A vise for my new Sherline Mill

mckay3d

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I acquired a Sherline lathe a few months ago and after wanting one for a few years, I was surprised how accurate it could be. I was able to make some small brass bushings of about .315" and hold tolerances to less than .0005"! (I made over a hundred of these and almost paid for the lathe and tooling!) So, satisfied that Sherline tools were capable of pretty good work I decided to get a mill. It came the other day and after I made a wooden base to mount it on I realized I would need a vise! I hadn't ordered the Sherline vise but had a small one made by Hermann Schmidt in Connecticut. This vise is smaller than the Sherline but made very well so I made a "T" rail to hold it on the Sherline table. I put a length of 1/2" by about 1" aluminum in the vise and milled two sides and i am very happy with the results. The 1/2" 2 flute milling cutter gave a nice finish and the piece measured the same at both ends! Now I have to figure out how to mount the larger Criterion vise that I have had for years.
Attached are some pictures of the little 1 1/2" vise.

vise2.jpg vise1.jpg vise3.jpg
 
That vice is absolutely cool!! I love it! Sherline Mill was my first metalworking machine after my drill press. That was 9 years ago- I still have it!

I have upgraded it a few ways, including the taller Z axis column, and wider fixture table.


Bernie
 
Beautiful little vise! Hermann Schmidt products look like jewelry, don't they? I've seen Criterion vises in pictures that look like a drill press vise but have no idea how accurate they are. I would be interested in your opinion on it.

Congrats on the new mill! It isn't big but it is a capable little machine.
 
Is the vice steel or aluminum? Thank you

It is steel. Here is a blurb from the Hermann Schmidt website: Jaw Opening: 0- 1 1/2”. Made of tool steel hardened and deep frozen for stability. Flat, Square, and Parallel within .0002 Hardness: 60-62 Rc

I guess it really is overkill, but since I had it, why not use it...
Maurice
 
Beautiful little vise! Hermann Schmidt products look like jewelry, don't they? I've seen Criterion vises in pictures that look like a drill press vise but have no idea how accurate they are. I would be interested in your opinion on it.

The Criterion vise was advertised to be square and parallel within .0002". I was fortunate to tour the plant in Costa Mesa over 20 years ago and they said they only made the vises when regular production was a little slow. I haven't used it a lot but I really like it a lot. I guess I have a vise vice! (Sorry...) I gave one to my brother (who is a real machinist) years ago and he uses it regularly and appreciates the precision.
I scanned a page from a 1989 Criterion catalog with info on the vise here:http://www.mckay3d.com/maurice/CriterionVise.pdf I don't think Criterion offers them any more. The last time I looked at their website I couldn't find one.
Below is picture of most of my vises.

ViseVice.jpg
 
Thanks for the info. That Criterion is very nice, and the size is just about right for the little Sherline mill.

I understand vise vices. Sadly, I, too, am afflicted.
 
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