Milling a slot in a milling vice

[Men IfrParticipant @menifr84251]

So ive bought the 80mm milling vice from arc euro but how do I go about milling a slot across the bottom so it will locate in the bed to keep the jaws parallel when remounting? What would be the method of mounting and lining it up and on top of that can I mill the material I assume its cast?

Edited By Men Ifr on 21/11/2016 20:22:15

Edited By Men Ifr on 21/11/2016 20:22:41

[Men IfrParticipant @menifr84251]

How to?

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I used clamps to mount a longish substantial square bar on the mill table and used a dti to ensure that the bar was parallel with the X axis. I then put the upside down vice over the bar and tightened the jaws so that the base was uppermost. You don't need a deep slot for the key, just enough to locate it, say 3mm max. The key itself should be a good fit in the table T slot and be deep enough to go past any chamfer on the T slot edge. I've put a another slot at 90 degrees on mine so that I can also mount it with the jaws at right angles to the X axis.

HTH,

Rod

[Men IfrParticipant @menifr84251]

Rod thats clever thinking Ill copy your method. Do you know if the base will mill ok again adsuming its cast?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

If the vice is the same as mine, I think you may find that both the base and main part have slots pre-milled and it's supplied with two screw on tenons.

I had to mill the tenons to fit my t-slots, but although hard they easily succumbed to a carbide endmill, I think HSS would do the job.

Neil

[VicParticipant @vic]

I checked to see if the two machined mounting holes in the base of my vice were perfectly aligned with the fixed jaw and they were. I then simply turned two stepped collars that fit the slots in my mill and the holes in the vice. The collars are simply a press fit in the vice through which the mounting bolts pass. No need to damage the vice at all!

[Men IfrParticipant @menifr84251]

My vice has slots milled in it but only so i can mount it along the bed. I would have thought it would be much more useful to mount it so the jaws are parallel to the bed…

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

+1 for Rod's method. I've got a K8 style vice I think and it milled just fine. You can mill two slots at right angles using the X and y feeds so as to mount the vice either way. I have a substantial ground cast parallel with bolt holes through it so I used that and aligned it using my M&W combination square that's brought out for special occasions. Dead easy to set up and I don't know why I didn't do it years ago.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

It's quite a good idea to have two identical vices that you can mount with the jaws parallel so a long piece can be gripped between the two, and a key on each so they line up together.

Ian S C

[Mike E.Participant @mikee-85511]

Might be a good idea to tram the length of the slot in your milling table "first" to insure its running true.

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

At my first job,the two larger mills had a pair of identical vices and a larger one,all of them had tenon slots in both directions and the tenons in the pair were identically located to allow a pair of vices to be set up for long work very quickly.We were told that the preferred T slot in the mill table was the centre one and this was the most accurate slot.On the universal mills with pivoting table the centre T slot has to be very accurately centred over the pivot point to ensure that the axis of universal dividing head was also directly in line with the pivot.This was for setting up for spiral milling,the gear blank can be centred over the cutter in the conventional way with table parallel,then when the table is swung to the required angle and the cutter is still over the centre of the gear.

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

I have "tight" pins under my milling vice as described above, BUT I always check the jaws are parallel to the axis and any deviation over the length of the jaws before using it, just in case

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Men Ifr on 22/11/2016 18:54:54:
My vice has slots milled in it but only so i can mount it along the bed. I would have thought it would be much more useful to mount it so the jaws are parallel to the bed…

Trouble is the mounting lugs are where you need to put the pegs to mount the top across the bed.

Does it not have a slot on the rotary base?

Neil

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