Hi There Alvin,

 

Where are you based? Here in the UK the consumer is protected by the Sale of Goods act (1979) as amended, which says that goods must be ‘fit for purpose’ (among other things) and if not, can be returned for replacement or refund. I would argue that this vice is not ‘fit for purpose’  as it cannot be used for it’s intended purpose without being modified (shimmed etc).  The retailer is responsible as the consumers contract is with them, not the manufacturer, and it is they who should replace the item for an accurate one.  The act also applies to second hand goods when purchased from a retailer but not private sales.

 

I have several times sent Chinese tools back to retailers when they have faults, quoting the act and the items have been replaced no problem.  (especially Arc Euro) .

 

Most UK residents do not know the degree of protection that the act gives to the consumer both in products and services and are too willing to accept incorrect ‘get outs’ from retailers.

Just another thought, both jaws are usually bolted to the main body, it may just be a case of loosening the bolts and tapping the high end down or put a small shim under the low end and tighten it back up. Could have just got a knock in transit or put together poorly.

 

Jason

Hi Alvin,

I am sure all of the above replies are helpful, some more than others, but if you are  just worried about the top of the jaws, not the rest of the thing, simply mill the top surface (the jaws are not as hard as you might think, the Chinese “hardened” does not seem to mean  the same as in English ). The jaws on my Vertex can easily be milled true with a carbide end mill. If you go down this route do make sure that they are in a repeatable position before milling. By “repeatable” I mean sitting squarely, without muck or swarf interfering with the things. It might also be an idea to clamp a piece of round bar, say 1/4″, horizontally in the vice. about half way down, before doing the milling. This will load the jaws to take up any play in the slidey bits.

 

As you will have to take the jaws off to clean things, it might be an idea to mark the rear of the jaws so that they can be always replaced in the correct orientation, i.e top and bottom./ fixed and moving. When you put them back you might even find that the jaws are in an acceptable position.

 

The milling operation can only be done a few times before you run out of jaw, so make sure you get it right first time. 

chriStephens 

Hi Alvin

 

I have to agree with Jason when he talks about the top of the vice.  You
have to measure the bottom and the back jaw.  I do not recommend it be done on
the table of the mill.

If you do not have a surface plate, go to a glazier’s and get a 450mm
square peice of 10mm plate glass.  Mount your DI or DTI in a mag base, place the
vice on that and run the DI across it the vice base from front to back and side
to side.  Then run it up and down the back jaw.  If you find that the vice is
out in this manner then allowing for very minor discrepancies in the glass, the
problem is in the vice.  If it all comes up flat and perpendicular then the
problem is in the machine table.  One thing to be very aware of when you are
performing this type of work is oil and grit.  Because you are making descisions
that affect the way you use asimportant a tool as the vice, it is imperative
that the base mounting surface of the vice and any surfaces you intend to
measure be absolutely free of grit and oil.  You must polish the foot of the
vice with a clean cloth and then rub your hand across it before putting it
down.  You have to do the same with the base of the mag stand and the glass. 
Anything on there will make a difference to the measurements
you receive.

I have a Taiwanese mill/drill.  A fortnight ago I found to my great dismay
that I had a dip in the table.  I put a straight edge across the table and at
the deepest the dip measured just over 0.03mm

I removed the X axis leadscrew, made an arbour to fit an ER collet, put a
cup wheel in, let the mill run for three quarters of an hour to warm it up and
then ground the top flat.

Once I put the vice back on, I checked the back jaw with a DTI and it read
zero from top to bottom.  Then I checked for bottom of the vice with a DI and it
too was zero from back to front.