# Fantastic Drill Press Vice



## randyjaco (Feb 26, 2017)

Over the years I have injured myself several times from not properly fixing something I was drilling to the table. Ruined a few bits too. We have all done it one time or another. The standard drill press vice is a PIA to use. I even let a vise get away from me because I didn't fix it to the table. Most of the time the damage isn't serious, but it can be. I have tried dozens of vises, but none have really been satisfactory.

A couple of months ago I scored a 4 "Heinrich TS vise thrown in with the purchase of a drill press. This thing is great. It's easy to use. It is easily posititionable over the table and is very secure. Note the square bar set up. That is the secret. The fact that there is no clamping screw makes it easy. Just push the jaw into position and push down the lock. The jaws have a built in step which eliminates the worry of drilling into the vise or table. The whole assembly can be quickly slid off the table in case you need to use something else.

Yeah, they are a little pricey, but my last injury cost me a lot more. Well worth considering. I also noticed that Northern Tool has a Wilton knock off. I would imagine that there are others.

Check them out.

Randy


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## dlane (Feb 26, 2017)

May have to redo mine


Quicker than t bolts


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## f350ca (Feb 27, 2017)

A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.

But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.


Here's what the 5" looks like on my mill.




I couldn't even complete this cut without my bellows & DRO scale getting in the way. Not enough Y travel & the 5" vise is not even maxed out.




Here's what a 6" vise looks like on another PM45 (gt40's)
View attachment 253544


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## RandyM (Feb 27, 2017)

What great ideas! Now, I have another project on my list.


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## 12bolts (Feb 27, 2017)

Randy,
Does the lock just hold the push rod in position or does it actually tighten the jaws more as you press it down?

Cheers Phil


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## bl00 (Feb 27, 2017)

Somebody did a write up on making a float-lock style vise (like the one in f350ca's post) on the Texas Home Metal Shop Club.  Scroll down to page 6:
http://homemetalshopclub.org/news/11/newsletter1104.pdf


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## buffdan (Feb 27, 2017)

I have a import version and I have not been happy with the lock down.. It doesnt have the clamping force of a screw action. of course its not a Heinrich though


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## randyjaco (Feb 27, 2017)

12bolts said:


> Randy,
> Does the lock just hold the push rod in position or does it actually tighten the jaws more as you press it down?
> 
> Cheers Phil


Yes, it clamps an additional 5/32"


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## wawoodman (Feb 27, 2017)

How does that square bar/clamp arrangement work? Is it attached to the table? How?


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## randyjaco (Feb 28, 2017)

If you will look at the original pictures, you will notice a small green block with a channel cut in it. That piece is bolted to the table, but not tightly.  The channel is a slip fit for the square bar. The other end of the square bar is bolted to the vise. This setup allows the vise to rotate around the block bolt at varying radii. It's very easy to position the vise, yet it will handle considerable torque.


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## wawoodman (Mar 1, 2017)

I saw the block; I just wasn't sure how it attached to the table. I would have a problem with my Delta 17 inch. The table has a trough all around it, and no slots in the table. Just a couple of holes that somebody else drilled!


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## RandyM (Mar 1, 2017)

wawoodman said:


> I saw the block; I just wasn't sure how it attached to the table. I would have a problem with my Delta 17 inch. The table has a trough all around it, and no slots in the table. Just a couple of holes that somebody else drilled!



Time to drill a hole Mike. Or, mount a pivot block to the side of the table. Don't give up so easy.


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## randyjaco (Mar 1, 2017)

+1 on that.


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## wawoodman (Mar 1, 2017)

I guess, if the hole is outside the Arc of Shame, nobody will blame me for it!

So all I need now is the vise. eBay on scan...


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## Silverbullet (Mar 4, 2017)

Oxtool, on YouTube has drill press vise build like that. Using a large machine vise and a clamp like it. Using a phenolic base to slide yet lock up .


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## uncle harry (Mar 4, 2017)

randyjaco said:


> Over the years I have injured myself several times from not properly fixing something I was drilling to the table. Ruined a few bits too. We have all done it one time or another. The standard drill press vice is a PIA to use. I even let a vise get away from me because I didn't fix it to the table. Most of the time the damage isn't serious, but it can be. I have tried dozens of vises, but none have really been satisfactory.
> 
> A couple of months ago I scored a 4 "Heinrich TS vise thrown in with the purchase of a drill press. This thing is great. It's easy to use. It is easily posititionable over the table and is very secure. Note the square bar set up. That is the secret. The fact that there is no clamping screw makes it easy. Just push the jaw into position and push down the lock. The jaws have a built in step which eliminates the worry of drilling into the vise or table. The whole assembly can be quickly slid off the table in case you need to use something else.
> 
> ...



I've had Heinrich vises in shops I managed in corp. industry.  Last year I scored a 6" Heinrich for $ 60.  It's a bit big for my Enco drill press but still boss for the reasons you noted.


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## GarageGuy (Mar 5, 2017)

I only use my 17" Delta drill press for "light duty" drilling.  It sounds like I have the same drill table as Mike (wawoodman).  My table has a few holes that seem like they are in odd random locations.  Not the typical arc of shame.  Maybe a previous owner has drilled them to secure his Heinrich vise?




Anything that won't be safely secured by a normal drill press vise goes to either my Bridgeport or Jet-15 mill/drill.  Once secured in a 5" or 6" milling vise bolted to the mill table, the part isn't going anywhere.  I understand that not everyone has that many options, though.

GG


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## GLCarlson (Mar 5, 2017)

wawoodman said:


> I saw the block; I just wasn't sure how it attached to the table. I would have a problem with my Delta 17 inch. The table has a trough all around it, and no slots in the table. Just a couple of holes that somebody else drilled!



The alternative is a clamp on the column that can rotate while the square bar moves in and out. They've been around for dog's years too, and don't require drilling the table.


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## Terrywerm (Mar 5, 2017)

One of my former employers had a drill press vise similar to the one that f350ca has, and I really liked it. It worked great for most stuff, but once in a great while I still had to remove it or swing it out of the way and use a larger vise.


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## ACHiPo (Mar 5, 2017)

I've got an Atlas 12 3/4" bench top drill press.  What size Heinrich vise would you guys recommend?  The 3" seems pretty small, but the 4" or 6" may be too big?


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## randyjaco (Mar 5, 2017)

My 4" takes up a good bit of real estate on my 20" table. Probably too much for a 12" table. I would recommend the 3". 

Randy


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## ACHiPo (Mar 5, 2017)

randyjaco said:


> My 4" takes up a good bit of real estate on my 20" table. Probably too much for a 12" table. I would recommend the 3".
> 
> Randy


Thanks!


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## GeneV (Mar 7, 2017)

Hi, new guy here.  I use cheapy locking clamp for most of drill work, works great for my purposes, either locking down the part itself on the table or clamping a drill press vise down.  $10 well spent.


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## GeneV (Mar 7, 2017)

Correction, $9:  http://www.harborfreight.com/9-inch-drill-press-locking-clamp-36221.html


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## Trillobyte (Mar 27, 2021)

f350ca said:


> A 6" vise is overkill for a RF45 style mill. A 4" is more appropiate for that size mill & IMO 5" max. I have a 5" GMT vise on my PM45 & it's slightly too big. Not enough Y axis travel to make use of the 5" full capacity. Better to save your money rather than getting something too big & most importantly the weight. I take my vise of the table quite often, a 6" is still light enough for me to be carried by hand but I'm glad I have a 5". I also have a 4" vise as well. I prefer the 5" though.
> 
> But those GMT 6" Premium vises are pretty nice. I'd love to have one but don't need one on my current mill. But if you plan on upgrading to a full size knee mill in the future than the 6" will be perfect.
> 
> ...


What brand or any info on this clamp? I just received one with much boxier jaws but have never seen one. New to metal working.


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## f350ca (Mar 27, 2021)

No idea whats going on with that post. The photo of the drill press vice is mine but none of the text. lol
Forget the manufacturer's name, I'd never seen one before Ianded it at a yard sale, actually bought the vice and a drill press came with it. Incredibly handy, you'll like it.

Greg


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 30, 2021)

I'd like to relate (confess) the event I suffered when failing to secure a job on the drill press early in my illustrious life.

I think I was 16, possibly younger, a buddy of mine, Lee, had a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar for which he'd purchased new tuning pegs. The new ones were just a little larger than the original ones and needed the holes reamed ever so slightly. He had removed the neck of the guitar and brought it over.

My dad had a nice Delta Milwaukee 15in drill press, which I still own and use regularly to this day, some 50 years later.

I don't remember how I determined what diameter drill was needed, didn't know how to use micrometers or vernier calipers. I probably drilled some sample holes in scrap to check the fit of the new tuning pegs (hey, I wasn't a completely brain-dead teenager).

Once we decided the appropriate drill bit size to ream the holes, I set about hand-holding the neck of the guitar while pulling the quill handle on the drill press. I was smart enough to block the underside of the headstock of the guitar so I wouldn't drill into the table underneath.

I think the guitar necks were, and still are, made from maple. As soon as the drill bit started it yanked the guitar neck out of my hands, and slammed it against the drill press post. I don't remember if the spindle stalled, but I was right quick on the stop button I'll tell ya. First ever lesson on drill press torque!

We determined that it had formed a crack between the hole and the outer edge of the headstock of the guitar. Cant remember if it dimpled the neck by slamming against the post.

I apologized profusely, but Lee decided he wanted to continue the project. This time he held the neck, while I operated the drill press and held the headstock perpendicular to the drill bit. Didn't occur to us to just hold the neck against the post.

We successfully reamed the remaining holes without mishap. The crack was mostly covered by the bezel on the new tuning peg, and apparently had no detrimental effect on the early 1970's rock and roll that Lee played.

I still frequently think of that experience some 50 years later, and am actively searching for the best means of holding my work on my drill presses.

Don't know whatever became of Lee.


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