Handy Vise for under $50.00

Syaminab

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To make a handy vise, Select a 3"X1.5" Aluminum extruded Profile, buy Angle cut to same width, your preferred height, Drill holes for the T slot nuts, Maybe machine some V Shaped Jaws and add them with knurled screws to hold the Job tight. This Vises are non precisiòn, but they happen to adapt in some extent to non uniform shapes, I find mine of great help for the Drill, to use the lathe as a mill, and even for very long parts in the Vertical Machinning Centers, as the extruded profile can be very long. When you also fly cut surface the profile, the precision is better. Hope you like it. You may watch the Video at http://youtu.be/ggqI8YIepZI
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Regards from Mexico.

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Thanks Syminab, that's a great idea. That's given me some new ideas on holding long parts in the mill. Thanks for the video!
Phil
 
Another handy vise for holding odd shaped parts to do hand work, not for machining.. but very hand for holding is a 2 screw wood JoHanson wood clamp. You can C-Clamp or leg screw in to a table.
 
I've actually been thinking of doing something similar; perhaps alum angle iron and carbide router bits to form the slots (I have the carbide bits and router table). Usage would be for a lathe mill attacfhment.

Enco and KSC sell rotary or tilt tables using t slots; but never seen these used as mill attachments for lathe

My main concern would be the weakness of the alum structure and how to find alum angle. If you didn't use angle, you could just machine a plate atop the crosslide (in my case 9A southbend lathe). The alum would obviously be used as a sort of vise. But most vises have hardened jaws, so I'm thinking you could add some hardened steel to the alum for the vise clamps themselves.

T bolts and set screws seem to be the way to hold work pieces with these.

Dave

btw, where did you purchase your parts? You mentioned it could be done for about $50 in the video
 
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I have one (might not be HF, but similar.) I haven't found it rigid enough for milling.
 
I saw that harbor freight mill/drill vise. Would need a lot of work to make rigid enough. Then you would want to rework the screws. I bought a similar one many years ago for my drill press and a friend took pity on me and gave me a real machinist cross slid table. I pulled the vise portion off the cheap one and mounted it to the one my friend gave me.
 
I've actually been thinking of doing something similar; perhaps alum angle iron and carbide router bits to form the slots (I have the carbide bits and router table). Usage would be for a lathe mill attacfhment.

Enco and KSC sell rotary or tilt tables using t slots; but never seen these used as mill attachments for lathe

My main concern would be the weakness of the alum structure and how to find alum angle. If you didn't use angle, you could just machine a plate atop the crosslide (in my case 9A southbend lathe). The alum would obviously be used as a sort of vise. But most vises have hardened jaws, so I'm thinking you could add some hardened steel to the alum for the vise clamps themselves.

T bolts and set screws seem to be the way to hold work pieces with these.

Dave

btw, where did you purchase your parts? You mentioned it could be done for about $50 in the video
Dave, industrial automation brands like festo, parker, bosch make these structural profiles. Please follow these link to only some help. You will love it, it is like playing with meccano with all these products.
http://www.parker.com/portal/site/P...atid=3155053&vgnextcat=IPS/ALUMINUM EXTRUSION
 
I have one (might not be HF, but similar.) I haven't found it rigid enough for milling.
Mike, perhaps you might want to research a little on HSC machinning concepts to reduce torque loads on your machinning process, increase precision and reduce distortion on parts. Then you will find workholding a lot easier and simple.
regards.
 
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