# Clausing Mill Vise Jaws - what to do?



## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

This vise came with my Rockwell Mill and I'm finally getting around to getting it as parallel as I can. I got the head trammed on the only axis that it can be trammed. I then put the vise on the table and checked it with a test indicator. One end is less than .0005 from the other but all in all its super rough in between and along the tops and sides. I know I could buy some other steel stock and have it ground and hardened but I think I'd just get a small Glacern or something at that point. Hopefully this is in the correct area. I did some searching and reading too but I thought I'd see if anyone had some more specific ideas as far as my situation goes. Here's a picture of the jaws as well as my indicator running across it.


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## jwmay (Feb 15, 2022)

What's the problem? Cosmetic? Use it. I've got a regular old drill press vise on my rockwell. No issues here. Machined one side of 12" drop hitch on it this weekend.


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## Larry$ (Feb 15, 2022)

Take the jaws off and set them on parallels back in the vice. Take a skim-cut with a carbide shell mill, reinstall.


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## Chewy (Feb 15, 2022)

If the jaws are parallel and rough, take and sand them and lap them on a flat surface.  Use glass if you don't have a good flat area. If the jaws are  crooked, machine them as Larry$ said above.   The jaws only need to be "flat"  You don't want ridges sticking out from the faces.  Minor dings and depressions on the other hand don't make a difference as your material will span across them.


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## woodchucker (Feb 15, 2022)

jwmay said:


> What's the problem? Cosmetic? Use it. I've got a regular old drill press vise on my rockwell. No issues here. Machined one side of 12" drop hitch on it this weekend.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I cannot make out this pic. What am I looking at?


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## francist (Feb 15, 2022)

This may help…


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

jwmay said:


> What's the problem? Cosmetic? Use it. I've got a regular old drill press vise on my rockwell. No issues here. Machined one side of 12" drop hitch on it this weekend.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I guess it's technically not a problem, I have been using it and for larger pieces it's not really an issue. I just want to get it all straight since I've been cleaning years of build up off of it recently Also, I'm just super meticulous so I would like it to be square.


Larry$ said:


> Take the jaws off and set them on parallels back in the vice. Take a skim-cut with a carbide shell mill, reinstall.


T


Larry$ said:


> Take the jaws off and set them on parallels back in the vice. Take a skim-cut with a carbide shell mill, reinstall.


Larry, this is a great idea! I don't have a shell mill as I'm relatively new to this and I currently only have the end mills and horizontal cutters that the previous owner of my mill gave me. I'm going to research these now. Any specific recommendations?


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

Chewy said:


> If the jaws are parallel and rough, take and sand them and lap them on a flat surface.  Use glass if you don't have a good flat area. If the jaws are  crooked, machine them as Larry$ said above.   The jaws only need to be "flat"  You don't want ridges sticking out from the faces.  Minor dings and depressions on the other hand don't make a difference as your material will span across them.


Thank you also Chewy, this is helpful as well, however there have been some pretty bad "mishaps" on these faces and sanding them wont take them down far enough without doing it for a few days probably. Also, I do smaller parts so if the work piece lands in the middle somewhere between the two ends I think I run the chances of non-squareness.


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## mikey (Feb 15, 2022)

Seems to me that you have several options:

Remove the jaws and have them surface ground.
Make new jaws.
Buy a decent vise. My personal view is that the milling vise holds 90+% of the work the mill does so having something that isn't accurate is self-defeating.


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## woodchucker (Feb 15, 2022)

My view is a little different. My view is to make this work for you, until the time you feel an upgrade is necessary.
We all make lots of mistakes, better to work and learn on a vise that is not NEW and learn. Make due until the time you feel you are a competent machinist not going to make beginner mistakes. I don't know your level, but I am of the opinion that unless the vise is holding you back fix what you have.  2 ways to do it with what you have already have been presented. 
1) mill it.. you really don't need a shell mill, a regular end mill will do it, albeit in multiple passes.  After you are done, sand it to clean up as much as possible.
2) sand it, a little more laborious, but doable. you would only be getting high spots out.
3) use a stone to remove high spots
4) have someone local to you surface grind them.
5) make a set of soft jaws and use them.


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## jwmay (Feb 15, 2022)

Ah ok I see. .0005" over 5 inches IS square so far as I'm concerned. Lol


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

Yeah, I’m leaning towards buying a decent vise but I would like to make this one useable. I think I’m going to get a face mill and try that… I have a Rockwell 3/4 mill with 1/2 hp motor so I think it will have to be a smallish one and I’ll just go slow with a shallow depth of cut.


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

Woodchucker, it isn't holding me back. Thanks for the well thought out input. I am new to machining but I've made a few things including a gib for another machine so I have a little experience. I just want them clean and flat, like new, if thats possible. I think I'm going to look at a face mill that my 1/2 hp machine can run, slowly and with small depth of cuts. Not sure of face mill size limits for my machine but I'm careful and patient so I'm leaning towards a 2" - 3" face mill, possibly the TTS SuperFly kit with the R8 collet adapter that I keep reading about. I think I've gone down a rabbit hole...


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## woodchucker (Feb 15, 2022)

JRT said:


> Woodchucker, it isn't holding me back. Thanks for the well thought out input. I am new to machining but I've made a few things including a gib for another machine so I have a little experience. I just want them clean and flat, like new, if thats possible. I think I'm going to look at a face mill that my 1/2 hp machine can run, slowly and with small depth of cuts. Not sure of face mill size limits for my machine but I'm careful and patient so I'm leaning towards a 2" - 3" face mill, possibly the TTS SuperFly kit with the R8 collet adapter that I keep reading about. I think I've gone down a rabbit hole...


If you have a fly cutter you don't need a face mill. and again, end mills with multiple passes will result in a good finish.


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

I don’t have either, just regular endmills and they are all fairly old/neglected. I have been able to get some pretty good surface finishes but would like to make these vise jaws as nice as possible.
I’m looking at the Accusize face Mills with 5 inserts on Amazon and also the SuperFly think that seems to double as a 2 insert face mill or a Fly Cutter from Tormach…


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## jwmay (Feb 15, 2022)

You're talking about removing .0005" off one side of a hardened vise jaw. Is that correct?


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## JRT (Feb 15, 2022)

jwmay said:


> You're talking about removing .0005" off one side of a hardened vise jaw. Is that correct?



Probably more like a few thousandths, plus the top and sides. It has some pretty deep milling marks from its previous life.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Larry$ (Feb 16, 2022)

I'm not sure, BUT carbide inserts should be run deep enough that the chip breaker is helping to keep the cut deep enough to keep making a chip & not burnishing. Your jaws don't look very hard. So an insert designed with a less radiused edge may work. A sharp edge, finishing insert, may chip. Now that I see what you mill is, I'm not cure a face mill is the best solution. Reason: Inserts work best when they can be cutting deep enough to stay making a chip, not slipping up and over as the tool rotates. With multiple inserts on a face mill, ideally you set a deep enough cut and a fast enough feed that all the inserts are taking a deep enough cut to stay engaged and not slip out of the cut. The more ridged the machine the easier it is to keep all the inserts engaged. Finishing inserts can take thinner cuts at lower feed rates if required by limited power. Get yourself a fly cutter and HSS. Cheap and effective, not fast. They are also an excellent way of telling if your mill is in tram. If your mill is not well set up using a 1/2" end mill will provide a better result with less stepping showing. Stepping cuts are pretty undesirable on a jaw face. You can reduce them by using a piece of Wet & Dry sand paper stuck to a sheet of glass with water. You will be able to see any stepping and also polish it out. Don't start out crazy fine. 220 grit may be a good starting point and all you need unless you get crazy about wanting to use it as a mirror. Use good lapping practice by constantly changing the orientation  of the part every few strokes.  I'm getting carried away here. Above all have fun. I would never enter my jaw faces in a beauty contest!


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## Alcap (Feb 16, 2022)

I just wanted to show some of the vise  jaws that came with my Clausing mill and some of the vises specs .  The jaws that were on it when I got it had a slight step which worked well for most jobs , you didn’t need parallels most of the time . I believe the jaws I have on now are the original ones . Showing are a ones Im guessing for a special job and one that I didn’t get the match , that one also has a step milled in . Myself I would get some new ground steel for new jaws and keep those for fixturing .


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## JRT (Feb 25, 2022)

So I ended up taking them off, using some Windexed 600 grit paper on my surface place and shining them up a little. I put the main jaw on backwards and got it to less than .0005 from one side to the other. Worked great! Here’s a video to show how it is now. Also, in the video you’ll see the initials JS stamped towards the bottom. I assume that is who originally made these jaws.


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