double sided tape. I use it if I'm doing an identical operation on numerous pieces that require repetitive opening and closing of the vises jaws..

Cutter clearance problems, swarf creep, springs that pop out, compression loss in packing material, All these little issues that can pop up are eliminated.

-MB

 

[ChooChooMike]

A styrofoam peanut work great too.

Dang, why didn't I think of that !! I've got plenty of those peanuts laying around

Thanks for the tip

 

[rcplanebuilder]

[Razzing]

OK, I hope you guys are up for a little razzing today....! :big:

Every hobby/career/venue has a few things quirks that drive a guy crazy. lol.

Being into model airplanes, I find people will spend 30 hours, and 4 times as much money, making something, or will use something totally inferior and lame, even when there is a product that is reasonably priced, and performs flawlessly. And it drives you crazy watching it...lol. :big: That whole, lead a horse to water dealio...lol.

For example: R/C model airplane quirk.... A guys spends 1000 hours and $2000 dollars building a museum scale airplane. And he won't buy the $600 dollar engine that runs good, and he modifies a weed whacker engine that he got for $2 at a yard sale, with inevitable results...lol Come ooooon man! ...OR, they will buy the most expensive engine, and put the cheapest fuel and glow plugs they can find into it....

I'm a builder, and I'm guilty too, but there are some things that just don't size up to the real deal...

This one has driven me nuts for 20 years! I've seen hand made wavey holders, zig-zag holders, V-holders, and sets of holders that take up 3 drawers in the tool box! I've now seen packing peanuts, old foam, and springs bound to shoot you in the face when least expecting it.... lmao.... :big:

I don't know how many people I've shown these to over the years, and EVERYBODY things they are SOOOOO COOOL!... But, NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY EVER buys them, because their packing peanuts, and cardboard, and clay, and bubble gum works just fine!

I've never even seen ANYBODY who owns them besides ME!



I can zip from 1/4 inch to 7 1/2 inches and never touch the parallels! I can open and close the vice, swap parts, and run 6000 tapped holes, and never touch the parallels. I can clamp a part on the one inch sides, and rotate it to the 6 inch sides and never, ever, touch the parallels.

Granted, once Kurt bought the patent, the price doubled, but they are worth every penny! I mean, if you can spend thousands on a mill, and many hundreds on a Kurt vice, you really SHOULD buy the one thing that makes life this much easier! Even if you bought a vice at a yard sale... Come OOOON, at least make it easy to use, at ANY opening width!!! lol.

But, by all means, don't stop, because I get some realllly good belly laughs out of this topic. I have for years, and will for years, of that I have no doubt! :big: :big: :big:

Please, continue! This is some funny shizznik! lol

Stubborn! ;D

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=12576867&PMT4NO=74976517

[/razzing]

Cheers!

 

[Metal Butcher]

rcplanebuilder.

[razzing back]

All the previos posters presented their idea of a viable solution.

Why use your creativity and imagination to solve a simple set up issue?

Spend (waste) your time browsing catalogs and ordering ridiculously over priced gizzmo's!

Let me know if you run out of ways to spend (waste) your money.

I gladly except donations.

Heck, I might even buy, and use that gizzmo if YOU pay for it! :big:

-MB

 

[BobWarfield]

$85?

Oh come on. Someone make a similar gadget in their shop. You know you want to!

Cheers,

BW

 

[ksouers]

I've found that a small dab of grease or drop of oil works just fine.

And it sure doesn't cost $85 USD!!

 

[shred]

$85?

Oh come on. Someone make a similar gadget in their shop. You know you want to!

Cheers,

BW

I've considered it.. I've got lots of old 1911 recoil springs around, but I don't yet need one often enough to go to the trouble of making one.

 

[mklotz]

As Kevin (and I) pointed out earlier, all you need is a drop of oil and let capillarity do the job for you - plus, your vise and parallels will never rust.

If there's such a category as Yuppie-required machinery, the Kurt parallel holder falls squarely in the middle, right between the combination welder-espresso machine and the designer denim aprons.

 

[black85vette]

Don't know what all the fuss is about. I have always managed to keep my parallels in place cheaply.

 

[BobWarfield]

I've considered it.. I've got lots of old 1911 recoil springs around, but I don't yet need one often enough to go to the trouble of making one.

There you go. 1911 recoil springs would be perfect for it!

Cheers,

BW